- Emily Stoll
- Monday, February 25, 2019
With 2018 in the rear view mirror, Richland Library is looking back over the last year at what was trending among our library card holders.
To compile our "best-of" lists, we took the top 10 adult book titles that our customers checked out or downloaded in 2018. They were as follows:
1. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
2. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
3. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
4. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
5. The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
6. The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
7. By Invitation Only by Dorothea Benton Frank
8. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
9. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
10. The Fallen by David Baldacci
Success! From the list of 10, I actually read two of the books listed, and I selected a third for my husband's Christmas gift.
When picking up my copy of Little Fires Everywhere, I was excited to learn the setting of the book was in my home state of Ohio. It made me feel as though I had a special connection to the book and could picture the setting in which the author describes. Right off the bat, you could feel the tensions between the "perfect" Richardson family along with a single mother and her daughter who become tenants. Their ideals clash, which become evident during a custody battle that tears the small town apart. Ultimately, sides are drawn, leading to decisions that will change the lives of both families forever.
Change is difficult, and unexpected change can tear families apart. It was evident in An American Marriage. Often times, the book described the uncomfortable thoughts and conversations of a newly-wed couple who are struggling to stay connected after one of them ends up in prison for a crime that he did not commit. You feel the struggles that both characters are enduring as well as the doubts that set in - as they deal with forces beyond their control.
Lastly, The Fallen is the latest book in the Memory Man series, and I selected it as a Christmas gift on the advice of a fellow staff member. Thank you, Chantal! (If you ever need help with a pick, please chat with our Research and Readers' Advisory Department. They are amazing!) With its short chapters and suspenseful plot, this book is easy to pick up and read - although you may not want to put it down. It's perfect for those who are fans of Dan Brown's books, such as my husband.