Verona Public Library’s Most Circulated, 2017

Verona likes thrillers. No, not just our electrifying high school sports events, like last year’s volleyball championship. We mean the suspense, excitement and anxiety that comes from a genre of books that seems to dominate the interest of Verona Public Library readers. Thrillers were the most checked-out books at the Library in 2017.

Just before the New Year rang in, we asked our feature writer Beth Shorten, an avid reader, to draw up a list of the books she most enjoyed in 2017. And we thought it only fair to ask the Library what other Veronans were reading. In adult fiction, that was a lot of thrillers, from the Michael Connelly work that inspired the Amazon TV series Bosch to a tale of a perfect couple who aren’t quite so perfect (Beth Shorten’s Goodreads review of Behind Closed Doors was “Intense…too much so at times.”)

The numbers sent over by Catherine Adair Williams, the Library’s assistant director, didn’t stop at adult fiction, however. She also gave us the most circulated lists for adult non-fiction, adult and kid DVDs, middle juniors and young adult, where two books by Nicola Yoon beat out both Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling. We’ll be getting the most checked out children’s books soon too.

Even though the Library’s space has been compressed into two rooms at the Verona Community Center Annex while its historic building is undergoing an extensive renovation and expansion, there are still plenty of books there. If the title you want isn’t on Verona’s shelves, it is likely available from another area library through Verona’s participation in the PALS Plus Consortium, or as an e-book download. Each of the titles on these lists is linked to its catalog page at the Library so you can quickly get your hands on it. 

So how many of these did your household read or watch last year?

Adult Fiction

1. The Wrong Side of Goodbye, by Michael Connelly
2. A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
3. The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware
4. Home, by Harlan Coben
5. The Couple Next Door, by Shari Lapena
6. Behind Closed Doors, by B.A. Paris
7. The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
8. Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult
9. Nutshell, by Ian McEwan
10. The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead

Adult Non-Fiction

1. Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance
2. WordPress Web Design for Dummies, by Lisa Sabin-Wilson
3. What Your Financial Advisor Isn’t Telling You, by Liz Davidson
4. The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben
5. Bipolar Disorder Demystified, by Lana R. Castle
6. What Color is your Parachute, by Richard Nelson Bolles
7. The AARP Retirement Survival Guide, by Julie Jason
8. Creative Colleges, by Elaina C. Loveland
9. My iPhone for Seniors, by Brad Miser
10. The Mechanical Horse : How the Bicycle Reshaped American Life, by Margaret Guroff

Young Adult

1. The Sun is also a Star, by Nicola Yoon
2. Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon
3. The Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan
4. The 5th Wave, by Richard Yancy
5. The Candymakers, by Wendy Mass
6. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two, by Jack Thorne
7. Hollow City, by Ransom Riggs
8. Drama, by Raina Telgemeier
9. A Mango-Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass
10. The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan

Middle Juniors

1. Wonder, by R. J. Palacio
2. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
3. The Hunters, by John Flanagan
4. Library of Souls, by Ransom Riggs
5. Tales From a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen, by Rachel Renee Russell
6. Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea
7. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, by John Flanagan
8. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, by Chris Grabenstein
9. The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann
10. Middle School, Get Me Out of Here, by James Patterson

Kids Picture Books

1. The Thank You Book, by Mo Willems
2. Listen to My Trumpet!, by Mo Willems
3. My New Friend is so Fun!, by Mo Willems
4. Should I Share my Ice Cream?, by Mo Willems
5. Let’s Go for a Drive!, by Mo Willems
6. I’m a Frog!, by Mo Willems
7. Waiting is Not Easy!, by Mo Willems
8. Happy Pig Day!, by Mo Willems
9. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems
10. Today I Will Fly!, by Mo Willems

Kids Graphic Novels

1. Ghosts, by Raina Telgemeier
2. The Baby-Sitters Club, by Raina Telgemeier
3. El Deafo, by Cece Bell
4. Sunny Side Up, by Jennifer L. Holm
5. Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson
6. Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier
7. Smile, by Raina Telgemeier
8. Big Nate, by Lincoln Peirce
9. Amulet, by Kazu Kibuishi
10. Big Nate in the Zone, by Lincoln Peirce

DVDs

1. Arrival
2. Bad Moms
3. The Girl on the Train
4. Jack Reacher
5. Collateral Beauty
6. The Founder
7. Hacksaw Ridge
8. Fathers & Daughters
9. Fences
10. A Man Called Ove

Kids’ DVDs

1. Storks
2. Zootopia
3. Sing
4. The Smurfs 2
5. Finding Dory
6. Moana
7. Barbie, Spy Squad
8. Inside Out
9. The Secret Life of Pets
10. Kubo and the Two Strings