NYPL Top Checkouts of 2017

By Lynn Ann Lobash, Associate Director, Readers Services and Engagement
December 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!

This is an interactive map.

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!