2012 Princeton “bestsellers”

We are quickly approaching the end of 2012 and there is no shortage of best-books-of-the-year lists. I hope you will bear with me for a few more lists of the most popular books this past year at the Princeton Public Library. Below are four categories of the top 10 highest-circulating fiction, nonfiction, children’s fiction, and children’s nonfiction books.

Starting with fiction, I’m not surprised to see the list dominated by mysteries and suspense novels but I am happy to see one famous local author.

1. Death comes to Pemberley / P.D. James.

2. The beginner’s goodbye : a novel / by Anne Tyler.

3. Beastly things / Donna Leon.

4. The drop : a novel / Michael Connelly.

5. Home / Toni Morrison.

6. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection / Alexander McCall Smith.

7. The innocent / David Baldacci.

8. The cat’s table / by Michael Ondaatje.

9. Calico Joe / John Grisham.

10. Explosive eighteen / Janet Evanovich.

Nonfiction: I cannot tell you how popular the #1 title is here! This is obviously a town that loves to think about thinking.

1. Thinking, fast and slow / Daniel Kahneman.

2. Steve Jobs / Walter Isaacson.

3. The America’s Test Kitchen menu cookbook : kitchen-tested menus for foolproof dinner parties : 51 menus for every occasion plus strategies that guarantee less stress and better food / by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen.

4. Eat greens : seasonal recipes to enjoy in abudance / by Barbara Scott-Goodman & Liz Trovato.

5. The world of Downton Abbey / text, Jessica Fellowes   photography, Nick Briggs   foreword, Julian Fellowes.

6. Is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns) / Mindy Kaling.

7. Boomerang : travels in the new Third World / Michael Lewis.

8. A universe from nothing : why there is something rather than nothing / Lawrence M. Krauss   with a foreword by Christopher Hitchens and an afterword by Richard Dawkins.

9. Wheat belly : lose the wheat, lose the weight, and find your path back to health / William Davis.

10. The swerve : how the world became modern / Stephen Greenblatt.

…and for the kids, children’s fiction:

1. Lucy the Diamond Fairy / by Daisy Meadows   illustrated by Georgie Ripper.

2. Mr. Harrison is embarrassin’! / Dan Gutman   pictures by Jim Paillot.

3. Holly the Christmas fairy / by Daisy Meadows.

4. The giant diamond robbery / by Geronimo Stilton.

5. Mrs. Kormel is not normal! / Dan Gutman   pictures by Jim Paillot.

6. Ms. Coco is loco! / Dan Gutman   pictures by Jim Paillot.

7. Diary of a wimpy kid : cabin fever / by Jeff Kinney.

8. Flora the dress-up fairy / by Daisy Meadows.

9. Geronimo’s valentine / by Geronimo Stilton.

10. Run for the hills, Geronimo! / by Geronimo Stilton.

….and finally, children’s nonfiction. Note: comics and graphic novels are here because they are in the drawing and comics subject number of the Dewey Decimal System. I remember reading Garfield books as a kid. I’m a bit surprised how many of these books ended up in our top 10.

1. Garfield keeps his chins up / by Jim Davis.

2. Garfield lard of the jungle / by Jim Davis.

3. The adventures of Tintin, reporter for le petit Vingtime – in the land of the Soviets / by Herge.

4. Weird but true! 3 : 300 outrageous facts.

5. Garfield makes it big / by Jim Davis.

6. Garfield shovels it in / by Jim Davis.

7. The adventures of Tintin. Volume 7 / by Herge.

8. The adventures of Tintin: The blue lotus / by Herge.

9. The adventures of Tintin: Flight 714 to Sydney / by Herge.

10. The adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the sun / by Herge.

Thanks to everyone who checked out any of these books at the library. We will keep the library stocked with what you want to read in 2013!