Most Borrowed Library Books of 2024
Every year, library systems across the country release lists of the most checked-out books. While the titles vary, patterns emerge. According to a Booklist article published on December 27, 2024, Kristin Hannah’s The Women was the most popular book of the year, appearing on 34 library lists nationwide. The novel follows a Vietnam War nurse returning to a changed country. With Warner Bros. acquiring the film rights and its ongoing popularity among book clubs, the book is likely to remain a top checkout in 2025.
Historical fiction dominated in the Washington, D.C., area, including James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a novel about a skeleton, a tight-knit community called Chicken Hill, and the bonds that hold people together. Another widely borrowed book was Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, which follows a female chemist breaking barriers in a male-dominated field. The 2023 film adaptation likely encouraged many readers to pick up the book to compare versions.
According to a January 7, 2025, Washingtonian article, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow topped the District of Columbia Public Library’s fiction checkouts. This story of two friends who start a video game company was also the most borrowed book at the Chicago Public Library and the New York Public Library.
Percival Everett’s James, the 2024 National Book Award winner, reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved character. It ranked ninth on the Chicago Public Library’s list and is expected to remain popular, especially with Steven Spielberg developing a film adaptation.
In the nation’s capital, where politics dominate, humor and satire provided an escape. Popular titles included Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, and Emily Henry’s Funny Story.
Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, about an unlikely friendship between a woman and a giant Pacific octopus, was the top book at Alexandria Library in Virginia.
Libraries in Maryland, including Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL) and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, saw high circulation for Antonia Hylton’s Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum. This nonfiction work examines the history of Crownsville Hospital, formerly known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane. Also mentioned in Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Crownsville has become a focal point for community discussions about historical injustices and healing efforts.
Arlington, Virginia, readers gravitated toward nonfiction, including Britney Spears’s The Woman in Me and David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon, the latter of which was adapted into a 2023 film by Martin Scorsese.
Nationally, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt appeared on ten public libraries’ top checkouts lists, while Spears’s memoir appeared on nine, according to NPR.
One of the biggest surprises of 2024 was the resurgence of J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy (2015). Despite criticism over its portrayal of Appalachia, it shot to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list in July 2024, likely due to Vance’s rise to the vice presidency.
Library checkouts differ from bestseller lists because older books can continue circulating heavily. For instance, in AACPL, James Clear’s Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (2018) was the tenth most checked-out book in 2024.
Young adult (YA) fiction trends are influenced by pop culture, with older books often regaining popularity. Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the first in a trilogy, ranked No. 11 on AACPL’s list and was the most borrowed YA title. Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (2010) also remains a favorite among young readers.
Juvenile fiction highlights included:
- Louie Stowell’s The Dragon in the Library
- Lauren Castillo’s Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us
- Remy Lai’s Pawcasso
- Megumi Isawa’s Yours Sincerely, Giraffe
- Megan Wagner Lloyd’s Allergic (graphic novel)
- Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, which topped Chicago Public Library’s kids’ list
At the Queens Public Library in New York, the top ten juvenile fiction checkouts were entirely Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dog Man books.
According to a December 26, 2024, People magazine article, digital checkouts on the Libby app reflected similar trends. The most borrowed books on Libby included:
- Kristin Hannah’s The Women
- Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing
- Rebecca Yarros’s Iron Flame
- Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True
- Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Ashley Elston’s First Lie Wins
- Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake
- Emily Henry’s Funny Story
- James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
- Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures
Whether you prefer physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks, there’s still time to check out one of 2024’s most popular reads and see what the buzz is about!
Sources:
- Book Riot – The Most Popular Books in US Public Libraries 2024
- New York Public Library – Top Checkouts 2024
- National Public Radio – Most Borrowed Library Books of 2024
- Queens Public Library – Most Borrowed Books
- Washingtonian – Local Libraries’ Most Borrowed Books of 2024
Tags: mostcheckedoutbookslibraries2024, mostpopularbooks2024
