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These are the 10 most borrowed books at the Boston Public Library in 2023
The book that patrons of the Boston Public Library checked out the most in 2023 was "Lessons in Chemistry," by Bonnie Garmus.
The novel was published in April 2022, but was adapted into an Apple TV+ mini-series that premiered in October 2023. The story follows a former chemist who becomes a popular cooking show host in 1960s California.
The Boston Public Library loaned out 5.5 million physical and digital items this year.
Bailey Watroba, a public relations associate at the BPL, says many of this year's top borrowed books were widely shared on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
"It's giving a new visibility into the fact that people are reading, and what they are reading," she said. "I think it's a really great way for people to connect and learn about new books that they might not have heard about before."
Here's the list of the most borrowed books, across all BPL locations and formats, in 2023:
- "Lessons in Chemistry," Bonnie Garmus
- "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow," Gabrielle Zevin
- "Spare," Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
- "Book Lovers," Emily Henry
- "I'm Glad My Mom Died," Jennette McCurdy (she talked to Here & Now's Robin Young about her book, which you can watch here).
- "Happy Place," Emily Henry
- "101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think," Brianna West
- "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," Taylor Jenkins Reid
- "Demon Copperhead," Barbara Kingsolver
- "It Starts with Us," Colleen Hoover
With reporting by WBUR's Stevee Chapman and Amy Gorel