These are books which are seeing a lot of interest but haven’t necessarily stayed atop bestseller lists for months and/or books with particular interest locally. The data looks at adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and young adult books (which includes fiction, nonfiction, and comics). Panorama Picks groups public libraries by coordinating American Bookseller Association (ABA) regions, which allows for a really neat way of exploring interest on a regional level. A book might be especially popular in California but less so in the Midwest, and looking at that data provides a real opportunity for local bookstores and libraries. A major goal is to help independent bookstores identify unique opportunities to reach the unmeet needs of local readers for these books. “We compile and publish Panorama Picks on a quarterly basis and we endeavor to promote our findings to local booksellers as well as to publishers and authors,” said Daniel Albohn, Panorama Project’s lead. Data for the books on these lists comes from anonymized ebook requests at libraries between October and December 2020, and books are narrowed down by their publication dates. All of the books published between October 2019 through June 2020, a nine-month window. As will be seen, some of the books included were published well before this time frame, but their ebooks became available in that window. In some cases, the ebook may be a new or updated edition. What makes Panorama Picks unique is that these books have notably longer wait lists for local library patrons, showcasing unmet demand. This is where both libraries and local booksellers come in: the opportunity to meet the demand unique to their region. The lists below showcase the most uniquely popular books in U.S. libraries, divided category and by ABA regions. The ABA regions are as follows, and yes, there are some overlapping states among them: California, Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan), Hawaii, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin), Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming), New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia), New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont), Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington), and Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia). First, a look at the most popular titles in libraries nationwide by category, regardless of ratio of holds to available copies (AKA the lists that won’t be too surprising). These books have the highest number of holds.
The Most Popular Books in Public Libraries, October-December 2020
ADULT FICTION
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett The Guest List by Lucy Foley American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Bridgerton Collection, Volume 1 by Julia Quinn Beach Read by Emily Henry
Adult Nonfiction
Untamed by Glennon Doyle The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker Breath by James Nestor The Body by Bill Bryson Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova Get Out Of Your Head by Jennie Allen The House of Kennedy by James Patterson
Young Adult Fiction
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Reverie by Ryan La Sala The Betrothed by Kiera Cass The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller Crave by Tracy Wolff
The Most Uniquely Popular Books in Public Libraries, July–September 2020
Now a look at the top 10 most uniquely popular books across the country, followed by the most uniquely popular books by region. The methodology behind Panorama Picks involves pulling the top ten national titles identified by holds—those are above—and then regional lists are created, with those top ten titles removed from the final data. The top 50 titles within each region are identified, then sorted by the number of holds and number of those titles available (AKA: high demand books with a lower number of books available). Books without a print version, so ebook only titles, are pulled from the data. The remaining titles are sorted into a top 25. Using that methodology, these are the top 10 most popular books across the country, in order, followed by the most uniquely popular titles in each region. The full lists of 25 titles each are available on the Panorama Project website.
The Most Uniquely Popular Adult Fiction Titles (U.S.-Wide)
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (8 regions) In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (8 regions) From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (7 regions) The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (7 regions) The Last Flight by Julie Clark (7 regions) Walk The Wire by David Baldacci (7 regions) The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd (6 regions) Camino Winds by John Grisham (6 regions) Hideaway by Nora Roberts (6 regions)
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (CALIFORNIA)
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Last Flight by Julie Clark The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (GREAT LAKES—ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, OHIO, MICHIGAN)
Hideaway by Nora Roberts The Last Flight by Julie Clark Walk The Wire by David Baldacci From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Camino Winds by John Grisham The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi Virgin River by Robyn Carr
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (HAWAII)
Walk The Wire by David Baldacci Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan Fair Warning by Michael Connelly Sharks In The Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn Camino Winds by John Grisham The Night Fire by Michael Connelly Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (MIDWEST—ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN)
Hideaway by Nora Roberts Walk The Wire by David Baldacci The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Last Flight by Julie Clark The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd Camino Winds by John Grisham From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (MOUNTAIN AND PLAINS—ARIZONA, COLORADO, KANSAS, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TEXAS, UTAH, WYOMING)
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Walk The Wire by David Baldacci Hideaway by Nora Roberts The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd Camino Winds by John Grisham The Last Flight by Julie Clark In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Fair Warning by Michael Connelly The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (NEW ATLANTIC—DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, MARYLAND, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA)
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel The Last Flight by Julie Clark Walk the Wire by David Baldacci The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi In Five Years by Rebecca Serle Hideaway by Nora Roberts Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (NEW ENGLAND—CONNECTICUT, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT)
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel The Last Flight by Julie Clark The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi Beach Read by Emily Henry Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd In Five Years by Rebecca Serle Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (PACIFIC NORTHWEST—ALASKA, IDAHO, MONTANA, OREGON, WASHINGTON)
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Walk The Wire by David Baldacci Deacon King Kong by James McBride Hideaway by Nora Roberts The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune In Five Years by Rebecca Serle From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Camino Winds by John Grisham Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
MOST POPULAR ADULT FICTION TITLES (SOUTHEAST—ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA)
Walk The Wire by David Baldacci Hideaway by Nora Roberts Camino Winds by John Grisham The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd The Last Flight by Julie Clark In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Fair Warning by Michael Connelly The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
MOST Uniquely POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (U.S.-WIDE)
It’s fascinating — perhaps heartening — to see so many antiracism books still on this list months after the bump these books got in sales in May and June. It’s also a reminder to libraries and bookstores to ensure these titles are readily available.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (9 regions) Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall (8 regions) Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg (8 regions) Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener (8 regions) The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz (7 regions) The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (7 regions)
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (CALIFORNIA)
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake Limitless by Jim Kwik
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (GREAT LAKES—ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, OHIO, MICHIGAN)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg BLITZ by David Horowitz The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Before and After by Judy Christie Countdown 1945 by Chris Wallace
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (HAWAII)
Dear Girls by Ali Wong The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Shade by Pete Souza The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander The Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The Art of Her Deal by Mary Jordan Limitless by Jim Kwik Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (MIDWEST—ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN)
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad Before and After by Judy Christie Life in the Fasting Lane by Dr. Jason Fung The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (MOUNTAIN AND PLAINS—ARIZONA, COLORADO, KANSAS, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TEXAS, UTAH, WYOMING)
The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens BLITZ by David Horowitz Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Open Book by Jessica Simpson Before and After by Judy Christie
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (NEW ATLANTIC—DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, MARYLAND, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA)
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener The Undocumented American by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Dirt by Bill Buford Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg No One Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad Limitless by Jim Kwik
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (NEW ENGLAND—CONNECTICUT, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT)
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Dirt by Bill Buford Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Limitless by Jim Kwik How The South Won The Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (PACIFIC NORTHWEST—ALASKA, IDAHO, MONTANA, OREGON, WASHINGTON)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
MOST POPULAR ADULT NONFICTION TITLES (SOUTHEAST—ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Before and After by Judy Christie Open Book by Jessica Simpson Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens
The MOST Uniquely POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (U.S.-WIDE)
The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron (8 regions) You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson (8 regions) A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer (7 regions) Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (7 regions) The Toll by Neal Shusterman (7 regions) The Upside of Falling by Alex Light (7 regions) The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (6 regions)
Could we attribute two of those titles to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club effect? Hard to say, but it’s fascinating the top two were among her YA picks.
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (CALIFORNIA)
You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson The Toll by Neal Shusterman They Called Us Enemy by George Takei The Upside of Falling by Alex Light Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (GREAT LAKES—ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, OHIO, MICHIGAN)
Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer The Grace Year by Kim Liggett The Upside of Falling by Alex Light The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman The Toll by Neal Shusterman The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (HAWAII)
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman Starsight by Brandon Sanderson A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Tweet Cute by Emma Lord The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson The Toll by Neal Shusterman Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender Rebel by Marie Lu Moment of Truth by Kasie West
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (MIDWEST—ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN)
Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black The Upside of Falling by Alex Light The Toll by Neal Shusterman The Grace Year by Kim Liggett Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (MOUNTAIN AND PLAINS—ARIZONA, COLORADO, KANSAS, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TEXAS, UTAH, WYOMING)
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Starsight by Brandon Sanderson The Toll by Neal Shusterman Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare The Upside of Falling by Alex Light You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (NEW ATLANTIC—DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, MARYLAND, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA)
Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron Tweet Cute by Emma Lord The Upside of Falling by Alex Light Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown The Toll by Neal Shusterman
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (NEW ENGLAND—CONNECTICUT, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT)
You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron The Upside of Falling by Alex Light Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown Tweet Cute by Emma Lord Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (PACIFIC NORTHWEST—ALASKA, IDAHO, MONTANA, OREGON, WASHINGTON)
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson Supernova by Marissa Meyer A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
MOST POPULAR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (SOUTHEAST—ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA)
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller Stamped–Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black The Upside of Falling by Alex Light The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer The Toll by Neal Shusterman Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
