A coming-of-age story centered on a possible murder, the memoir of America’s first African American first lady, and the account of a young girl’s quest for knowledge topped the Louisville Free Public Library’s list of the 10 most circulated books in 2019.
The library compiles the list every year, ranking titles by how many copies were checked out in print and electronic books. Library Director Lee Burchfield, who was appointed in April, said the list helps the library decide what books to purchase. Burchfield also said people tend to ask about the top books list.
He said the list shows there is diversity in readers’ interests.
“Literature is a reflection of current culture, but also helps shape it,” Burchfield said in an emailed statement. “Some [readers] are looking to get away from the culture wars, some are looking to understand them, and some, whatever their political or cultural perspective, are just looking for an ally.”
Here’s the full list of the library’s top 10 most-circulated books in 2019:
- Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
- Becoming – Michelle Obama
- Educated: A Memoir – Tara Westover
- The Reckoning – John Grisham
- Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
- Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty
- The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah
- Look Alive Twenty-Five – Janet Evanovich
- Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be – Rachel Hollis
- Long Road to Mercy – David Baldacci
Lists of the top 10 titles in fiction, non-fiction, young-adult and children’s books are on the Louisville Free Public Library’s Facebook page here.
