What Are the Most Popular Books So Far This Year?

I thought people might like to see a list of our most popular titles so far for 2006. In fiction, the top ten "best-sellers" at the library have been:

1. Mary, Mary / by James Patterson.
2. Chill Factor / by Sandra Brown.
3. The Camel Club / by David Baldacci.
4. "S" is for Silence/ by Sue Grafton.
5. A Wedding in December / by Anita Shreve.
6. At First Sight / by Nicholas Sparks.
7. Blue Smoke / by Nora Roberts.
8. On the Run / by Iris Johansen.
9. School Days / by Robert B. Parker.
10. The Divide / by Nicholas Evans.

In Non-Fiction, the top ten are:

1. The Year of Magical Thinking / by Joan Didion.
2. Here's Johnny! / by Ed McMahon.
3. My Friend Leonard / by James Frey.
4. What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love / by Carole Radziwill.
5. The Man Behind the DaVinci Code: an Unauthorized Biography of Dan Brown / by Lisa Rogak.
6. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: and Other Things I've Learned / by Alan Alda.
7. You--the Owner's Manual: an Insider's Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger / by Michael F. Roizen.
8. 1776 / by David McCullough.
9. 700 Sundays / by Billy Crystal.
10. Creating Great Guest Rooms / by Carol Donayre Bugg.

Many of these books are so popular that they will have waiting lists. Did you know that you can place a hold on items in our collection from your home computer? To do so you'll need a library card and a special PIN number. If you don't have a PIN number yet you'll need to come to the library to get it in person. Once you have that, just log on to our online catalog at http://www2.hampton.lib.nh.us/ and search for the title(s) you want. Once you find one, you simply click on the "Place Hold" button and fill in your library card barcode number and your PIN number to place the hold.

While you are in the catalog you may notice a big red "My Account" button. From here you'll be able to see what you currently have out and it will give you the option to renew them if they are renewable. We have a new blue button here as well that reads "New Arrivals." Click on this and you'll go to a web page that will allow you to search and get lists of the newest items received by the library in many different categories, such as fiction, non-fiction, teen, audiobooks, movies, music, large print, and nine children's categories. The lists that come up can be sorted by author, title or publication date, and at the bottom of each search page you will be presented with ways to refine or narrow your search for more specific items or for different date ranges (other than the last six months). These lists are continually updated whenever we receive anything new so you'll have an easy way to find out what new items we have been receiving.