While year-end recaps tend to focus more on popular movies, shows and music from the previous year, books rarely receive the same kind of attention. But the checkout data given from the Monroe County Public Library System offers a good look at what local patrons were reading and listening to in 2025.
The total amount of physical items checked out from the Monroe County Public Library system, which includes books, audiobooks, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, music CDs and magazines, ended at 1,302,533 in 2025. Physical books made up about 75.79% of total physical checkouts with 987,229 books having been checked out by patrons in 2025.
The Monroe County Public Library System also saw many checkouts on Libby and Hoopla, two digital library apps that allow users to borrow eBooks, audiobooks and other media online. In 2025, 715,211 items were checked out on Libby and Hoopla.
Top 3 Hoopla audiobooks for 2025
IU’s very own alumna Suzanne Collins and her latest book “Sunrise on the Reaping” was the most borrowed book by Monroe County Public Library Patrons in 2025 with 489 total checkouts on Hoopla last year.
Collins’ book follows Haymitch, a fan favorite character from the original “Hunger Games” trilogy, as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. Coinciding with the Second Quarter Quell, Haymitch must compete against twice the normal number of participants, all fighting to be the last one alive. The audiobook version of Collins’ novel is narrated by Jefferson White, an actor popularly known for his roles in shows such as “Yellowstone” and movies such as the 2024 film “Civil War.”
Following “Sunrise on the Reaping,” J.K. Rowling’s novels “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” took the second and third spots respectively, with the former being checked out 372 times and the latter 285 times. Both audiobooks were narrated by Jim Dale, an actor most recently known for his work narrating the “Harry Potter” audiobooks, as well as a couple “Harry Potter” video games.
Top 3 Libby audiobooks for 2025
The top spot for audiobooks checked out on Libby in 2025 went to “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros, which was checked out by patrons of the Monroe County Public Library System 647 times in the last year. “Onyx Storm” is the third book in Yarros’ popular fantasy series “The Empyrean” which follows Violet Sorrengail, a dragon rider at the fictional Basgiath College, as she starts to uncover secrets about the centuries long war her kingdom has been fighting in.
The audiobook version of Yarros’ novel is a multi-cast recording, meaning rather than there only being one narrator, multiple voice actors play the roles of the characters in the novel.
After getting checked out 508 times in 2025, Kristin Hannah’s “The Women” received the second spot for most checked out audiobooks on Libby. Hannah’s novel tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young woman who joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother after he ships out to Vietnam. But the dangers of the Vietnam War are just the beginning of Frankie’s journey. Upon returning home Frankie is not met with the warm welcome she expected, but instead with a country divided, angry protestors and a society that wants to forget Vietnam more than she could have anticipated.
The audiobook edition of “The Women” is primarily narrated by Julia Whelan, a renowned writer and narrator known for her popular book “My Oxford Year” as well as her involvement narrating many other popular novels. Whelan’s work narrating the novel was well received and “The Women” won the 2025 Audie Award for Best Fiction Narrator.
Emily Henry’s “Great Big Beautiful Life” came in third place for audiobooks after being checked out 484 times. Whelan also narrated the audiobook edition of Henry’s novel which follows Alice Scott, an optimistic author hoping to write the biography of infamous heiress Margaret Ives. The chance to write Margaret’s story won’t come easy though, and Alice will have to compete against Pulitzer prize winning author Hayden Anderson. But as much as Alice wants to beat Hayden for this opportunity, the more she gets to know him, the more she falls for him too.
Top 3 physical adult books for 2025
Along with being one of the most checked out books on Libby for 2025, Hannah’s novel “The Women” was also the most checked out physical copy from the adult books. In 2025, Hannah’s novel was checked out by patrons 248 times.
Following “The Women,” Percival Everett’s award-winning novel “James” was the second most borrowed book with 154 checkouts. Everett’s novel is a reimagining of Mark Twain's “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” told entirely through the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man that escapes and joins Huck on his journey along the Mississippi River.
Since its release, Everett’s novel has been praised for its wit and criticism of racism. It has also received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.
Rounding out the top three most checked out books in 2025 is “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore, with 131 checkouts from the Monroe County Public Library System. Moore’s novel follows the events of one fateful night in August 1975 when Barbara Van Laar disappeared from her bunk at the summer camp her family owns. However, Barbara isn’t the first Van Laar child to disappear after her brother vanished 14 years prior, never to be seen again. As everyone searches for the missing child, the dark secrets of the Van Laar family are slowly revealed.
