Welcome to part two of our Golden Goulds Award ceremony! At the end of each year, the Topfield Town Library staff rolls out the golden carpet and hands out the most prestigious literary award in Topsfield, Massachusetts (some may say the world, but we’re modest): the Golden Gould! Golden Goulds are awarded to the most borrowed books and authors at the Topsfield Town Library, and to staff picks of their favorite books/movies/media of the year.
In our first blog post, we awarded the highest circulating items and authors in our collection with the prestigious Golden Gould Award. In this post, we are highlighting the staff favorites for the 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?
Adult Fiction
Winners
The best-of-the-best. The best adult fiction read by TTL staff in 2023. Interested in a specific title? Click the cover to place the book on hold!
Shortlist
Wayward by Blake Crouch
Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Other Wife by Claire McGowan
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (Did you know? We hosted a virtual author talk with Tess Gerritsen on November 20, 2023?)
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read
Adult Non-Fiction
Winners
Shortlist
Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohlleben
In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust by Richard Hurowitz
Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea and the Shipwreck of the Titanic by Daniel Stone
The Wager by David Grann
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called “Alien” by Jeremy N. Smith
A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology by Mike Rinder
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
President Garfield by C.W. Goodyear
Albums
Winners
Guts by Olivia Rodrigo
The Record by Boygenius
But Here We Are by Foo Fighters
One More Time by blink-182
Hackney Diamonds by the Rolling Stones
Shortlist
Songs of Surrender by U2
Tell Me I’ve Alive by All Time Low
Trustfall by Pink
This is Why by Paramore
Evergreen by Pvris
Where the Light Goes by Matchbox Twenty
TV/Movies
TV Winners
I Think You Should Leave, Season 3 on Netflix
Good Omens, Season 2 on Prime Video
TV Shortlist
Our Flag Means Death, season 2 on Max
The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix
Beef on Netflix
The Last of Us on Max
