Circulation data about the books most frequently checked out during 2018 provides a glimpse into community interests and reading preferences. Mystery, history, and books on politics, health, self-help and baking, all made NOLS’ Top 30 lists this year. The Library collection is rich with many titles that nourish similar reading interests. Here’s a few read-alike suggestions.

Historical fiction was popular, with two titles topping the lists: All the Light We Cannot See (141 check outs) by Anthony Doerr and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (104 check outs). Both are set during World War II, and are told from the perspective of multiple characters. If those attributes appeal to you, try Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, which explores life in London during the Blitz, with witty dialogue and authentic characters who are transformed through loss. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje focuses on four lives intersecting around a mysterious, badly burned man recovering in an Italian villa at the end of the war.

Popular fiction titles of 2018 included mystery suspense novels by authors like J.A. Jance or Michael Connelly. If you like this genre, here are some other authors you might enjoy. Travel to Chicago’s mean streets with Sara Paretsky for some fast-paced and gritty crime writing centered on corruption, in the V.I. Warshawski series. Or try author Faye Kellerman’s series about a husband and wife detecting team. Complex plotlines provide fascinating perspectives on Orthodox Judaism, and the richly detailed writing brings characters to life. John Sanford’s novels are characterized by many-layered plots and compelling but flawed characters. A good title to start with is Rules of Prey.

In nonfiction, books about women like Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy or Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover were popular. If you liked Educated, read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls for another account of triumph over extremism and hardship in childhood. Women to Reckon With: Untamed Women of the Olympic Wilderness by Gary L. Peterson may appeal to fans of the other titles. Kondo’s classic The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up about her journey and methods for tidiness is still getting a lot of love (68 checkouts), and so is New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living by Cary Telander Fortin.

A Man Called Ove (99 check outs) and other works by Fredrick Backman continue to gain readers. If you found them poignant and heartwarming, try one of these: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson is British to the core, examining what happens when a patriarch of the village falls in love with a Pakistani shopkeeper who is viewed as a foreigner. Also set in England, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce features the quiet life of a retired man upset by a small event that turns into an epic trek across the countryside.

More Information
To check out any of these books and many others, visit www.nols.org, call 360.683.1161, or visit the Sequim Branch Library located at 630 North Sequim Avenue.