Most Popular Books at Warner Library 2013

What were the Hottest Titles at Warner Library 2013?

One of my favorite things to do in December is to get the list of the most popular books at the library. It’s fun to see from year to year what our patrons are reading. Last year Fifty Shades of Grey was a runaway favorite but this year Gone Girl by critically acclaimed suspense writer Gillian Flynn topped the list by a wide margin.  It is a compelling read. I kept turning the pages even though I disliked each and every one of the characters.  Did Nick kill his wife, the amazing Amy, who goes missing on their fifth anniversary?  The twists and turns in this novel will keep you at once guessing and slightly repulsed.

The Forgotten by reliable bestselling author David Baldacci comes in at number two.  In Baldacci’s follow up to his popular Zero Day featuring Army Special Agent John Puller, the combat veteran investigates the death of his aunt on Florida’s picture perfect gulf coast. Of course, nothing is what is seems in Paradise…

The thought provoking Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout of Olive Kitteridge fame is in the third spot. Brought together by the arrest of their nephew for a perceived hate crime, two brothers confront the painful circumstances of their father’s death and the lie that shaped their lives from then on. Cultural, class and political conflicts and the role of media in framing the public mindset are all woven into the story.

Inferno by Dan Brown was fourth with the latest exploits of symbologist Robert Langdon of the DaVinci Code series.  Janet Maslin in her New York Times review tells us that Brown ”winds up not only laying a breadcrumb trail of clues about Dante (this is “Inferno,” after all) but also playing games with time, gender, identity, famous tourist attractions and futuristic medicine.” 

Winding up the top five is Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling the Harry Potter author who most recently reincarnated herself as pseudonymous mystery writer Robert Galbraith in The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Casual Vacancy follows the drama that unfolds as a local political office opens up after the death of beloved Parish Councillor Barry Fairbrother.  Local secrets end up on line forums including drug use, teen sex, prostitution and rape.  The book is being adapted into a BBC television series for release in 2014.

These and many more new and popular titles can be checked out of the library or downloaded from our website to a tablet or e reader.  Happy Reading and a Healthy 2014 to all.