From CdA to Spokane the top library read in 2024 was the same, but here’s where readership differs

If you don’t see the appeal of the burgeoning “romantasy” genre, your neighbor, roommate or co-workers likely do.
Romance-focused fantasy novels were among the most popular books among Inland Northwest readers last year, peppering lists of the most borrowed books from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene.
Author Sarah J. Maas, hailed as the queen of the genre, and her best-selling “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series appeared multiple times in top 10 lists of books checked out at local libraries, as did Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” and “Iron Flame,” part of a series about a heroine attending a war college for dragon riders.
Novels of the genre have taken TikTok’s “Booktok” community by storm, and the same is true for Spokane readers, said Amanda Donovan, communications director for the Spokane Public Library.
“Anecdotally, there’s been a shift toward more romantasy, and more women’s fiction titles than there were in previous years,” Donovan said.
Liberty Lake readers appeared to be mostly immune to the trend, instead opting for thrillers and mysteries by familiar authors like James Patterson, John Grisham and Freida McFadden.
Mikayla Kittilstved, the adult and teen service librarian in Liberty Lake, said many of their visitors enjoy sticking with authors they recognize. She added that many of their popular titles are approachable and easily allow readers to feel that sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a book.
“I know I’ve got a lot of thriller readers, so that makes sense,” Kittilstved said. “But I have a feeling that if you ask me again in January 2026 what our top ones are, there will be a couple more romantic ones.”
Beyond romance, regional readers resonated with women in literature last year, which is reflected in the authors, heroines and subject matters on top 10 lists from local libraries.

Serving as a shining example of the trend was the top book at the Spokane Public Library, the Spokane County Library District, the Liberty Lake Municipal Library, the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and several of their counterparts across the country: Kristin Hannah’s Vietnam War novel “The Women.”
As of early January, more than 400 Spokanites were in line to read or listen to a digital copy of the historical fiction novel, which focuses on the combat nurses of Vietnam, Donovan said.
“Obviously, ‘The Women’ is the runaway hit of the year, for sure,” Donovan said. “That is the top title in several different categories, print, e-book, audiobook, and that is no surprise, given the media coverage of that book. I know that’s the trend at other booksellers and other libraries around the country.”
The wildly popular novel received rave reviews in national publications and debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times fiction bestseller list last February, where it remains at No. 6.
“I haven’t even gotten my hands on a copy of it yet, which is how popular it is,” Kittilstved said. “It had the most prepublication holds I think I’ve ever seen on an item.”
Adding to the intrigue for local readers: Hannah was a Seattle lawyer before picking up the pen. She still resides on Bainbridge Island and is known to frequent Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort this time of year.
Sheri Boggs, a collection development librarian for the Spokane County Library District, said she was glad to see a woman’s historical fiction novel at the top of the list, as male authors like James Patterson tend to dominate the genre and checkouts at local libraries.

“It’s interesting to see books that are kind of a reckoning with our history being that popular,” Boggs said.
Boggs added that it’s unique that so many readers gravitated toward a “meatier,” more somber story, which she credits to Hannah’s ability to transport readers while also tackling complicated topics like PTSD and the country’s internal turmoil over the Vietnam War.
“I think coming at it from a different perspective is part of that.” Boggs said. “Maybe the women’s experience was much more overshadowed by what male soldiers went through, but it wasn’t any less important. And there are still stories to be told there.”
Hannah wasn’t the only Northwest author to dominate checkouts locally. Across the border, Coeur d’Alene author Susan Nipp, best known for the Wee Sing children’s books, landed in third for all checkouts at her hometown library.
Library spokesman JD Smithson said Nipp’s “Mudgy and Millie” has appeared in the top 10 for children’s books, “if not all books,” for at least 10 years. The 2008 picture book tells the tale of Mudgy the moose and Millie the mouse and their hide-and-seek game through downtown Coeur d’Alene.
The book is interactive for local readers, as children can follow in the hoofprints of Mudgy as he searches for his friend Millie along a real-life 2¼-mile trail beginning at Tubbs Hill and ending at Independence Point.
“We’ve gone through a lot of copies of it over the years,” Smithson said.
For children in Spokane County, characters like Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man and Cat Kid series, the pigeon from Mo Williams’ picture books and Greg Heffley the “Wimpy Kid” continue to receive favor.
Young library card holders are gravitating more to graphic novels in recent years, said Jandy Humble, director of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library. When she started with the organization in 2015, the genre was confined to a small shelf.
“In the last four years, we’ve seen a huge uptick,” Humble said. “And now we have a whole dedicated section in our library for graphic novels.”
Humble said she’s also observed a shift toward books aimed at helping children better understand and navigate their emotions, like Liberty Lake’s most popular picture book, Elycia Rubin’s “No Biggy: A Story About Overcoming Everyday Obstacles.”
The story follows a young girl named Kiki, who understands frustration is a part of life and breathes through struggles with her jacket zipper, toothpaste and a well-intentioned muddy dog.
“That’s great to see, because I think that’s something that parents are kind of are looking for: resources on ways to help their kids talk about feelings and emotions, particularly if you grew up in a home that wasn’t really big on that,” Humble said.
Humble said the library offers a collection of similar titles organized in a convenient location for families to browse. Other local libraries are also seeing the trend, with Mo Willems’ “Waiting Is Not Easy!,” a learn-to-read book that delves into patience and anxiety, topping Spokane Public Library’s children’s fiction titles.
Young adults and teenagers, rife with dreams, uncertainty and hopes for romance, tended to select titles that expressed those feelings in some regard.
Yarros and Maas found some popularity with the age group, as did Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series and Rick Riordan’s “Lightning Thief” series. Also appearing on regional lists are “Divine Rivals” and “Ruthless Vows” by Rebecca Ross, a pair of novels with an “enemies-to-lovers” plot between rival journalists in a world torn asunder by warring gods.
“They’re kind of all about young people dealing with issues and power structures that are way bigger than they are, and how they’re navigating that,” Boggs said. “I think that a lot of the titles can be really inspiring, in a time when a lot of things seem uncertain in the real world.”
If the popular books of yesteryear are not inspiration enough to pick up a novel, Boggs said librarians at your local library are waiting with recommendations.
In the day and age of Booktok, Google and Goodreads reviews, those librarians may jump at the opportunity, Boggs said.
“To have an actual human approach and ask for something to read, and to be able to kind of find out what their interests are and match them to a book, it’s one of those joys of the job that we don’t get to do as much as we used to,” Boggs said.
“It’s honestly the best part of the job,” she added.