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Can you believe it is actually 2024 already? Where has 2023 gone? It seems to have flown by! I thought it would be great to reflect back on the year 2023 in library land. How do we do that? Well our Integrated Library System has a big brain, not only does it check books in and out, it also allows me to run reports containing all sorts of stats. I'm putting on my statistical hat and sharing with you the most checked out books of 2023 for the Mifflin County Library. Read along with me and see what your neighbors were reading last year.
Top 5 fiction books
• Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
• Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
• Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Oh my goodness! Colleen Hoover dominated Fiction in 2023. Colleen writes romance and I'm a murder mystery type of gal. But, I just had to see what all the hype was about. I read November 9 and actually did enjoy it.
Top 5 nonfiction books
• The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands
• Mifflin County Then and Now
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Conversational Sign Language
• Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
• More Mifflin County Then and Now
Did you know we have a bunch of not only Mifflin County informational books but also other counties in PA too? Come visit MCL and learn about your hometown and the surrounding area.
Top 5 biographies
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• If You Ask Me (and of Course You Won't) by Betty White
• Ever after: Diana and the Life She Led by Anne Edwards
• Jim Thorpe: Original All-American by Joseph Bruchac
• Educated by Tara Westover
I highly recommend the book Educated. This story is about a remarkable lady who never attended school until she was 17. Tara was amazing in that she kept striving to obtain an extensive education despite her horrible upbringing. I am in awe of Tara and truly was pleased with this book.
Top 5 large print
• The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
• Confess by Colleen Hoover
• Somewhere To Belong by Judith Miller
• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My pick out of this list is the Midnight Library. This is a great book for the new year. It talks about being able to open a book that would show you a different perspective on your life if you had made a different choice during life changing events. After reading this book, I sought out other books by Mr. Haig including The Humans. He has become one of my favorite authors.
Top 5 juvenile easy readers
• Anna's Best Friends by Christy Webster
• Pete the Kitty Goes To the Doctor by James Dean
• Pete the Cat's Family Road by James Dean
• If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• Are You Ready To Play Outside by Mo Willems
My kids are older now but they used to love reading the "If you Give...." books by Laura Numeroff. You can't go wrong with those books. Come to the library and see for yourself. The best part is you no longer have to go down the stairs to get to the children's library. It's all upstairs now in order to prepare for upcoming renovations. We are so excited to see the changes the future renovations will bring. A new elevator...woo hoo!
Top 5 juvenile fiction
• Old School by Jeff Kinney
• The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney
• Lord of the Fleas (a graphic novel) by Dave Pilkey
• Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney
• I survived the Sinking of the Titanic (a graphic novel) by Lauren Tarshis
Way to go Jeff Kinney. He pulverized the competition at least at MCL. My son would agree with this, Jeff was his fav when he was younger.
There you have it. Listed are the best of the best according to MCL's patrons. These books were the most checked out in 2023. What did you read in 2023? You have the power to make 2024 great by reading lots of wonderful books. I know an exceptional place to get them for free (as long as you return your books on time), the Mifflin County Library. Remember we have three locations: Lewistown, Belleville, and via the Libby app on your phone.
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Shelly Sweigart is the Assistant Director of Mifflin County Library. She is currently reading Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.