These Are The Most Read Library Books In NYC During 2020

NEW YORK CITY — The New York Public Library has released its list of this year's top checkouts.

In 2020, bookworms in New York City turned to everything from Sally Rooney novels to self-help books as well as Michelle Obama's bestselling memoir as they sought a literary escape from the coronavirus pandemic.

The top titles were primarily borrowed digitally, as libraries closed for several months due to the pandemic. Select branches reopened for to-go services starting in July.

Here's a look at the NYPL's top titles:

1. "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett

2. "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo

3. "The Glass Hotel" by Emily St. John Mandel

4. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

5. "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett

6. "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

7. "Educated" by Tara Westover

8. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

9. "Normal People" by Sally Rooney

10. "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" by Lori Gottlieb

Of course, this list only covers The New York Public Library’s branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. The Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library have also released their top 10 checkouts of 2020.

Here's a look at Brooklyn's top titles:

1. "How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi

2. "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo

3. "Normal People" by Sally Rooney

4. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

5. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

6. "Educated" by Tara Westover

7. "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides

8. "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

9. "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood

10. "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Here are the Queens Public Library's top checkouts in 2020:

1. "The Guardians" by John Grisham

2. "Moral Compass" by Danielle Steel

3. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

4. "Lost" by James Patterson and James O. Born

5. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

6. "A Minute to Midnight" by David Baldacci

7. "Educated" by Tara Westover

8. "Criss Cross" by James Patterson

9. "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

10. "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides

SEE ALSO:

• These Are The Brooklyn Public Library's Top Checkouts Of 2020
• These Are The Queens Public Library's Top Checkouts Of 2020

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering what horror and romance fans are reading, here is a snapshot of some of NYPL’s most popular checkouts by genre:

• Classics: "1984" by George Orwell
• Comics & Graphic Novels: "The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel" by Margaret Atwood, art and adaptation by Renée Nault
• Sci-Fi & Fantasy: "The Water Dancer: A Novel" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Horror: "If It Bleeds: New Fiction" by Stephen King
• Mystery & Detective: "The Glass Hotel: A Novel" by Emily St. John Mandel
• Romance: "The Starless Sea: A Novel" by Erin Morgenstern

Patch reporter Maya Kaufman contributed to this report.