SF Public Library's most read books of 2024
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The San Francisco Public Library unveiled its list of the most-borrowed books of 2024.
Why it matters: The annual roundup offers a glimpse into the city's reading habits — and a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone looking to build their next list of must-reads.
The top 10 print fiction books were, by order of most checkouts:
- "The Chinese Groove" by Kathryn Ma (4,725)
- "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett (2,965)
- "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese (2,735)
- "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride (2,584)
- "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin (2,527)
- "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus (2,464)
- "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange (2,351)
- "Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang (2,318)
- "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver (2,244)
- "On the Rooftop" by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (2,002)
San Francisco's audiobook listeners had slightly different tastes, with other popular titles including:
- "Dune" by Frank Herbert (3,071)
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah (3,814)
- "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Schwab (2,627)
The intrigue: While San Francisco library-goers preferred fiction this year, many nonfiction books also captivated readers.
- "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond (3,818)
- "Solito" by Javier Zamora (2,840)
- "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner (1,554)
Fun fact: E-books were by far the most popular choice for book borrowers. The romance fantasy novel "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros ranked first with 6,063 checkouts.
For younger readers, Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man" and "Cat Kid Comic Club" series dominated the charts.
- Eight out of the top 10 checked-out children's books were written by Pilkey.