During this time of social distancing and isolation, our patrons are using the library's digital materials than ever before. In fact, April saw a record number of eBooks checked out (by a wide margin).
We wanted to know what you've been reading, requesting, and watching on Libby and Kanopy during these past few months. Below is a list of the top 10 most requested books (includes holds), the top 10 most checked out books, and the top 10 most watched movies on Kanopy. Most of the differences in these lists are due to some books that are Always Available options, with no holds, no wait times, and no limit on how many people can check them out. Enjoy!
MOST REQUESTED BOOKS
1) Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng
The popular 2017 novel has seen a resurgence after the television miniseries adaptation debuted on Hulu in March. The adaptation stars Reece Witherspoon as Elena Richardson and Kerry Washington as Mia Warren.
2) Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.
3) Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, best-selling author, and “patron saint of female empowerment” explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others' expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us. Doyle is the author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior, the creator of the online community Momastery, and the founder and president of Together Rising, an all-women-led nonprofit organization supporting women, families, and children in crisis.
4) Educated, by Tara Westover
Westover's 2018 memoir is still going strong two years later for a reason. Her journey from her Idaho survivalist community to a PhD at Cambridge University is beautiful and propulsive, and one of the most critically-acclaimed books of the past few years.
5) American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. However, Lydia begins to notice a customer, Javier, a man who seems to share her interest in books. He's also the new boss of the cartel, and when Lydia's husband's tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
The book has been controversial, with critics stating that it stereotypes and appropriates Mexican culture, as well as engaging in "brownface," as the author, a white woman, tells a story about a Hispanic woman and her family. You can read more about the debate in Variety and yes!
6) The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes
From the author of Me Before You, set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.
7) The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
8) Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid
A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.
9) The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson
The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis.
10) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
It seems as if we might be developing some new Harry Potter fans at this time. The second book in the series has had dozens of holds placed, probably because of what the #1 checked out book is...
MOST CHECKED OUT BOOKS
1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
It might be the most popular fiction series of all-time, and right now, the first book is available in dozens of languages right now with no holds or wait times. What's more, more than 20 years after the first book was published, you have parents who were kids when the books first came out that are now introducing Harry Potter to their own children for the first time.
*Always available as an eBook and eAudiobook through the month of May
2) The Huntress, by Kate Quinn
From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, The Alice Network, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.
*Always available as an audiobook
4) The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov - an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.
5) Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know, by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers -- and why they often go wrong.
6) Becoming, by Michelle Obama
The former first lady's best-selling memoir sees her recount her life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. The audiobook version won a Grammy Award in 2020 for Best Spoken Word album, and the book has been adapted as a recently released Netflix documentary.
8) Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster, by Adam Higginbotham
The definitive, dramatic untold story of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, based on original reporting and new archival research.
9) Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid
10) Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
Alcott's classic novel has seen a resurgence in popularity after the award-winning film adaption last year starring Saoirse Ronan and directed by Greta Gerwig. The book is part of the Always Available Classics section, where dozens of classic novels are available with no holds and no wait times. This also includes novels like Anne of Green Gables, War and Peace, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
*Always available as an eBook.
MOST WATCHED FILMS
1) Midsommar
An American couple, their relationship floundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where they become trapped in a sinister nightmare.
2) What We Do in the Shadows
Housemates Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, & Jonathan Brugh) are three vampires who are trying to get by in modern society; from paying rent and doing housework to trying to get invited into nightclubs. They are just like anyone else - except they're immortal and must feast on human blood. When their 8000 year-old roommate Petyr, turns 20-something human hipster Nick, into a vampire, the guys must guide him through his newfound eternal life.
3) The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
In this Academy Award-nominated film (Best Writing, Original Story), young Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) inadvertently causes the death of her cruel, authoritarian aunt. Martha lies to the cops, and Walter (Kirk Douglas), who saw the crime, corroborates the girl's story. Eventually, they wed out of convenience; the meek Walter is genuinely in love, and Martha thinks that her secret is safe since she has married the one witness to her aunt's death.
However, when her childhood pal, Sam (Van Heflin), shows up, Martha knows her dark past may not stay a secret for long.
4) Lady Bird
Directed by Greta Gerwig and nominated for five Oscars, Lady Bird is a warm, affecting comedy about a high schooler (Saoirse Ronan) who must navigate a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of her eventful and poignant senior year of high school.
5) The Tomorrow Man
Ed Hemsler (John Lithgow) spends his life preparing for a disaster that may never come. Ronnie Meisner (Blythe Danner) spends her life shopping for things she may never use. In a small town somewhere in America, these two people will try to find love while trying not to get lost in each other's stuff.
6) Florence Foster Jenkins
Based on the incredible true story, Meryl Streep delivers a hilarious and touching performance as a New York socialite who dreams of becoming a great opera singer. While the voice she hears in her head is beautiful, to everyone else it is hilariously awful. Her husband and biggest fan, St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) is determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth. But when Florence stages a huge concert at Carnegie Hall, he faces his greatest challenge to make sure her performance hits all the right notes.
7) The Professor and the Madman
The Professor and the Madman tells the unbelievable true story of a murderer (Sean Penn) confined to an insane asylum and his unlikely bond with a brilliant Oxford professor (Mel Gibson). Drawn together by the fine line between madness and genius, these remarkable men form an unbreakable friendship in pursuit of changing the course of history.
8) Nebraska
From Academy Award winner Alexander Payne, the director of Sideways and The Descendants, comes the film that critics are calling "An American Masterpiece." When a father (Bruce Dern) and his adult son (Will Forte) embark on a journey to claim a million-dollar prize, what begins as a fool's errand becomes a search for the road to redemption.
9) My Old Lady
Academy Award winners Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith and Academy Award nominee Kristin Scott Thomas star in this witty and heartfelt dramedy about surprising inheritances and unexpected connections.
10) Lady Macbeth
In 19th-century rural England, a young bride who has been sold into marriage discovers an unstoppable desire within herself as she enters into an affair with a worker on her estate.
Last Modified November 21, 2024
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