What books are Wichitans reading and listening to

Laura McMillan
·3 min read

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Ever wonder if the books you like are the same ones others are reading? The Wichita Public Library shared its list of the 10 most borrowed books of 2023. The list covers fiction, nonfiction, children, and electronic and audiobooks.

It gives some interesting insight into the community. The list includes popular crime thrillers, romances, biographies and memoirs.

But it also includes a guidebook on postage stamps. The book on stamps came in second on the nonfiction book list. Only Prince Harry’s autobiography “Spare” was borrowed more.

The number of electronic books and audiobooks checked out is much higher than the rate of traditional books. The top electronic version of a book was checked out 891 times, while the top traditional book was checked out 382 times.

Wichita children and parents love the Dav Pilkey “Dog Man” and “Cat Kid” books. Pilkey’s books take nine of the top 10 spots on the children’s list.

Fiction

  1. “Desert Star,” by Michael Connelly (247 checkouts)

  2. (tie) “Lessons in Chemistry,” by Bonnie Garmus (238 checkouts)

  3. (tie) “The Boys from Biloxi,” by John Grisham (238 checkouts)

  4. “Long Shadows,” by David Baldacci (220 checkouts)

  5. “A World of Curiosities,” by Louise Penny (219 checkouts)

  6. “It Starts With Us,” by Colleen Hoover (212 checkouts)

  7. “Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine,” by Janet Evanovich (211 checkouts)

  8. “Storm Watch,” by CJ Box (195 checkouts)

  9. “Mad Honey,” by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Picoult (189 checkouts)

  10. “It Ends With Us,” by Colleen Hoover (184 checkouts)

Nonfiction

  1. “Spare,” by Prince Harry (382 checkouts)

  2. “Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue” (332 checkouts)

  3. “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” by Jennette McCurdy (246 checkouts)

  4. “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” by Roz Chast (155 checkouts)

  5. “Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear,” by Jinger Duggar Vuolo (92 checkouts)

  6. “Hungry Girl Simply Comfort: Feel-Good Favorites For Your Slow Cooker & Air Fryer,” by Lisa Lillien (91 checkouts)

  7. (tie) “Secret Kansas: a Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure,” by Roxie Yonkey (90 checkouts)

  8. (tie) “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder,” by David Grann (90 checkouts)

  9. (tie) “Guinness World Records” (89 checkouts)

  10. (tie) “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” by David Grann (89 checkouts)

Children

  1. “Dog Man #6: Brawl of the Wild,” by Dav Pilkey (196 checkouts)

  2. “Dog Man #3: A Tale of Two Kitties,” by Dav Pilkey (191 checkouts)

  3. “Dog Man #1,” by Dav Pilkey (182 checkouts)

  4. “Dog Man #4: Dog Man and Cat Kid,” by Dav Pilkey (178 checkouts)

  5. “Dog Man #5: Mothering Heights,” by Dav Pilkey (169 checkouts)

  6. “Cat Kid Comic Club #4: Collaborations,” by Dav Pilkey (168 checkouts)

  7. “Dog Man #5: Lord of the Fleas,” by Dav Pilkey (166 checkouts)

  8. “Harry Potter #1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by JK Rowling (162 checkouts)

  9. “Cat Kid Comic Club #1,” by Dav Pilkey (156 checkouts)

  10. “Dog Man #2: Unleashed,” by Dav Pilkey (153 checkouts)

Electronic materials: e-books and e-audiobooks

  1. “Fourth Wing,” by Rebecca Yarros (e-audio) (891 checkouts)

  2. “It Ends With Us,” by Colleen Hoover (e-book) (774 checkouts)

  3. “You Shouldn’t Have Come Here,” by Jeneva Rose (e-audio) (714 checkouts)

  4. “Girl, Forgotten,” by Karin Slaughter (e-audio) (701 checkouts)

  5. “It Starts With Us,” by Colleen Hoover (e-book) (589 checkouts)

  6. “Spare,” by Prince Harry (e-audio) (568 checkouts)

  7. “The Locked Door,” by Freida McFadden (e-audio) (565 checkouts)

  8. “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” by Sarah J. Maas (e-audio) 561 checkouts)

  9. “Verity,” by Colleen Hoover (e-book) (525 checkouts)

  10. “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” by Roz Chast (511 checkouts)

The Wichita Public Library has eight locations plus an online presence. It offers much more than books, including 3D printing, computers, the internet, Cricut equipment, and technology classes.

It also offers experience passes. A family can borrow passes to explore Wichita museums, Exploration Place, Botanica, Sedgwick County Zoo, and Tanganyika.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.