Best Books of 2022

It's that magical time when we discuss the best books of the year! Review the lists below to discover which books checked out the most in Topeka and Shawnee County, and what titles our staff and community named as their favorites.

Top Checkouts

Fiction

Our community of readers checks out a lot of print mystery, thrillers and romance. As in previous years, James Patterson and Danielle Steel made the top print checkouts list with multiple titles. Authors such as Harlan Coben, Jeffrey Deaver and Dean Koontz also remain popular. And I must point out that two authors our library hosted for events in 2022 are featured on this list – J.A. Jance and C.J. Box.

It's always interesting to see the differences in the top checkouts list between print and ebooks. In 2022 books by Emily Henry, Nita Prose, Lisa Scottoline and Janet Evanovich were among the top checkouts in ebook format, though they didn't even make the top 20 on the print list.

Digital audiobooks continue to get more popular each year. I love to listen to books while I drive or tackle the chores. The top checkouts in audiobooks are similar to the ebook and print fiction lists, but two titles appear here that are not in the other top 20 lists – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey.

Nonfiction

In nonfiction, celebrity biographies, history and politics ruled the top checkouts list in both ebook and print.

Several titles on the ebook list did not make the top print list, including I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, Spying on Whales by Nick Pyenson (our June community read with Top City Reads Together) and River of the Gods by Candace Millard.

If you're looking for compelling nonfiction titles that might not have made it onto your radar, selector Julie Nelson has you covered. Check out her list for a wide range of topics, with notes on why you should add them to your list.

Young Adult

In young adult, fantasy and mystery dominate the top checkouts. Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwarz had the most checkouts, and our summer read-together Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer was a popular read in second place. Author Sara J. Maas is on the list more than once.

Our teen librarian Angie is well versed in all things YA. Check out her favorites of the year. You'll find a few books that also were top checkouts, but you'll find lots of treasures you may have missed.

Community & staff recommendations

The books our community talks about the most don't always make the top checkouts list. Here are the books our community of readers named as their favorites from 2022.

Library staff shared an amazing list of books they loved in 2022.

And of course I must share my personal favorites. Here are the books I couldn't stop thinking and talking about this year.