NORFOLK, Va. — Readers, rejoice! Winter is around the corner -- arguably the best time of the year to cuddle up with a cozy blanket, flickering candle and cup of tea to read a book.
Even if you're not much of a bookworm yourself, you might care about someone who loves to read. That makes December a popular time of year to shop for books as holiday gifts.
We asked the libraries of Hampton Roads to look back through their catalogues and see which books were local favorites in 2022.
These are the ones that were most checked out across the board. Spoiler alert: the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series is way more popular than we expected.
Blackwater Regional Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "Betty Crocker Best 100: Favorite Recipes from America's Most Trusted Cook" by Betty Crocker Editors
- Adult Fiction: "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
- Young Adult Fiction: "In the Hall with the Knife: A Clue Mystery" by Diana Peterfreund
- Juvenile Non-Fiction: "Dinosaurs of the World" edited by Chris Marshall
- Juvenile Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney
Chesapeake Public Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood" by Gregg Olsen
- Adult Fiction: "Verity" by Colleen Hoover
- Teen Nonfiction: "Barron's SAT Study Guide Premium, 2021-2022" by Sharon Weiner Green, Ira Wolf and Brian Stewart
- Teen Fiction: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
- Juvenile Nonfiction: "The Boy Who Harnessed the wind" by William Kamkwamba
- Juvenile Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney
Gloucester County Public Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "The Betrayal of Anne Frank" by Rosemary Sullivan
- Adult Fiction: "The Judge's List: A Novel" by John Grisham
- Adult Audiobook: "Local Gone Missing" by Fiona Barton
- Young Adult Fiction: "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard
- Juvenile Nonfiction: "Guts" by Raina Telgemeier
- Juvenile Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway" by Jeff Kinney"
- Juvenile Audiobook: "Raya and the Last Dragon" by Disney Press
Hampton Public Library*
*Hampton Public Library's catalog system isn't able to review which books were most checked-out from each general category, but it can say which new books were most frequently circulated.
Here are the top checkouts from items the library bought in 2022.
- Adult Nonfiction: "Money Magic: An Economist’s Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life" by Laurence J. Kotlikoff
- Adult Fiction: "The Match" by Harlan Coben
- Young Adult Nonfiction: "How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance" by Jean Chatzky, Kathryn Tuggle, and Nina Cosford
- Young Adult Fiction: "A Magic Steeped in Poison" by Judy I. Lin
- Juvenile Nonfiction: "Pokémon Gotta Catch ‘Em All! Deluxe Essential Handbook: The Need-to-Know Stats and Facts on Over 700 Pokémon" by Scholastic
- Juvenile Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down" by Jeff Kinney
- Nonfiction Audiobook: "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law" by Mary Roach
- Fiction Audiobook: "Dream Town" by David Baldacci
Newport News Public Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "James Patterson by James Patterson: the Stories of My Life" by James Patterson
- Adult Fiction: "Run, Rose, Run" by Dolly Parton & James Patterson
- Young Adult Nonfiction: "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
- Young Adult Fiction: "One of Us is Lying" by Karen McManus
- Juvenile Nonfiction: "Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
- Juvenile Fiction: "Waiting Is Not Easy!" By Mo Willems
Norfolk Public Library
- Detective and Mystery: "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
- Romance: "Verity" by Colleen Hoover
- Suspense and Thriller: "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
- Historical Fiction: "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles
- Fantasy and Science Fiction: "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig
- Juvenile: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
- Young Adult: "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sara J. Maas
- Adult eBook, all categories: "It Happened One Summer" by Tessa Bailey
- Adult Nonfiction eBook: "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
- Young Adult/Teen eBooks: "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi
- Juvenile eBook: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling
Portsmouth Public Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House" by Stephanie Grisham
- Adult Fiction: "The Shadow" by James Patterson
- Adult Fiction Audiobook: "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
- Young Adult Nonfiction: "Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
- Young Adult Fiction: "Demon Slayer, Kimetsu No Yaiba, Vol. 2: It Was You" by Koyoharu Gotoge
- Juvenile Nonfiction: "Ultimate Weird but True" by National Geographic
- Juvenile Fiction: "Mothering Heights: A Graphic Novel" by Dav Pilkey
Suffolk Public Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" by Yuval Noah Harari
- Adult Biography: "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
- Adult Fiction: "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
- Audiobooks: "Steal" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
- Young Adult Fiction: "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
- Juvenile Non-Fiction: "Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends" by David Stabler
- Juvenile Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney
Virginia Beach Public Library
- Audiobook: "Mercy" by David Baldacci
- Adult Nonfiction: "Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" by James Clear
- Adult Fiction: "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
- Teen Nonfiction: "Barron's SAT Study Guide Premium 2021-2022" by Sharon Green
- Youth Nonfiction: "Big Nate. Blow the Roof Off!" by Lincoln Pierce
- Children's Fiction: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball" by Jeff Kinney
Williamsburg Regional Library
- Adult Nonfiction: "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner
- Adult Fiction: "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah
- Adult ebook: "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
- Young Adult Fiction: "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
- Junior Nonfiction: "Minecraft Construction Handbook" by Matthew Needler
- Junior Fiction: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
York County
- Adult Nonfiction: “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover
- Adult Fiction: “The Maid: A Novel” by Nita Prose, tied with “The Paris Apartment: A Novel” by Lucy Foley
- Young Adult Fiction: “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
- Children’s Nonfiction: “Minecraft Construction Handbook” by Matthew Needler
- Children’s Fiction: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball” by Jeff Kinney
