Biblio File

NYPL Top Checkouts of 2017 by Lynn Lobash, Manager of Reader ServicesDecember 22, 2017

 

Every year we compile our top 10 checkouts, both system-wide and for each of  our three boroughs: The Bronx, Staten Island, and Manhattan. Ta-Nehisi Coates took the number one spot this year with Between the World and Me.  Colson Whitehead was a close second with The Underground Railroad.  In third place, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance. New Yorkers showed a distinct interest in society and culture in 2017. They also love to escape into a good suspense or romance.  Here is the list for your enjoyment. Happy New Year!

Top 10 Books Systemwide

  1. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  2. The Underground Railroad: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
  3. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance
  4. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
  5. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
  6. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
  7. The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis
  8. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
  9. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  10.  Commonwealth: A Novel by Ann Patchett​

Top 10 Books in the Bronx

  1. TASC: Test Assessing Secondary Completion: Strategies, Practice, & Review, 2017-2018 by Kaplan
  2. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
  3. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  4. Kill or Be Killed: Thrillers by James Patterson
  5. 1984 by George Orwell
  6. Killer Dolls by Nisa Santiago
  7. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  9. Private by James Patterson
  10. Murder Games by James Patterson

Top 10 Books in Manhattan

  1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  2. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance
  3. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  4. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
  5. The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis
  6. 1984 by George Orwell
  7. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
  8. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
  9. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
  10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Top 10 Books in Staten Island

  1. The Award by Danielle Steel
  2. Against All Odds by Danielle Steel
  3. Murder Games by James Patterson
  4. Kill or Be Killed: Thrillers by James Patterson
  5. Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
  6. The Duchess by Danielle Steel
  7. Private by James Patterson
  8. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
  9. The Store by James Patterson
  10. Dangerous Games: A Novel by Danielle Steel​

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

 
View all posts by Lynn Lobash

Comments

Patron-generated content represents the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The New York Public Library. For more information see NYPL's Website Terms and Conditions.

Books

Submitted by Sarah Pierson (not verified) on December 26, 2017 - 10:19am

Why not top 10 Fiction vs Nonfiction?

popular items checked

Submitted by kiisf@yahoo.com (not verified) on December 29, 2017 - 8:09pm

Hello, Can I have a list of popular items checked out from the public library? Either that be children and/or adults materials? Books,DVDs, etc.? Is that by year or over all? Thank you

Can't I always see the top-ranked checkouts ALL through the year

Submitted by Sundar Rao Palepu (not verified) on January 3, 2018 - 9:45pm

This top-checkouts list is so fantastic ! THANK YOU ! Please make this available all through the year somewhere on your home page. One could see the most checked out books and then choose whether to borrow that book. I do hope you'll consider this request which will SURELY help all your members. Thanks you, Sundar Rao

Top 10 Books

Submitted by Lia (not verified) on January 4, 2018 - 10:15am

These lists are quite interesting. Reflects a lot about the community living within those boroughs. Is there any way of getting the Top 10 books from Queens and Brooklyn?

Mantab

Submitted by Tempat Wisata (not verified) on January 5, 2018 - 12:52pm

The list you created is very helpful to us, please keep updated every year, regards eksapandawa

What about Brooklyn?

Submitted by Samantha (not verified) on January 6, 2018 - 11:49am

Why don't you compile information about Brooklyn branches?

Thanks for your question,

Submitted by Norm S. on January 8, 2018 - 11:29am

Thanks for your question, Samantha. The boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are each served by their own library systems. The New York Public Library serves the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.

Numbers on Specific Books

Submitted by Martin Bodek (not verified) on January 7, 2018 - 5:49pm

I'm dying to know if there's a way to tell how many check-outs any specific book may have had over the course of the year. I finally made it to your shelves, but I have no idea what my book's (Extracts from Noah's Diary) numbers are. Enlighten me, please?

Hi, Martin. I'm not sure that

Submitted by Courtney McGee on January 10, 2018 - 11:56am

Hi, Martin. I'm not sure that we respond to requests regarding circulation data of individual titles, possibly due to issues of privacy, capacity, ability, etc. I'll look into this and let you know if I find an answer.