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 are very fortunate to have access to these circulation figures from public libraries and to be able to share with all in the book community. We will continue to publish Panorama Picks on a quarterly basis and promote our findings to local booksellers as well as to publishers and authors. However, I welcome comments and recommendations on how we can improve this initiative for the benefit of all,” said Daniel Albohn, Panorama Project’s lead. Data for the books on these lists comes from anonymized ebook requests at libraries between January and March 2021, and books are narrowed down by their publication dates. All of the books published between January 2020 through September 2020, 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). First, a look at the most popular titles in libraries nationwide by category, regardless of ratio of holds to available copies (AKA the lists that won’t be too surprising). These books have the highest number of holds.
The Most Popular Books in Public Libraries, January–March 2021
Adult Fiction
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini Piranesi by Susanna Clarke One by One by Ruth Ware The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Adult Nonfiction
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Ace by Angela Chen The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil The Answer Is… by Alex Trebek The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaught Limitless by Jim Kwik Evil Geniuses by Kurt Andersen
Young Adult Fiction
Crave by Tracy Wolff Crush by Tracy Wolff Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Breathless by Jennifer Niven The Peasant’s Dream by Melanie Dickerson Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
The Most Uniquely Popular Books, January–March 2021
Now a look at 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 — those are above — 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)
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (9 regions) The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (8 regions) From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (8 regions) Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (7 regions) A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout (7 regions) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (5 regions) To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini (5 regions) Deacon King Kong by James McBride (5 regions) The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (4 regions) A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (4 regions)
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles (California)
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy Piranesi by Susanna Clarke To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles (Hawaii)
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik In Five Years by Rebecca Serle Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy Island of Flowers by Nora Roberts Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
One by One by Ruth Ware The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult Beach Read by Emily Henry The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Book of Lost Names by Kirstin Harmel Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Deacon King Kong by James McBride A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik The Last Flight by Julie Clark
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Book of Lost Names by Kirstin Harmel Deacon King Kong by James McBride To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini Deacon King Kong by James McBride Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu In Five Years by Rebecca Serle The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
The Most Popular Adult Fiction Titles, Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel Deacon King Kong by James McBride The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Most Uniquely Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles (U.S.-Wide)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (8 regions) Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (6 regions) The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (6 regions) Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens (5 regions) How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson (5 regions) The Gift by Edith Eva Eger (5 regions) Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller (5 regions) Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD (5 regions) Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster (4 regions) Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka (4 regions)
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles (California)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster The Gift by Edith Eva Eger The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Ace by Angela Chen Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier The Gift by Edith Eva Eger The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles (Hawaii)
Limitless by Jim Kwik Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil The Answer Is . . . by Alex Trebek Rage by Bob Woodward Disloyal by Michael Cohen Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaght The Gift by Edith Eva Eger The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller Limitless by Jim Kwik Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. Without the Mask by Charles Bird The Second Coming of the Lord by Gerald N. Lund The Gift by Edith Eva Eger Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Ace by Angela Chen The Address Book by Deirdre Mask Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson Limitless by Jim Kwik
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Ace by Angela Chen The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile Skinnytaste Meal Prep by Gina Homolka How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD The Last Kings of Shanghai by Jonathan Kaufman
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher The Magical Language of Others by E. J. Koh The Gift by Edith Eva Eger Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster
The Most Popular Adult Nonfiction Titles, Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump The Answer Is . . . by Alex Trebek The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Murder Thy Neighbor by James Patterson Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Killing Crazy Horse by Bill O’Reilly The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer The House of Kennedy by James Patterson
The Most Uniquely Popular Young Adult Titles (U.S.-Wide)
Crave by Tracy Wolff (8 regions) Crush by Tracy Wolff (8 regions) Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (8 regions) Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman (8 regions) Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia (6 regions) Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (6 regions) My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi (6 regions) Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin (6 regions) A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer (4 regions) My Hero Academia, Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi (4 regions)
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles (California)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Spy x Family, Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo Crush by Tracy Wolff Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova My Hero Academia, Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Crush by Tracy Wolff Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi My Hero Academia, Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles (Hawaii)
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust Skyhunter by Marie Lu The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta Breathless by Jennifer Niven Spy x Family, Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 7 by Hideyuki Furuhashi Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Queen’s Quality, Volume 9 by Kyousuke Motomi Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi Crush by Tracy Wolff Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, Mountains and Plains (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Crush by Tracy Wolff Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron My Hero Academia, Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, New Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
Crave by Tracy Wolff My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Displacement by Kiku Hughes Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Crush by Tracy Wolff Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Crush by Tracy Wolff Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi Primer by Jennifer Muro Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Displacement by Kiku Hughes Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon Spy x Family, Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Crush by Tracy Wolff My Hero Academia, Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas My Hero Academia, Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi Displacement by Kiku Hughes Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova
The Most Popular Young Adult Titles, Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia)
Crave by Tracy Wolff Crush by Tracy Wolff Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
