These Were the Most Borrowed Books in New York Libraries in 2023

What do a former actress, a fictional chemist, a British royal, and a fantasy heroine have in common? They are the most beloved characters in New York libraries – and the books were all written by  women.

The New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library have revealed the top 10 adult, adolescent, and kid checkouts for each system in 2023.

At the Brooklyn Public Library, the most checked-out book was “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy; at the Queens Public Library, readers preferred “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros; and at the New York Public Library, which serves Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the most popular book was “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus.

Prince Harry, who created ripples with his 400-page book “Spare” and occasionally overshared it, was the only male writer to feature in the top ranks citywide.

“In the past our readers leaned towards popular romance and suspense novelists, like Danielle Steel, John Grisham or Stephen King,” Queens Public Library Chief Librarian Nick Buron said Tuesday. “This year they were drawn to writers of color, like Gabrielle Zevin and Abraham Verghese, and authors whose popularity soared after they went viral on social media, like Rebecca Yarros, Colleen Hoover and Brianna Wiest. These choices signal a desire to explore new themes as well as changes in the way our customers discover and engage with books.”

The full list of the best adult books available in libraries for 2023 is as follows:

Brooklyn

1. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy
2. “Spare” by Prince Harry
3. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin
4. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
5. “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry
6. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry
7. “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley
8. “Pineapple Street” by Jenny Jackson
9. “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover
10. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros

New York (Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island)

1. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
2. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin
3. “Spare” by Prince Harry
4. “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry
5. “Verity” by Colleen Hoover
6. “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang
7. “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride
8. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
9. “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover
10. “Daisy Jones & the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Queens

1. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros
2. “Spare” by Prince Harry
3. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin
4. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy
5. “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover
6. “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover
7. “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese
8. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
9. “Verity” by Colleen Hoover
10. “101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest.