Happy New Year from the staff at the Topsfield Town Library! It’s time for the our Best of 2021! In this post, our staff shares their favorite books, and we highlight the most checked out books from the library in 2021!
Staff Picks
Lindsey’s Pick:
Little Hazel Witch
by Phoebe Wahl
An earthy and beautiful collection of four stories that celebrate the seasons, nature, and life.
Noreen’s Pick:
The Push
by Ashley Audrain
A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, about a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for- and everything she feared.
Meghan’s Pick:
Nothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson
A moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds the meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities.
Becca’s Pick:
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
A hilarious and immersive romantic comedy that will have you craving authentic Asian cuisine, a shopping trip, and reaching for the sequel immediately after turning the last page.
Roz’s Pick:
Dolly Patron: Songteller
by Dolly Patron
A landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend.
Laura’s Pick:
Miss Benson’s Beetle
by Rachel Joyce
A heartwarming, quirky, and emotional book about two British women on an overseas adventure.
Anna’s Pick:
The Way Out
by Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv
A groundbreaking mind-body protocol for chronic pain.
Sean’s Pick:
Greater Good
by Timothy Zahn
Thrawn and his allies race to save the Chiss Ascendancy from an unknown enemy in the second book in the epic Star Wars: Thawn Ascendancy trilogy.
Noelle’s Pick:
In An Instant
by Suzanne Redfearn
Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devestating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive.
Eileen’s Pick:
A Place to Hang the Moon
by Kate Albus
Set against the backdrop of World War II, Anna, Edmund, and William are evacuated from London to live in the countryside, bouncing from home to home in search of a permanent family.
Most Checked Out Adult Fiction
Overwhelmingly, the most checked out adult fiction material in Topsfield in 2021 was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah!
The rest of the top 10 list:
2. A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
3. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
4. The Night Watchman by Louise Edrich
5. (tie) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and The Searcher by Tana French
7. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
8. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
9. (tie) Win by Harlan Coben and American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
And, the most checked out author in Topsfield was James Patterson!
The rest of our top ten list:
2. Kristen Hannah
3. Elin Hilderbrand
4. David Baldacci
5. Louise Penny
6. Stuart Woods
7. Danielle Steel
8. John Grisham
9. Fredrik Backman
10. Daniel Silva