"You can learn a lot about what people are reading from the checkout data from the country's largest city. Every year, the New York Public Library posts data on its most checked-out books, along with data from the Brooklyn and Queens public library systems. (The New York Public Library technically only serves three of the city's five boroughs.) Last year's data left us with plenty to think about, from the rise of romantasy to the enduring popularity of Britney Spears."
"In the last five years, Percival Everett went from being your favorite writer's favorite writer to the author of an awards-season juggernaut. His novel won the Pulitzer Prize this year and the National Book Award for Fiction in 2024; it was also the most checked-out book in all of New York City. Factor in the presence of American Fiction, the critically acclaimed film adaptation of his novel , and you have a fantastic narrative: a longtime critical favorite whose latest book has (deservedly) become ubiquitous."
New York Public Library, Brooklyn, and Queens public library systems publish annual checkout data that reveal citywide reading patterns. Percival Everett's novel was the most checked-out book in New York City in 2025, following its Pulitzer Prize and the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction. The film adaptation American Fiction amplified the novel's visibility and contributed to widespread borrowing. In Queens, two writers — Rebecca Yarros and R.F. Kuang — accounted for six of the borough's top ten titles, with Yarros's Fourth Wing occupying multiple spots. Mel Robbins's The Let Them Theory ranked fourth citywide and appeared in both Bronx and Staten Island top-ten lists.
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