Topsfield Town Library’s Most Checked Out Books and Authors of 2024: Awarding the prestigious People’s Choice Golden Gould Awards

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 and authors of 2024, celebrating the people’s choice for books of the year. Our next post 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?

2024 Winners

WINNER, Most Borrowed Adult Fiction

Kristin Hannah’s The Women is the winner (by a pretty healthy margin) of this year’s Golden Gould for most borrowed adult fiction title. The cultural phenomenon and New York Times best seller was far-and-away the highest circulating title in Topsfield in 2024. Hannah’s The Women was also the highest-circulating e-book/e-audiobook in 2024. For the third straight year, Lessons in Chemistry is in the top five of most checked out fiction in Topsfield, an impressive run of dominance.

The Rest of the Top 10

2. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
3. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
5. God of the Woods by Liz Moore
6. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
7. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
8. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
9. North Woods by Daniel Mason
10. Trust by Hernan Diaz

WINNER, Most Borrowed Adult Non-Fiction

Congrats to author Erik Larson, penning this year’s Most Borrowed Adult Non-Fiction title, The Demon of Unrest. His previous The Splendid and the Vile comes in at the fourth-most checked out book in 2024. Topsfield is truly an Erik Larson town!

The Rest of the Top 5

2. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin
3. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
4. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
5. Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey saying “Yes” to Living by Tim Bauerschmidt

WINNER, Most Borrowed Children’s

Note: Series like Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are ineligible

Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Pig a Party was the most checked out children’s book at the Topsfield Town Library in 2024! Mo Willems has three entries in the Top 10. Mail Trucks hits the list at #10, showing how much Topsfield youth love the Post Office!!!

The Rest of the Top 10

2. Narwhal’s Otter Friend by Ben Clanton
3. The Pigeon will Ride the Roller Coaster by Mo Willems
4. Sunny Makes a Splash by Jennifer Holm
5. We Are In A Book by Mo Willems
6. Positively Izzy by Terri Libenson
7. Sunny Makes Her Case by Jennifer Holm
8. Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
9. Frozen II by Bill Scollon
10. Mail Trucks by Martin Harasymiw

Library staff chatted with our mailman, Tom, to share the good news that a book on mail trucks was one of the top 10 most checked out items in 2024. His response: “I feel the love and respect as a mailman in Topsfield!” Thank you, Tom!