For the first time, Pima County Public Library has pulled together a list of the most checked out books and movies of 2019.
The most popular items range from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” to “The Mueller Report,” according to the library’s “Best Of” list.
“Best Of” lists aren’t something the library does often because the data is not readily available and requires staff to sort through a large amount of information, says Holly Schaffer, the library’s community relations manager.
Overall, the Pima County Public Library’s total physical and digital checkouts for 2019 was 6,295,511, according to records obtained by the Star. The Joel D. Valdez Main Library, located downtown, had the most checkouts last year, with a total of 506,916.
“Our numbers do show that Pima County Public Library customers remain enthusiastic about print and digital materials,” Schaffer said in a statement. “In fiscal year 2018/2019, 350,000 customers checked out more than 6 million materials. The Library remains devoted to collection development, allocating $5.5 million of its overall budget to this area.”
Most checked out fiction books: “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris topped the charts. Following Morris’s book is “The President is Missing” by Bill Clinton, “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles, “Long Road Mercy” by David Baldacci and “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah.
Most checked out nonfiction books: “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean was the most popular. “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” by Jordan B. Peterson, “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover, “The Mueller Report” by Robert S. Mueller and “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and Birth of the FBI” by David Grann make up the rest of the top nonfiction list.
“The Diary of the Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney dominated the best of children’s fiction list, taking up four of the top five spots. “Dork Diaries: Tales from A Not-So-Happy Birthday,” by Rachel Renee Russell was also in the top five.
The top children’s nonfiction books range everywhere from dinosaurs to LEGO. “How to Draw Cute Animals” by Angela Nguyen takes the top spot. “LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book” by Hannah Dolan, “LEGO Star Wars: Visual Dictionary” by Simon Beercroft, “The Dinosaur Book” by John Woodward and “Disney Pixar Character Encyclopedia” follow Nguyen’s book on the list.
Superhero movies were also another big hit in Tucson in 2019. “Captain Marvel” was the most checked out movie. “Aquaman,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “A Simple Favor” were also some of the most popular movies checked out.
For 2020, getting your hands on certain popular movies and books may be hard. As of Feb. 11, Oscar nominee movies such as “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Joker,” “Judy” and “Parasite” are some of the top movies on hold.
Books such as “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, “A Very Stable Genius” by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, and “The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly are the most sought-after of the year so far.
