By Will Morris
Rowan Public Library

October is National Book Month. It is an annual celebration of readers, reading and the printed word. We at Rowan Public Library celebrate the printed word every month, but in keeping with the theme, this week’s Library Notes will present you a snapshot of what your friends, neighbors and acquaintances across the county have been reading during these early fall days.

First off, they are reading quite a bit. Salisbury reads, y’all. Since Aug. 1, there have been 37,000 new checkouts from RPL’s four branches in China Grove, Cleveland, Rockwell and Salisbury. That is one new checkout for every five people in the country. There were also 31,000 renewals since Aug. 1. Not only does Salisbury read, it also re-reads or just takes its time to enjoy a good book.

What books have your fellow citizens been reading since Aug. 1? Our top circulating adult novel was Kristin Hannah’s “The Women.” Her epic about women in the Vietnam War has been at the top of the NY Times Bestseller list all summer and Salisburyians have been no exception. Our second highest circulating book for the past two months was Mary Kay Andrews’ “Summers at the Saint.” Andrews’ book is a more traditional beach read for those folks trying to sneak in one last visit to Myrtle before the weather turns. Recent works by Frieda McFadden, Nora Roberts, Elin Hilderbrand and Ruth Ware fill out the top ranks. It has been a season of feel-good beach reads, historical dramas and dark mysteries.

On the non-fiction side of things, JD Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” has been flying off the shelf like it’s 2016 again ever since he was announced as the Republic Vice Presidential candidate. His memoir of growing up Appalachia-adjacent has even driven checkouts of some related Appalachian work, like Barbara Kingsolver’s “Demon Copperhead.” For those interested in something published more recently, Erik Larson’s newest about the American Civil War, “The Demon of Unrest,” has also been generating a good deal of interest among our readers as has venerable historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir of the 1960s, “An Unfinished Love Story.”

Among our younger library visitors, the return to school must have solicited a return to the classics. Our top checkouts since August for children include “The Lorax,” “The Giving Tree,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” and “Diary of Wimpy Kid.” Our top checkout in juvenile fiction was “Rise of the Earth Dragon,” part of Tracey West’s popular Dragon Masters series.

That is, of course, just a short snapshot of Rowan County reading habits. You will find much more than “just” books at the library. For example, RPL South in China Grove is hosting the Working Lands Trust for a seminar about rural land development on Oct. 7. RPL East in Rockwell will host an Internet Safety for Seniors workshop on Oct. 11. These are in addition to the weekly children’s and teen programs held at every branch.

If you want to check out any of the books I referenced here or find something else entirely, pop into your local RPL branch and see what’s new. You can also visit us online at www.RowanPublicLibrary.org or call 980-432-8670. There is always something going on at the library!