Mystery, romance, dystopia lead in library circulation

Which books get checked out the most? Media specialist Abby Hendrickson sheds light on the popularity of various genres, authors and titles.

“We have a good blend of mystery, romance and dystopian. They are all tied for the top three check outs right now. When kids come down with their classes, a lot of kids go immediately to mystery,” Hendrickson said. 

According to her, Karen McManus is one of the most popular mystery authors in the library, especially her book One of Us is Lying, and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is “standing the test of time” still being one of the most checked out books after five years. Another really popular mystery novel is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.

“The genres that get picked out the most stay pretty constant, but the monthly displays in the library can influence what kids pick. Social media seems to influence what kids pick out the most. It’s interesting to see kids read books they may have not read before because they got recommended it on Tik Tok.” 

For example, #booktok has made the romance author Colleen Hoover really popular. She writes mostly for adult readers, but teenagers have found her work and can’t get enough. “I don’t carry all of her books though because they are a bit too adult,” Hendrickson said. She said Jenny Han is also really popular in romance with her series To All the Boys I’ve Loved before.”

For dystopian novels, Neil Schumerman’s Scythe is really popular along with the LGBT book They Both Die at The End by Adam Sliverman and the Ashfall series by Mike Mullin, which actually takes place in Cedar Falls.

“Of course, anything that gets lots of publicity is hard to keep in,” like the autobiographies I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Nickloeden actor Jenette McCurdy and Spare by Prince Harry. Hendrickson said, “They have been some of our most popular titles currently.”