What Seattle read in 2025: Seattle Public Library’s most popular books
Dec. 18, 2025 at 6:00 am, Updated Dec. 18, 2025 at 6:00 am
“Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler. (Knopf)
“Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler. (Knopf)
By Elisa Murray
Special to The Seattle Times
The Seattle Public Library loves to promote books and reading. This column was submitted by the library to highlight local checkout trends. Find out more at spl.org.
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
- “Three Days in June” by Anne Tyler (3,164)
- “James” by Percival Everett (2,898)
- “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy (2,499)
- “We Do Not Part” by Han Kang (2,440)
- “The Paris Express” by Emma Donoghue (2,386)
- “The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong (2,374)
- “All Fours” by Miranda July (2,280)
- “Storybook Ending” by Moira Macdonald (2,222)
- “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2,191)
- “So Far Gone” by Jess Walter (2,078)
See more at below link: ebooks, audiobooks, and more…
Continue/Read Original Article Here: What Seattle read in 2025: Seattle Public Library’s most popular books | The Seattle Times
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