What Fort Worth Read in 2021

As the literary hub of Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Public Library saw a banner year not only for digital check-outs but also for growing attendance at book and reading-related programs.

This year (January 1 through December 26), 5,244 guest attended family and children’s story times, and 262 adults attended author talks and programs.  769 patrons joined librarians for What Fort Worth Reads, a weekly Wednesday Instagram chat where participants discuss book recommendations.  As part of programming expansion, in 2022 every library location will host at least one weekly youth/family story time and author talks will occur monthly throughout the city.  Residents can find upcoming programs for all 17 library locations at FortWorthLibrary.org.

The Fort Worth Public Library added nearly 200 thousand new items to the city’s collection and saw 3,050,185 items checked out.   On Dec. 13 library patrons set a record by checking out more than one million books through the library’s online catalog.

Top titles, whether in print or digital, for 2021 included:

Adult Fiction

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• Fly Away by Kristin Hannah
• Such a Fun Age: a novel by Emily Henry

Adult Non-Fiction

• Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches by S.C. Gwynne
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleby Stephen R. Covey
• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
• Cast: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
• Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Winby Jocko Willink

Young Adults

• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
• The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesby Suzanne Collins
• Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
• Six of Crowsby Leigh Bardugo

Youth/Children

• The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney
• The Deep End by Jeff Kinney
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal by Jeff Kinney

Part of the Fort Worth Public Library’s commitment to building a community of learners, dreamers and doers is to reduce barriers to access library materials and services.  Adult residents and all children can obtain a free Fort Worth Public Library card. Additionally, the library offers special cards for local businesses and professional educators teaching Fort Worth students.