Dec 20, 2023 - Culture
What we read at the library this year
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
The story of a fictional 1960s cooking show and its revolutionary host was the most popular read among Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) cardholders in 2023.
Zoom in: "Lessons in Chemistry," the debut novel by Bonnie Garmus, was checked out nearly 5,000 times. Other popular library books by genre:
- Non-fiction: "Spare" by Prince Harry.
- Children's fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde" by Jeff Kinney.
- Children's graphic novel: "Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea" by Dav Pilkey.
The big picture: CML celebrated its 150th birthday this year with a host of sesquicentennial events, an inaugural book festival and a new branch in Gahanna.
The full lists of popular titles, in order of circulation:
Top print adult fiction:
- "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
- "It Starts With Us" by Colleen Hoover
- "Happy Place" by Emily Henry
- "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover
- "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin
- "The Boys from Biloxi" by John Grisham
- "Mad Honey" by Jodi Picoult
- "The Five-Star Weekend" by Elin Hilderbrand
- "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano
- "Someone Else's Shoes" by Jojo Moyes
Top print adult non-fiction
- "Spare" by Prince Harry
- "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
- "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" by Michelle Obama
- "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder" by David Grann
- "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" by James Clear
- "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir" by Matthew Perry
- "You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir" by Maggie Smith
- "Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear" by Jinger Vuolo
- "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" by David Grann
- "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond
Top print children fiction
All 10 titles are featured in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, authored by Jeff Kinney.
- "Diper Överlöde"
- "Big Shot"
- "Rodrick Rules"
- "The Deep End"
- "Greg Heffley's Journal"
- "Wrecking Ball"
- "The Long Haul"
- "The Third Wheel"
- "The Last Straw"
- "Hard Luck"
Top print children graphic novel
- "Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea" by Dav Pilkey
- "The Baby-sitters Club: Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery" by Ann M. Martin
- "Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations" by Dav Pilkey
- "Baby-sitters Little Sister: Karen's School Picture" by Katy Farina
- "Dog Man: Grime and Punishment" by Dav Pilkey
- "Dog Man Unleashed" by Dav Pilkey
- "Dog Man: Mothering Heights" by Dav Pilkey
- "Dog Man" by Dav Pilkey
- "Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas" by Dav Pilkey
- "The Baby-sitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl" by Ann M. Martin
