What Seattle Read in 2025: The Library’s Most Popular Checkouts

It’s always fascinating to compile The Seattle Public Library’s top checkouts for the year to get a sense of what’s been on the minds of Seattle’s readers. In 2025, they turned closer to home and explored local voices — perhaps not surprising given the state of national dialogue.

Several of our most checked-out print books were written by local authors, including Seattle Times journalist Moira Macdonald’s debut novel “Storybook Ending”; travel writer Rick Steves’ memoir “On the Hippie Trail”; and David B. Williams’ “Wild in Seattle.”

A little further afield, Spokane author Jess Walter’s new novel “So Far Gone” also ranked as a top print checkout, and Oregon writer Omar El Akkad’s “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” was in the top 10 for nonfiction print books. Bainbridge Island author Kristin Hannah’s “The Women” ranked high for e-book and audiobook checkouts.

Of course, Seattle library patrons also followed national reading trends, checking out bestsellers such as Anne Tyler’s “Three Days in June,” Percival Everett’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “James” and Rebecca Yarros’ wildly popular romantasy “Onyx Storm” thousands of times.

Another takeaway: Seattle readers want compelling stories, which can mean looking to older titles with a lasting impact. The audiobook version of “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, originally published in 2013, has been the top checked-out book of any format for the past three years.

Below are the top 10 checkouts from The Seattle Public Library in five categories for 2025, from Jan. 1 through Nov. 30 (data does not include renewals). As always, SPL values and protects patron privacy, and all checkout data is anonymous.

Most popular adult fiction physical books

1. “Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler (3,164)
2. “James” by Percival Everett (2,898)
3. “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy (2,499)
4. “We Do Not Part” by Han Kang (2,440)
5. “The Paris Express” by Emma Donoghue (2,386)
6. “The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong (2,374)
7. “All Fours” by Miranda July (2,280)
8. “Storybook Ending” by Moira Macdonald (2,222)
9. “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2,191)
10. “So Far Gone” by Jess Walter (2,078)

Most popular adult fiction e-books

1. “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros (4,883)
2. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah (4,851)
3. “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese (4,349)
4. “Intermezzo” by Sally Rooney (3,860)
5. “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach (3,849)
6. “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore (3,627)
7. “Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry (3,329)
8. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros (3,262)
9. “Iron Flame” by Rebecca Yarros (3,043)
10. “All Fours” by Miranda July (2,871)

Most popular adult nonfiction physical books

1. “Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (2,784)
2. “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins (2,585)
3. “Everything Is Tuberculosis” by John Green (2,341)
4. “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad (2,247)
5. “A Grain, a Green, a Bean” by Gena Hamshaw (2,137)
6. “Wild in Seattle” by David B. Williams (2,044)
7. “The Serviceberry” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2,030)
8. “Beyond Anxiety” by Martha Beck (1,991)
9. “On the Hippie Trail” by Rick Steves (1,978)
10. “The Book of Alchemy” by Suleika Jaouad (1,734)

Most popular adult nonfiction e-books

1. “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb (2,979)
2. “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins (2,964)
3. “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2,555)
4. “Educated” by Tara Westover (1,484)
5. “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah (1,255)
6. “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (1,083)
7. “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt (1,025)
8. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalinithi (927)
9. “Want” by Anonymous, collected by Gillian Anderson (873)
10. “Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (872)

Most popular audiobooks

1. “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (5,464)
2. “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett (3,856)
3. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver (3,588)
4. “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros (3,379)
5. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah (3,091)
6. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt (2,614)
7. “James” by Percival Everett (2,487)
8. “All Fours” by Miranda July (2,365)
9. “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach (2,305)
10. “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson (2,275)

This column was originally published in the Seattle Times as part of our monthly column, and is reprinted here with permission.