Regina's Most Loved Books of 2019

Regina, here is what you were reading in 2019!

We got out our calculators and did some number crunching. Here are RPL’s top circulating titles with the most checkouts in 2019.

Adult Fiction

2019 was the year of “the usual suspects” for fiction titles.  Lots of favorite and popular authors had new titles out that everyone wanted to read.  There was a real lean towards thrillers and mysteries this year.

1. The Reckoning by John Grisham
2. Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci
3. Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
4. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
5. Watching You by Lisa Jewell
6. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
7. Past Tense by Lee Child
8. The Chef by James Patterson
9. Liar Liar by James Patterson
10. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Top Canadian Adult Fiction

1. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
2. All the Wrong Places by Joy Fielding
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. Women Talking by Miriam Toews
5. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
6. A Darkness of the Heart by Gail Bowen
7. The Golden Tresses of the Dead by C. Alan Bradley
8. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
9. A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
10. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Adult Nonfiction

2019 was a strong year for female authors. Of the Top 10 nonfiction titles, 9 of them are written by women. Michelle Obama’s Becoming was the most in-demand and checked out nonfiction title. Thanks to her own Netflix special, Marie Kondo’s bestselling books saw a huge resurgence in popularity. Rachel Hollis is on a hot streak right now with two of her books cracking the Top 10. Of particular interest is Marthe Cohn’s memoir Behind Enemy Lines, originally published in 2002. Cohn, 99 years old, was a spy during the Holocaust and visited Saskatchewan for several talks in early 2019.

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama
2. Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
3. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
5. Everything is F*cked by Mark Hanson
6. Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
7. Dare To Lead by Brené Brown
8. You Are A Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero
9. Behind Enemy Lines: the true story of a French Jewish spy in Nazi Germany by Marthe Cohn
10. Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

Runners-up: these four were nearly tied and mere checkouts away from breaking the Top 10.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval N. Harari
12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson
The Library Book, Susan Orlean
Braving The Wilderness, Brené Brown

Local interest: some Nonfiction Saskatchewan titles that did well this year:

Forgotten Saskatchewan by Chris Attrell
The Unexpected Cop: Indian Ernie on a life of leadership by Ernie Louttit
Strangers in the house: a prairie story of bigotry and belonging by Candace Savage
Saskatchewan's best scenic drives by Robin Karpan
Out of old Saskatchewan kitchens by Amy Jo Ehman

Teen Fiction:

Dystopia and Netflix ruled the charts in young adult circulation, with The Hunger Games series, The Giver and Divergent still cracking the top ten list years after their first publication dates.  The Netflix adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before brought the entire book series into the top ten, and with the recent release of the trailer to the movie sequel, we expect the series’ popularity to continue.  Only two books were outliers:  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  Of note, Thomas’ 2019 title, On the Come Up, was 17th on the top circulating teen titles in 2019. 

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
2. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. The Giver by Lois Lowry
5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
6. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
9. Divergent by Veronica Roth
10. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Children’s Fiction:

Children’s fiction this year has been dominated by the graphic novel, with the top six circulating titles coming from the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey, and spots seven to ten going to the cartoon-infused Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.  But, if you are worried about everyone’s favourite boy wizard being knocked off the list, be comforted by the fact that Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone only missed the list by ten check outs.

1. Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey
2. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey
3. Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey
4. Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey
5. Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties by Dav Pilkey
6. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney
8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

David Gane - 2019/2020 Writer in Residence