If I Were a Bookish Bookie
I’m a total nerd for trends, especially book trends. I love seeing what’s hot on Bookstagram, BookTok, celebrity book club picks, ALL of the most anticipated and highest rated lists. It’s fun and interesting to me, but understanding readers, specifically local ones, is also an important part of my job on the Book Squad. So for the second year in a row, I have been delighted to have the opportunity to do a deep dive into what Lawrence Public Library patrons were checking out the most in 2024 in preparation for the now annual Book Battle.
The top circulating titles for our library are as charmingly eclectic as the community itself. Just check out this “bar chart race”, opens a new window of the most popular books in US libraries, compiled by Sendetics Unbound. I was fascinated to compare the country at large to our own trending reads and I have two key takeaways from doing so:
- Lawrencians are hip and cool and clearly have their finger on the pulse of what’s “so hot right now” in the broader reading world.
- They are also super unique and precious.
The Formidable Front Runners
But first let’s just take a moment to recognize and respect the total dominance of Kristin Hannah’s The Women. If Book Battle betting were a thing…actually, it kind of is since if you fill out a prediction bracket you stand to win a gift card to The Raven Bookstore. Hmmm, so, okay, if I were a Bookish Bookie (!!!), then I would be projecting GREAT odds for this book taking the championship title. It was only knocked out of the overall top spot nationally a handful of times all year, AND it was LPL’s top circulating title of 2024, beating out backlisted favorites like Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (last year’s Book Battle champion) by HUNDREDS of checkouts. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
Speaking of last year’s Book Battle, the championship match was between Fourth Wing and The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, a book I LOVED but was still a little surprised to see go so far in the tournament. And the final bout was not a belting by Fourth Wing, as some people might expect. Folks, it was CLOSE. Which begs the question, what will be the Dark Horse that makes a deep run and has real potential to knock off The Women? I have a bold upset alert for you: It could be either James by Percival Everett, the Huck Finn retelling we all needed, in the Super 16 OR maybe The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, THE surprise book of the summer, in the Fab 4.
A few other Book Battle contenders that are also reflected in nationwide checkouts: Funny Story by Emily Henry, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, and You Like It Darker by Stephen King. But what makes Lawrence readers special? What books did they love that weren’t as popular nationally, and which ones were flying off the shelves elsewhere but we as a community weren’t as enamored with?
Potentially Devastating Dark Horses
First, our special gems: Pay Dirt by beloved Kansas farm girl turned bestselling author Sara Paretsky. Parestky is a KU alum and has been a stalwart supporter and beloved guest of LPL over the years. Pay Dirt, an installment of the V.I. Warshawski series, brings the dauntless detective to LFK. My colleague, Shirley, has high praise for this book:
A fictionalized-grittier Lawrence, Kansas is literally a character in this tightly woven new episode of the riveting noir V.I. Warshawski private eye series. And Lawrence Public Library is highlighted in our best likeness! V.I. gets drawn into an investigation involving murder, fentanyl drug abuse, and deceitful land development plans. In spite of suffering post-traumatic stress, feeling extremely weary, and in great need of rest, our heroine endures; she’s as wry and as intrepid as ever!
Bride by Ali Hazelwood, a vampire romance, never cracked the top 100 nationally, at least not according to SU’s data, but was a smash hit here. Dare I say we in Lawrence are more likely to take a chance on speculative genre mash-ups? Between Bride’s performance and that of The Tainted Cup, an absolutely bonkers botanical-punk, Sherlockian fantasy by Robert Jackson Bennett, and time travel sci-fi romance debut The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, I think yes. Yes, we are, and I love that for us! These would be the underdogs nationally, but in Larryville they have real upset potential.
As for the 2024 releases the country at large enthusiastically checked out but that Lawrence (very politely and with all due respect) did NOT: Swan Song by Elin Hildebrand, Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks, In Too Deep by Lee Child, and To Die For by David Baldacci, to call out a few.
Check out the list below for ALL 32 of our first round contenders and get ready to vote starting on Monday, March 17th! Also, as of this writing you still have time to make your picks for how this tournament of Lawrence's favorite reads will go! Hopefully my "insider expert" upset alerts have you feeling extra prepared. 😉
-Leah Newton is a Readers' Services Technician at Lawrence Public Library.
Meet the "Field of 32" contenders for the 2025 Book Battle!
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