People of Topsfield: the end of the year can only mean one thing. The awarding of Topsfield, Massachusetts’ most prestigious literary awards of the year, The Golden Goulds.
The Golden Goulds are awarded in two parts: this post will celebrate the most checked out books of 2025, celebrating the people’s choice for books of the year. Our next post Golden Goulds post, after the New Year, will highlight staff choices for the best of the previous year.
The Golden Goulds are named after the library’s benefactor George L. Gould. Only the best of the best will come away with a Golden Gould …so who will it be?
Without further ado, the 2025 winners are..
WINNER, Most Borrowed Adult Fiction
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Taking home the prestigious Golden Gould Award most borrowed Adult Fiction title is Alison Espach’s The Wedding People, with over 200 checkouts at the Topsfield Town Library in 2025.
The rest of the top 10…
2. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
3. My Friends by Frederik Backman
4. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
5. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (#2 in 2024 Golden Goulds)
6. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (#5 in 2024 Golden Goulds)
7. James by Percival Everett
8. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
9. (tied) Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
WINNER, Most Borrowed Adult Non-Fiction
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Let Them Theory: a life-changing tool that millions of people can’t stop talking about by Mel Robbins
The rest of the top 5…
2. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (#1 in 2024 Golden Goulds)
3. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (#2 in 2024 Golden Goulds)
4. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
5. Last Hope Island : Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war by Lynne Olson
WINNER, Most Borrowed Children’s title
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The rest of the top 10…
2. Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey
3. 100 First Words by Rachel Accurso (aka Ms. Rachel)
4.Love from Bluey by Suzy Brumm
5. The Truth about Stacey: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier
6. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
8. Logan Likes Mary Anne: A Graphic Novel by Gale Galligan
9. Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney and Party Hearty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale
Winner, Most Borrowed Young Adult Title
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (back-to-back winner)
The rest of the top 5…
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2nd straight year)
3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
