NEW YORK’S MOST WANTED
The Top 10 books New Yorkers are snatching from the shelves of the reopened Public Library
THE New York Public Library reopened with limited schedules in mid-July, welcoming New Yorkers back to a beloved neighborhood institution. So what are people eager to check out during this strange pandemic summer? Here are the most checked-out titles from July 13 through July 31.
1
“American Dirt”
Jeanine Cummins (fiction, Flatiron Books)
This narco thriller — about a young mother fleeing violence with her son, trying desperately to reach the United States from Mexico while trailed by her husband’s murderers — has been controversial from the minute it came out this winter, with detractors claiming that Cummins, who is not a Latina, was 1: profiting off a story that wasn’t hers to tell, and 2: doing so by relying on lazy stereotypes about Mexico. Oprah made it a Book Club pick, and then had to host a two-part town-hall discussion on Apple TV to discuss the scandal. Cummins’ book tour was canceled, several independent bookstores yanked the book from its shelves, but the novel has been a huge bestseller and library patrons seem determined to evaluate it for themselves.
2
“Blindside: Michael Bennett Book 12”
James Patterson and James O. Born (fiction, Little, Brown)
In this page turner, the mayor of New York has a daughter who’s missing; Detective Michael Bennett has a son who’s in jail. The two men make a deal: two fathers helping each other. James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author, so it’s no surprise that NYPL patrons are snapping this up.
3
“The Water Dancer”
Ta-Nehisi Coates (fiction, One World)
Hiram Walker was born into slavery, separated from his mother at a young age — and possessing a mysterious life-saving power he doesn’t quite understand. He makes a plan to escape and rescue his family. The debut novel from the National Book Awardwinning author of “Between the World and Me,” this was an Oprah Book Club pick in the fall of 2019, when it was first published.
4
“The Boy from the Woods”
Harlan Coben (fiction, Grand Central Publishing)
Wilde was found 30 years ago, living feral as a boy in the woods, with no memory of where he came from. Now another child has gone missing, and Hester Crimstein, a criminal attorney, thinks Wilde might be able to help track her down. Coben’s books regularly make the New York Times bestseller list, and several of his titles, including “The Stranger,” have been developed into Netflix series.
5
“The Mirror & the Light”
Hilary Mantel (fiction, Henry Holt & Co.)
The longawaited third installment in the wildly popular Wolf Hall trilogy, this book begins with the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536 as Thomas Cromwell continues his climb to power under his master, Henry VIII. The book came out right at the beginning of the lockdown in New York state, so we’re guessing a lot of people were waiting to get their hands on this read.
6
“The Dutch House”
Ann Patchett (fiction, Harper)
This is a novel with real estate at its core, a theme any New Yorker will be able to relate to. The specific house in question: a lavish estate in the Philadelphia suburbs, purchased as a surprise for a beloved wife — a home which ends up being the undoing of its inhabitants. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
7
“Where the Crawdads Sing”
Delia Owens (fiction, GP Putnam’s Sons)
A huge word-ofmouth bestseller since its 2018 publication, this Southern story about a girl named Kya growing up on the coastal marshes of North Carolina has captivated readers. The fact that it became a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and is currently being adapted into a movie by the actress has only added fuel to its fire.
8
“Becoming”
Michelle Obama (memoir, Crown Publishing Group)
This refreshingly candid memoir by the former first lady has topped all sorts of book lists since its publication in the fall of 2018, and it shows no signs of losing steam almost two years on; on the contrary, interest has grown since the debut of the new Michelle Obama podcast on Spotify.
9
“Trick mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion”
Jia Tolentino (Essays, Random House)
Tolentino has been called the Joan Didion of her generation, focusing a sharp lens on any topic she tackles, from social media to scamming. As the cultural critic for the New Yorker, she has an enthusiastic fan base — including more than 168,000 followers on Twitter!
10
“The Numbers Game”
Danielle Steel (fiction, Delacorte Press)
Eileen Jackson cast aside her own dreams to become a suburban wife and mother. But when her husband leaves her for a younger woman and she is forced to start again at 40, Eileen decides to focus on her own goals: a stint at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Steel is one of the world’s most popular authors, and this is another March 2020 release, making it a hot title for readers to get their hands on now that the NYPL has reopened.