Each year, more than 4 million books are published in the United States. Of those, only thousands make it to our catalog. But only a select few pique our interest enough to become our favorites. They stand above the crowd. To many, they’re just decorations on a shelf. But to us, they are much more. They’re the stories that moved us. Deep dives that sparked new insights. Books that opened our eyes and changed our minds. These aren’t just books – these are the Best Books of the year.

Best Books is a collection of recommendations from staff across the organization, from the people who know books best. They are our favorite titles in fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, kids, and more. And this year we have an entire list of Spanish titles as well. You’ll also see what books captured your interest this year with a recap of our most checked out books and other statistics.

And for a limited time, you can grab a special Best Books-mark at your community library for your favorite book as well.