What Howard County was reading in 2012

   On the Facebook page for the HoCo Library recently they posted the most popular books checked out for kids.  The most popular kids picture book was  "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.  I wasn't surprised by this because I had seen this book prominently displayed as you entered the children's section during the year.  Also I wasn't surprised that the most popular children's fiction book was "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney which was on many best sellers lists last year.
     I keep waiting for the books most checked out for adults but never saw this posted so I went into the East Columbia Library and asked a couple of the staff at the checkout counter what was popular last year.  Here is what I learned.  Is anyone surprised that "50 Shades of Gray" seemed to top the list like it had for much of the Country?  Their guess was that it probably had the longest reserve list of any book the Library has ever had.  Close to a 1000 reserves at times.  The other "Shades" series books also did well.  Next were probably any of the "Hunger Games" books that the movie stimulated.  J.K. Rowlings book for adults called "Casual Vacancy", Ken Follett's "Winter of the World," any of the books by David Baldacci were popular. 

P.S.
    Most borrowed music CD was "21" by Adele which matches the fact that is the most purchased CD in the US for the second straight year.

P.S.
   I have to admit that I read very little fiction so the books above are not ones I would probably read.  The book that I am reading now is one that political junkies like me will love.  It is "The Patriarch" by David Nasaw about the life of Joseph Kennedy.  Joe Kennedy lived many different lives in his lifetime and is a fascinating study of how to be influential in very different worlds.  Much of what you think you know about him may not be true.  I just don't know if I will be able to get through all 800 pages in the three week reserve time period.