Each quarter, Panorama Picks takes a deep dive into the data about ebook use at libraries across the U.S. It’s a fascinating look at not just the most popular ebooks in public libraries — they don’t stray too far from what you’d expect of the bestseller lists — but also at the books that are seeing uniquely high demand at libraries.
These are books which are seeing a lot of interest but haven’t necessarily stayed atop bestseller lists for months and/or books with particular interest locally. The data looks at adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and young adult books (which includes fiction, nonfiction, and comics). Panorama Picks groups public libraries by coordinating American Bookseller Association (ABA) regions, which allows for a really neat way of exploring interest on a regional level. A book might be especially popular in California but less so in the Midwest, and looking at that data provides a real opportunity for local bookstores and libraries.
A major goal is to help independent bookstores identify unique opportunities to reach the unmeet needs of local readers for these books.
“We compile and publish Panorama Picks on a quarterly basis and we endeavor to promote our findings to local booksellers as well as to publishers and authors,” said Daniel Albohn, Panorama Project’s lead.
Data for the books on these lists comes from anonymized ebook requests at libraries between October and December 2021, and books are narrowed down by their publication dates. All of the books published between October 2020 and June 2021, a nine-month window. As will be seen, some of the books included were published well before this time frame, but their ebooks became available in that window. In some cases, the ebook may be a new or updated edition.
What makes Panorama Picks unique is that these books have notably longer wait lists for local library patrons, showcasing unmet demand. This is where both libraries and local booksellers come in: the opportunity to meet the demand unique to their region.
The lists below showcase the most uniquely popular books in U.S. libraries, divided category and by ABA regions. The ABA regions are as follows, and yes, there are some overlapping states among them: California, Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan), Hawaii, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin), Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming), New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia), New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont), Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington), and Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia).
The Most Uniquely Popular Books in Public Libraries, October-December 2021
Here are the top 10 most uniquely popular books across the country, followed by the most uniquely popular books by region. The methodology behind Panorama Picks involves pulling the top ten national titles identified by holds and then regional lists are created, with those top ten titles removed from the final data. The top 50 titles within each region are identified, then sorted by the number of holds and number of those titles available (AKA: high demand books with a lower number of books available). Books without a print version, so ebook only titles, are pulled from the data. The remaining titles are sorted into a top 25.
Using that methodology, these are the top 10 most popular books across the country, in order, followed by the most uniquely popular titles in each region. The full lists of 25 titles each are available on the Panorama Project website.
The Most Uniquely Popular Adult Fiction Titles (U.S.-Wide)
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott (8 regions)
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley (8 regions)
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (8 regions)
- The Promise by Damon Galgut (8 regions)
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout (7 regions)
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley (7 regions)
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (7 regions)
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica (6 regions)
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert (5 regions)
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian (4 regions)
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (4 regions)
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — California
- Zorrie by Laird Hunt
- Dune, The Graphic Novel: Book 1 by Frank Herbert
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
- The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Hawaii
- Dune: the Graphic Novel, Book 1 by Frank Herbert
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hilderbrand
- The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
- The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
- Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- The Girl in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- Zorrie by Laird Hunt
- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
- Zorrie by Laird Hunt
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles — Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
- The Promise by Damon Galgut
- Lucky by Marissa Stapley
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
- No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- Neon Gods by Katee Robert
- The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
The Most Uniquely Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles (U.S.-Wide)
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles (8 regions)
- How to Not Die Alone by Logan Ury (8 regions)
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski (7 regions)
- How to Change by Katy Milkman (7 regions)
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab (7 regions)
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho (7 regions)
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow (6 regions)
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins (5 regions)
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf (4 regions)
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — California
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- Set Boundaries, Fine Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Polysecure by Jessica Fern
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- How Not to Die Alone by Logan Ury
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Set Boundaries, Fine Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Hawaii
- Effortless by Greg McKeown
- Noise by Daniel Kahneman
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
- Sunshine Girl by Julianna Margulies
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
- Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
- The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies
- Mochi Magic by Kaori Becker
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- The Little Book of Cottagecore by Emily Kent
- Intuitive Fasting by Dr. Will Cole
- ADHD 2.0 by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
- Fort Worth Botanic Garden ePass
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
- Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe
- The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul
- A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- How to Not Die Alone by Logan Ury
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood; Youth; Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen
- The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul
- A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
- Tastes Like Water by Grace M. Cho
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
- Cook Real Hawai’i by Sheldon Simeon
- Polysecure by Jessica Fern
- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
- The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul
Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles — Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
- All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow
- Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
- How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury
- How To Change by Katy Milkman
- The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
The Most Uniquely Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles (U.S.-Wide)
Note that manga is bundled in with YA, as you’ll see below.
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman (9 regions — the only title across all to be on every regional list)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge (7 regions)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge (7 regions)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge (7 regions)
- Covet by Tracy Wolff (6 regions)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge (6 regions)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge (5 regions)
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter (4 regions)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge (4 regions)
- I Think Our Son Is Gay 01 by Okura (4 regions)
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — California
- Throne of Glass eBook Bundle by Sarah J. Maas
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Spy x Family, Volume 3 by Tatsuya Endo
- The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
- Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
- Throne of Glass eBook Bundle by Sarah J. Maas
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Hawaii
- Lore by Alexandra Bracken
- Namesake by Adrienne Young
- Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee
- How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan
- A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
- Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
- House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
- It Only Happens In the Movies by Bourne, Holly
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- I Think Our Son Is Gay 01 by Okura
- Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
- Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns by Frost Kay
- Throne of Glass eBook Bundle by Sarah J. Maas
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- I Think Our Son Is Gay 01 by Okura
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
- I Think Our Son Is Gay 01 by Okura
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther
- Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
- My Hero Academia, Volume 28 by Kohei Horikoshi
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
- I Think Our Son Is Gay 01 by Okura
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 17 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 22 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Spy x Family, Volume 5 by Tatsuya Endo
- The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Most Popular Young Adult Fiction Titles — Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
- Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
- Covet by Tracy Wolff
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 19 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 20 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- 14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 21 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Volume 18 by Koyoharu Gotouge
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
- Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Source : The Most Popular In-Demand Books in U.S. Libraries: October–December 2021
