Typically the end of the year brings ‘Best Of Lists’ by critics and booksellers alike, but how many library end-of-year book lists have you seen? We thought you would like to know what Wake County public library patrons have deemed most popular, popular meaning the number of times they were checked out.

There were a couple of surprises that Wake County Public Libraries Acquisitions Department were not quite expecting, such as the growing interest in debut novels. It happens that the most checked-out book of 2010 in the library system was Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel The Help (2009).

In case you haven’t read it, Stockett’s novel unfolds in Jackson, Miss. during the Civil Rights Movement. I understand it aims to make us think about racial lines, but I also read that it is “button-pushing” when dealing with the tones of the South during the 1960s. Wake County owns 365 copies of The Help and it was checked out 4,710 times, beating Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol by 457 check-outs.

It seems young-adult titles for adult readers, most popularized by Harry Potter books and the Twilight saga, continue to grow in popularity. A lot of these books are written by writers who established themselves writing for adults. One well-known author that made a transition from adult to young-adult is James Patterson.

Patterson began several young adult series last year, the most popular being Witch & Wizard and Maximum Ride. The books belonging to these series made it to the New York Best Selling Children’s Series list in 2010. However, it is interesting to note that the most popular of his series with library patrons was his manga, a Japanese graphic novel, typically intended for adults, characterized by highly stylized art, title, Daniel X.

In 2010, book one of Daniel X: Dangerous Days of Daniel X was checked out more than the first books of Patterson’s other best-selling series.

Top 5 Most Popular Adult Books

The Help (2009) by Kathryn Stockett, The Lost Symbol (2009) by Dan Brown, I Alex Cross (2009) by James Patterson, Worst Case (2010) by James Patterson, The 9th Judgment (2010) by James Patterson

Top 5 Most Popular New Adult Fiction Books

Private by James Patterson, Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, The Postcard Killers by James Patterson, Storm Prey by John Sanford, Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Top 5 Most Popular NEW Adult Non-Fiction Books

Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris, Decision Points by George Bush, In a Heartbeat by Leigh Anne Tuohy, Angelina, an Unauthorized Biography by Andrew Morton

Top 5 Most Popular Young-Adult Fiction Books

The Last Olympian (2009) by Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief (2005) by Rick Riordan, Eclipse (2007) by Stephenie Meyer, Witch and Wizard (2009) by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Most Popular E-Book & E-Audio

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) by Stieg Larsson

Independent publishers and booksellers seem to get a raw deal when national newspapers and even public libraries highlight the more widely-known and top-publishing authors, so here is a list of the most popular independent titles from 2010 found at your local Wake County library:

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman

The Tower, The Zoo, And The Tortoise by Julia Stuart

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

It’s a Book by Lane Smith (Children’s Book)

What Is Left The Daughter by Howard A. Norman

The 21 acres known as Fletcher Park was once the home for Raleigh’s Methodist Orphanage. Read more at the Raleigh Downtowner.

Bike Theft on the Rise in Downtown

Locking your bike up is not good enough. Local blogger has video tip.

Home Prices Expected to Drop

Raleigh market is not the worst, but not the best either. The statistics at Triangle Business Journal.

The state’s budget was reduced $1.6 billion forcing Medicaid services to be reevaluated.  More from MyNC.com

Smaller Heating Bills

Progress Energy is asking for a rate reduction in natural gas. Details from The News & Observer.

Paying more attention to detergent, shampoo and milk. Details at Midtown Raleigh News.

Art on Hold for Seven Months

NC Museum of Art is expanding their permanent collection. Expect their doors to reopen in mid-April. The story at WRAL.

Candidate Forums
City Election Candidate Profiles

September 2, 6pm-8pm: Rodger Koopman (Raleigh City Council – District B)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 3, 11:30am-1:30pm: Lee Sartain (Raleigh City Council – At-Large)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 8, 6pm-8pm: Ted Van Dyk (Raleigh City Council – District D)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 9, 6pm-8pm: Gregg Kunz (Raleigh Mayor)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 10, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Raleigh City Council Candidate Forum sponsored
by WakeUP Wake County and the Wake League of Women Voters
Location: Temple Beth Or, 5315 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh

Deadline to register to vote.

September 14, 6pm-8pm: John Tedesco (Board of Education – District 2)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 18, 5:30pm-7: 30pm: Russ Stephenson (Raleigh City Council – At-Large)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 21, 6pm-8pm: Charles Meeker (Raleigh Mayor)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 22, 8pm-10pm: Mark Enloe (Raleigh Mayor)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

September 28, 5:30pm-7: 30pm: Mary-Ann Baldwin (Raleigh City Council – At-Large)
Location: 101 Lounge + Cafe, 444 S. Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27603

October 6, 2009: Election day.

Know of more events? Use the Contact page to let us know and we will add them to the list.

See if you agree where Raleigh ranks in traffic. Details and comments at Triangle Business Journal.

Company L Flag Returned to RI

NC Museum returned a flag, now how about returning one of ours. More from MyNC.com

Exploris Middle’s New Sights

If only the bar next to the school didn’t have a name that was “just kind of interesting.” Read the story at The News & Observer.

At Lead Mine Elementary, 44 percent of nearly 500 students get free or reduced lunches. Yet 85 percent of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders passed end-of-grade tests.

Read more from WRAL.

Longview Labeled Dangerous

Pamela Jerro, the school’s principal, said the assaults involved a student touching a faculty member’s breast, a student running into an adult while trying to escape a resource officer, and a student holding a drill bit to another student’s face. None of the incidents resulted in criminal charges, she said.

Read more from The News & Observer.
Longview School

To help cut down on excessive bacteria, park officials said they started removing bird waste from the beach instead of pushing it into the water. Officials said they are also looking for ways to move the birds’ habitat so fewer of them will call the beach home.

More from WRAL.

New Projects to Downtown

Credit Union and Teen Center approved by Raleigh City Council. More on the site specifics, also from WRAL.

Student Swine Flu, Less Serious?

Let it run its course, but if your temperature reaches 103, see a doctor. The story is at The News & Observer.

Advocates for Chavis Park say it’s gone unappreciated for too long and they would like to see more activities, play equipment, restrooms and water fountains.

More details from Central CAC August 2009

Lake Wheeler Beach Reopens

Water based recreational activities at the beach area, such as kayak rentals and sunfish sailboats rentals, resumed on Friday, Aug. 28.

Traffic ticket, up $9 to $130

For more details, see WRAL.