The end of the year is fast approaching and that means it’s time for some lists. Newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs are all publishing their year-end lists of the best books and movies from the last year. In that spirit I present to you the top 16 most popular books and DVDs at the Princeton Public Library for 2016. The list is based on total numbers of checkouts (or circulation in library-speak) from January 1st until now. The list includes books and DVDs from all of our collections but does not include ebooks or downloadable audiobooks. Counting down from number 16:
16. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney
Our copies of this edition of the popular series for children were checked out 167 times this year. That’s not a wimpy number at all!
15. The Big Short (DVD)
The film adaptation of Michael Lewis’s bestseller about the financial meltdown of 2005 circulated a whopping 172 times.
14. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
Everyone wanted to tidy up in 2016. Hopefully this book kept some the clutter at bay.
13. Bridge of Spies (DVD)
This Cold War thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks has was checked out 180 times in 2016.
12. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
We love books set in libraries. This one is an adventure story aimed at middle schoolers but can be enjoyed by anyone.
11. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (episode VII) (DVD)
This one isn’t a surprise. The highest-grossing Star Wars film is also circulating heavily at the library.
10. Spotlight (DVD)
The winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2016. This is the true story of the Boston Globe’s investigation of abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church.
9. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
A powerful memoir and meditation on life written by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal illness.
8. Detective Montalbano (DVD)
This Italian television series, based on the popular mystery novels of Andrea Camilleri, follows the various cases of Salvo Montalbano.
7. Brooklyn (DVD)
This drama set in 1950s Brooklyn tells the story of an Irish immigrant and her romance with a young Italian man.
6. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In this book, which takes the form of a letter to the author’s teenage son, Coates comes to grips with what it means to be African-American in America today.
5. Pokemon: Black and White by Hidenori Kusaka
The total circulation for our volumes of this long-running manga series: 205 during the year.
4. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This novel, the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in World War II-era occupied France, remains a popular favorite.
3. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This psychological thriller circulated 224 times this past year.
2. The Martian (DVD)
A sci-fi survival tale (based on the novel by Andy Weir) was our most popular DVD for 2016.
1 My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
A mother-daughter story by a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist comes in first with 304 circulations in 2016. The author spoke at the 2016 annual benefit for the library and I’m sure this helped to increase the total number of check-outs.
As you can see the people of Princeton have enjoyed a wide variety of books and movies from the library the past year. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2017 for everyone and please visit us often at the library!
Photo courtesy of the author.