Here are the most popular books at the Hamilton library for 2020
Thrillers top list of most-circulated novels in the city
As Hamilton faced the pandemic this year, many people scrolled through a good read from the Hamilton Public Library (HPL) to get by.
There were so many people diving into stories that by October, the HPL hit a milestone of 1 million digital book checkouts in 2020.
But what was everyone reading?
Here are some of the top books and movies rented from the HPL since March.
Top 10 circulating books
1. Blue Moon by Lee Child
The 24th book in the "Jack Reacher" crime thriller series was checked out 790 times. At the start of 2020, it was reported that the series would be adapted for a run on Amazon's streaming service, with the first book published in 1977— Killing Floor — serving as inspiration.
The latest in the series, The Sentinel, was published in October, and co-authored with Child's brother, Andrew. Blue Moon also was a popular eBook in the city.
2. A Better Man by Louise Penny
A Canadian title captures second place — the 15th novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. Mystery writer Louise Penny used to work as a CBC journalist, and has sold more than 4 million books. This book was rented 729 times.
Penny's All the Devils are Here is also listed among the bestselling Canadian books in 2020.
3. The Guardians by John Grisham
John Grisham's 40th novel was read 644 times this year. This title, along with Grisham's The Reckoning: A Novel also made the list of top eBooks this year.
The Guardians tells the story of a young Black man who has been wrongfully convicted, and the lawyer and Episcopal minister he asks for help.
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci
The memoir written by former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama was a hit, with 642 people checking out the title. It tied for fourth place with A Minute to Midnight, where an FBI agent investigates her sister's abduction.
Becoming also appears on the lists for top eBooks and eAudiobooks.
5. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which was among Hamilton's most popular eBook titles, chalked up 633 rentals. Atwood didn't publish The Testaments until 2019, 34 years after the first book.
BookNet Canada, which tracks book sales and library circulation, said her novel was the most borrowed library book in the country this year.
6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya Clark, who was abandoned in the coastal marshes of North Carolina, as her story intertwines with a murder investigation. It was rented 623 times, and it too made the lists for most popular eAudiobooks and top eBooks for Hamiltonians this year.
Actress and producer Reese Witherspoon, who once listed the book among her top reads in 2018, has plans to adapt it into a movie.
7. Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay
The Canadian thriller weaves a suspenseful tale of free-falling elevators in Manhattan, and was checked out 614 times.
Barclay's bestseller Fear the Worst will be adapted into a film, starring Canadian actor Jason Priestley.
8. Criss Cross by James Patterson
The 25th book in the Alex Cross series clocked 578 rentals in 2020. Patterson has written stories featuring the Washington D.C. detective since 1993 when he started with Along Came a Spider, with a few being adapted into movies.
His books appear on this list of top rentals three times.
9. Many Rivers to Cross by Peter Robinson
The 26th instalment of the Inspector Alan Banks series got 561 rentals. English-Canadian writer Robinson, who lives in Toronto, talks through Banks' latest case in his popular crime series that has run for 30 years on CBC's The Next Chapter.
10. The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, and Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born
Patterson rounds out the list of top 10 books by tying with himself. The festive read in the Women's Murder Club mystery novel series and the Miami crime story Lost were both checked out 559 times.
Digital copies
Here are the top reads people either scrolled through or listened to. Digital copies of eAudiobooks and eBooks can be accessed through OverDrive's Libby reading app.
The Top 10 eBook titles
1. Moon of the Crusted Snow: A Novel by Waubgeshig Rice
The HPL announced that Rice's Moon of the Crusted Snow was their must-read book for Hamiltonians in 2020. Rice is a writer from Wasauksing First Nation and former host of CBC Radio's Up North.
The story focuses on a small northern Anishinaabe community grappling with dwindling resources and an unexpected visitor.
2. Becoming by Michelle Obama
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
5. Past Tense by Lee Child
6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
7. The Reckoning by John Grisham
8. Blue Moon by Lee Child
9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
10. The Guardians by John Grisham
Top 10 eAudiobook titles
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
2. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
3. Moon of the Crusted Snow: A Novel by Waubgeshig Rice
4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
5. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
6. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
7. Becoming by Michelle Obama
8. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer
9. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
10. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis
Top 10 Circulating Physical Titles (all DVD)
1. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw was rented 1225 times.
2. Joker - 1197 times.
3. Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood - 1137 times.
4. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - 1119 times.
5. Downton Abbey (The Film) - 1074 times.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home - 1027 times.
7. Rambo: Last Blood - 1006 times.
8. Rocketman - 987 times.
9. Avengers: Endgame - 979 times.
10. Ad Astra – 974 times.