A Short List of the Wells Public Library's Most Popular Titles of 2012

As 2012 winds down we're taking a look back at some of the most popular books of the year. A few weeks ago I posted some of the "Best Of" lists that abound this time of year, but now I'm going to focus on the books that were popular here in Wells.

Probably the most popular book of the year was, and continues to be, Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. Published last June, the last time I checked there are 354 people throughout the Minerva system still waiting to read it.  Fortunately, there are over 100 copies, so the wait shouldn't be too long if you haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Other fiction titles that were popular in 2012 include Mission to Paris by Alan Furst, Defending Jacob by William Landay, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, A Wanted Man by Lee Child, The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny, Home Front by Kristin Hannah, Lone Wolf by Jodi Piccoult,and Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand.  The Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, and Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead were popular this summer. Janet Evanovich's two books,Notorious19 and Wicked Business were also popular, as were the several books published by James Patterson this year.  And we can't forget the enormous popularity of the 50 Shades of Grey series by E.L. James.  

Nonfiction titles that were popular this year include the memoirs When We Were the Kennedys by Maine author Monica Wood, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, and Lots of Candles Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen. Other popular memoirs were Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, and Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. Another non-fiction book,  Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain has been growing in popularity since it was published earlier this year.

These are only a few of the thousands of books checked out this year; we'd love to know what your favorites were in 2012.

Happy New Year, and here's hoping that 2013 brings you health, wealth, and a few more good books to read.

ebooks at the Library

A Nook Color ereader device.

This article came through on my Facebook page this morning, and I thought it was interesting because  it discusses what libraries are doing to prepare for the expected post-holiday flood of new ereader owners.  Here at the Wells Public Library we've been ready for  some time now to help you with your ereader and ebook questions.

First, a bit of explanation.  An ereader is the device on which you read your ebook. While you can download and read books on your PC or laptop, most people read them on smaller devices, such as  a Kindle, Nook, or  iPad.    By ebook, I'm referring to the actual content, or title of the book. 

You can get ebooks for your ereaders in a couple different ways.  You can either purchase them (via Amazon or Barnes and Noble), or you may borrow them through the Wells Public Library Overdrive subscription. There are a few places where you can access free ebooks, for example, Project Gutenberg.org

The process of setting up and loading books on to most ereaders can be a bit frustrating to first-time users.  That's why the staff here at the library is more than happy to help you get up to speed.  We do suggest that you give us a call and ask to set up an appointment, though.  That way we can make sure that we allow enough time to answer all your questions and make sure that you're comfortable with your device.  And, if you get home and realize you have more questions, we're also available for follow-up visits.

For those of you who haven't made the jump to ebooks yet, the library has some ebook readers available for check out.  We have one Kindle, and a Nook color that may be checked out with a valid Wells Public Library card for 2 weeks.  We've already loaded books on them, so all you have to do is check it out and start reading.    A list of what books are on each device is below.  And if you're not ready to borrow one, but just want to take a look and see what the fuss is about, stop by our ereader table near the Reference desk.  You can sit down and play with a Kindle or Nook while in the library.
 
Our aim is to assist readers to access books no matter the format.  So, if you are the new owner of a new ereader and need a bit of help getting started, or if you'd like to ask about checking out an ereader, just give us a call at 646-8181. 

These books are available for checkout on our Kindle device:
Austen - Emma
Flynn - Gone Girl
Hoffman - Lost in Translation
Patterson & Karp - NYPD Red
Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Taylor - Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Tolkien - The Hobbit 

These Books are available for checkout on our nook color device:
Betty Crocker - Betty Crocker Cookbook
Child -  A Wanted Man
Collins - The Hunger Games
Gabaldon - Outlander
Kipling - The Elephant's Child: How the Elephant Got His Trunk
Roberts - The Welcoming
Tolstoy - Anna Karenina  
 

End of the Year Lists

Well, the year is winding down, and in the library world that means that everyone, and I do mean everyone is coming out with its list of the year's best books.  

First up is The New York Times with a list of the 100 Notable books of 2012.  I was sorry to see that out of the nearly 70 books I've read this year, only 2 of them, The Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, and Canada by Richard Ford are on this list, although I am on the waiting list for Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth.

If you need anymore lists, the blog Largeheartedboy has created a list of all the Best of lists for 2012.  This list will be updated every day as more lists are available.

So, if you're out of something to read and need  ideas, or if you're in the mood to be overwhelmed by all the books you haven't read yet, check out these pages to get more ideas.

Later this week I'll post a few of my favorites for the year, and during the month I'll post some of the staff favorites, as well as the most popular books among our patrons this year.