These Are The Top Books New Yorkers Borrowed This Year From NYC’s Public Libraries

During the wintertime we’re all trying to stay cozy, whether it be with igloo dining, heated outdoor setups, or hot cocktails.

And though meteorologists have predicted a warmer and dryer winter for NYC this year, temperatures are proving that there are still days we’re going to have to bundle up–if we even feel brave enough to head outdoors to begin with!

If you choose to retreat indoors to avoid the cold (which we’d totally understand), we definitely suggest cuddling up under a cozy blanket with a good book to read–but what book should you dive into? The NYPL is helping out with that.

The New York Public Library released NYC’s top most borrowed books from the library’s branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and from psychological thrillers to repeat authors we have a lot to unpack!

Several of the featured books were included in WNYC’s “Get Lit!” virtual book club which started during the pandemic in partnership with the NYPL and has led to approximately 150,000 checkouts over the past two years.

Each branch of the library had their own top-borrowed list, though the most borrowed book system wide was Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library.

While Haig’s book was featured on both Manhattan and the Bronx’s individual lists, Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner and The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave were these borough’s top picks, respectively.

Dave’s novel was also Staten Island’s top most borrowed book.

“New Yorkers have character and it’s no surprise that this year’s top checkouts show they love good books with great characters,” said Brian Bannon, The New York Public Library’s Merryl and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education. “The titles checked out this year are wonderful stories that invite readers to take a break from the hustle of everyday life and visit new places (and time periods) with interesting people doing fascinating things.”

The complete list for this year’s most borrowed books for adults is as follows:

Systemwide:

1. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig
2. Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel by Bonnie Garmus
3. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles
4. Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5. People We Meet on Vacation: A Novel by Emily Henry
6. This Time Tomorrow: A Novel by Emma Straub
7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
9. Verity by Colleen Hoover
10. It Ends with Us: A Novel by Colleen Hoover

Manhattan:

1. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
2. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
3. Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr
4. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles
5. Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig
7. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave
8. Harlem Shuffle: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
9. The Candy House: A Novel by Jennifer Egan
10. People We Meet on Vacation: A Novel by Emily Henry

Brooklyn Public Library:

1. ​The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave
2. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig
3. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
5. People We Meet on Vacation: A Novel by Emily Henry
6. Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
9. The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett
10. Klara and the Sun: A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

Queens Public Library:

1. The Paris Apartment: A Novel by Lucy Foley
2. It Ends With Us: A Novel by Colleen Hoover
3. The Judge’s List: A Novel by John Grisham
4. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave
7. Verity by Colleen Hoover
8. Wish You Were Here: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
9. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
10. What Happened to the Bennetts: A Novel by Lisa Scottoline

Bronx:

1. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave
2. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig
3. It Ends With Us: A Novel by Colleen Hoover
4. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
5. Dream Town by David Baldacci
6. Wish You Were Here: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
7. Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr
8. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles
9. Run, Rose, Run: A Novel by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
10. The Match: A Novel by Harlan Coben

The full list, including top children and top young adult borrowed books, can be found here.