The New York Public Library Shares Top Checkouts of 2019, Becoming by Michelle Obama Takes Top Spot

Media Contact: Amy Geduldig, amygeduldig@nypl.org

DECEMBER 18, 2019 – Becoming, the autobiography by former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama was The New York Public Library’s top checkout of 2019.

The annual top checkouts list includes the most popular books patrons borrowed from the Library’s branches in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, as well as its ebook catalog. In addition to the top 10 systemwide checkouts, the Library compiled the top books in several other categories, including for each of its three boroughs, its bookmobile service, and individual branches (which are shared below).

The Library will also announce in January its top checkouts of all time as part of celebrations for the system’s 125th anniversary in 2020. The list will coincide with a New Year’s resolution challenge for patrons of all ages to read 20 minutes every day. To support patrons participating in the challenge, the Library will provide daily book recommendations and read alikes next year. 

Obama’s account of her life leading up to and including her historic role in the White House was the number 1 title on the Library’s 2019 top checkouts list. Tara Westover’s memoir Educated made its debut on the list at number two and was joined in the top 5 by other first-time titles A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. In fact, all but one of the books on the list made their debut this year. The only book from last year to appear was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, which rose three spots to number 3. Although, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee was a top checkout in Manhattan last year at number 9.

The full list of top system-wide checkouts of 2019 is:

  1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

  2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  3. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

  4. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  6. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

  7. Circe by Madeline Miller

  8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

  9. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

  10. Milkman by Anna Burns

“The top checkouts at The New York Public Library may seem like a simple opportunity to identify what New Yorkers enjoyed reading in 2019, but at the Library we see the diversity these titles represent,” said Lynn Lobash, the Library’s Assistant Director of Readers Services. “Whether it's literary fiction, memoirs, the latest mystery or thriller—readers of all ages from all walks of life can find the book they're looking for at their local branch or online and this annual list is our tribute to them.”

The top check outs in each of the three boroughs and on the Library’s bookmobiles were: 

  • The Bronx: Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Manhattan: Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Staten Island: A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • Bookmobiles (tie): Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

The most popular selections at each branch highlight a diverse range of subjects including a three-way tie at Woodstock Library between The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East by Alan Watts, Networking All-In-One for Dummies by Doug Lowe, and Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. Other top checkouts were the Game of Thrones prequel Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin at Port Richmond Library; Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking--150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau at Wakefield Library; Walter Mosley’s thought-provoking novel John Woman at Macombs Bridge Library; and Jane Austen’s Women: An Introduction by Kathleen Anderson at Sedgwick Library.

The Library also released the year’s number 1 title for the following genres:

  • Classics: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

  • Comics and Graphic Novels: Saga by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan

  • Fantasy: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

  • Horror: The Shining by Stephen King

  • Mystery and Detective: The Chef by James Patterson

  • Romance: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

  • Science Fiction: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Library offers patrons access to millions of free books and e-books, as well as a host of other materials, such as periodicals, databases, streaming options, museum passes, and so on. Any New Yorker can get a New York Public Library card at www.nypl.org/library-card to begin borrowing and last year they did just that; the Library saw a 30% increase in card signups.

The 2019 top lists in full are:

Top 10 Books Systemwide

  1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

  2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  3. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

  4. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  6. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

  7. Circe by Madeline Miller

  8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

  9. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

  10. Milkman by Anna Burns 

Top 10 Books in the Bronx

  1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

  2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  3. Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born 

  4. The Chef by James Patterson

  5. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  6. Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox

  7. The 18th Abduction by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

  8. Long Road to Mercy  by David Baldacci 

  9. Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson

  10. The House Next Door by ​James Patterson, Tim Arnold, Max DiLallo, and Susan DiLallo

Top 10 Books in Manhattan

  1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

  2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  3. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

  4. Circe by Madeline Miller

  5. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

  6. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

  7. Milkman by Anna Burns

  8. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  9. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

  10. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Top 10 Books in Staten Island

  1. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  2. Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born

  3. The Reckoning by John Grisham

  4. Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson

  5. Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox

  6. The Chef by James Patterson

  7. Turning Point by Danielle Steel

  8. The House Next Door by ​James Patterson, Tim Arnold, Max DiLallo, and Susan DiLallo

  9. Unsolved, Book 2 by James Patterson and David Ellis

  10. Juror No. 3 by  by James Patterson and Nancy Allen

Top Book by Branch in the Bronx 

  • Allerton – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Baychester – Becoming by Michelle Obama 

  • Belmont – ​The Caregiver by Samuel Park 

  • Bronx Library Center – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Castle Hill – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • City Island – Redemption (Book 5) by David Baldacci

  • Clason's Point – The Bronx by Marcus Weber 

  • Eastchester – The Vitamin Cure : Clinically Proven Remedies to Prevent and Treat 75 Chronic Diseases and Conditions by Monte Lai, Ph.D

  • Edenwald – ​ Influence by Carl Weber

  • Francis Martin – A Game of Thrones Book 1 by George R.R. Martin

  • Grand Concourse – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

  • High Bridge – The Bronx by Marcus Weber

  • Hunt's Point – When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago 

  • Jerome Park – Betty Crocker learn with Betty: Essential Recipes and the Techniques to Become a Confident Cook by Betty Crocker

  • Kingsbridge  – Becoming by Michelle Obama 

  • Melrose – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Morris Park – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Morrisania – Murder in Paradise by James Patterson

  • Mosholu – Murder in Paradise by James Patterson

  • Mott Haven – The Black Market by Kiki Swinson

  • Parkchester – Traffic Enforcement Agent by Jack Rudman

  • Pelham Bay – Under Current by Nora Roberts

  • Pelham Parkway–Van Nest (tie)– Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

  • Riverdale – ​Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover 

  • Sedgwick – Jane Austen’s Women: An Introduction by Kathleen Anderson

  • Soundview – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  • Spuyten Duyvil  – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Throg's Neck – Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox

  • Tremont – Ambush by James Patterson

  • Van Cortlandt – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

  • Wakefield – Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking--150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau 

  • West Farms – The Black Market by Kiki Swinson

  • Westchester Square – New York City SHSAT Specialized High Schools Admissions Test  by Gilbert Kessler, Anne Villeponteaux and Lawrence Zimmerman

  • Woodlawn Heights – We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

  • Woodstock (three-way tie*) –The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East by Alan Watts; Networking All-In-One for Dummies by Doug Lowe; and Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick 

Top Book by Branch in Manhattan

  • 125th Street – Torn by the Code by Eureka

  • 53rd Street – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • 58th St. – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • 67th St. – A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • 96th St – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Aguilar – Becoming by Michelle Obama    

  • Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Battery Park City –  Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

  • Bloomingdale –  A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • Chatham Square – Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

  • Columbus –  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Countee Cullen – We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta–Nahesi Coates

  • Epiphany – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Fort Washington –  Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • George Bruce – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Grand Central – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Hamilton Fish Park –  Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Hamilton Grange  – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Harlem – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Harry Belafonte 115th Street – ​ Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Hudson Park –  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Inwood –  Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Jefferson Market – Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

  • Kips Bay  – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Library for the Performing Arts – Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker

  • Macomb's Bridge – John Woman by Walter Moseley

  • Mid-Manhattan at 42nd Street  – The Reckoning by John Grisham

  • Morningside Heights –  Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Muhlenberg  – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Mulberry Street – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • New Amsterdam – Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter by Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler

  • Ottendorfer – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Riverside  – Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

  • Roosevelt Island – Becoming by Michelle Obama

  • Science, Industry and Business Library – Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

  • Seward Park  – Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

  • St. Agnes  – Becoming by M    ichelle Obama

  • Terence Cardinal Cooke-Cathedral – Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

  • Tompkins Square – Circe by Madeline Miller

  • Washington Heights – Circe by Madeline Miller

  • Webster  – Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty 

  • Yorkville  – Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Top Book by Branch in Staten Island:

  • Dongan Hills – Unsolved, Book 2 by James Patterson and David Ellis

  • Great Kills – Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox

  • Huguenot Park – A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • Mariners Harbor – Becoming by Michelle Obama 

  • New Dorp – Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born

  • Port Richmond – Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin

  • Richmondtown – A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • South Beach – Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

  • St. George – Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson

  • Stapleton – 1984 by George Orwell

  • Todt Hill – A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

  • Tottenville – The Reckoning by John Grisham

  • West New Brighton – Becoming by Michelle Obama 

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