Best-selling fiction by authors such as James Patterson, Danielle Steele and David Baldacci dominate this year's lists of books and e-books most borrowed from Texarkana Public Library.
The library's most-borrowed DVDs are more mixed, with rated-R drama and action joining children's animated films at the top of the list.
Patterson had a combined 15 entries on the books and e-books lists, followed by Steele with eight, Baldacci with five and Lee Child with three.
Child took the top spot on the books list with 126 checkouts of "Night School." The novel is the 21st in Child's series about character Jack Reacher, a former military police officer who finds himself in difficult situations as he roams the United States. "No Middle Name," a collection of short stories about Reacher, was also in the Top 10.
Two books about Texarkana's most infamous event made the Top 50. James Presley's "Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders" was ranked No. 15 with 48 checkouts, and Michael Newton's "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders: The Unsolved Case of the 1946 Phantom Killer" tied for 24th place with 38 checkouts.
The No. 1 e-book was a collection of romance stories "presented by" Patterson, but written by three other authors. E-book users borrowed "James Patterson's Kisses at Midnight" 12 times.
Patterson had two other e-books in the Top 10: "Missing," written with Kathryn Fox, and "Bullseye." Author Janet Evanovich placed twice in the Top 10, with "Turbo Twenty-Three" and "Curious Minds," written with Phoef Sutton.
Four years after its original release, animated Disney favorite "Frozen" topped the DVD list with 73 checkouts. "Rio," another animated feature, reached the No. 2 spot with 59 checkouts.
Two films starring Keanu Reeves-"Exposed" with 56 checkouts and "John Wick" with 47-made the Top 10, as did comedies "Ghostbusters" and "Daddy's Home," superhero action films "Deadpool" and "Captain America: Civil War," and dramatic westerns "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Hateful Eight."
Circulation services librarian Dru-Ann Merriman compiled the lists for the Gazette. They include checkouts from Dec. 1, 2016, through Nov. 30, 2017.
Some new, popular books-designated Hot Reads at the library-are available to borrow for only seven days with no renewal, and the library often shelves multiple copies of the most in-demand titles. Normally, readers check out books for up to three weeks, with one three-week renewal available. DVDs can be checked out for up to one week, with one weeklong renewal available.
Titles on the New York Times best-seller lists are always available for adults, and for children, the library always has on hand the latest Newberry, Caldecott and Bluebonnet award-winners.
Library users can download a wide variety of e-books, and the library offers an e-card that allows access to all digital materials, including a dozen online databases, from any internet-connected computer.
Residents who pay city taxes in Texarkana, Ark., or Texarkana, Texas, and children older than 4 living in their households may receive a library card at no cost. Anyone living within 50 miles of the city limits is charged an annual fee.
The Texarkana Public Library is at 600 W. Third St. in Texarkana, Texas. Hours are 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 903-794-2149.
TOP 50 BOOKS
Top 50 books borrowed from Texarkana Public Library, Dec. 1, 2016, to Nov. 30, 2017, listed by rank, with title and author, then the number of times the book was checked out:
- "Night School: A Jack Reacher Novel," by Lee Child, 126
- "No Man's Land," by David Baldacci, 103
- "Never Never," by James Patterson and Candice Fox, 102
- "Cross the Line," by James Patterson, 72
- "Two by Two," by Nicholas Sparks, 67
- "The Whistler," by John Grisham, 63
- "The Whole Town's Talking," by Fannie Flagg, 60
- "Dangerous Games," by Danielle Steel, 58
- "The Black Book," by James Patterson and David Ellis, 56
- "No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories," by Lee Child, 55
"The Fix," by David Baldacci, 55 - "Off the Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel," by C.J. Box, 53
- "The Kept Woman," by Karin Slaughter, 52
- "The Last Mile," by David Baldacci, 51
- "Turbo Twenty-Three: A Stephanie Plum Novel," by Janet Evanovich, 50
- "Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders," by James Presley, 48
- "Escape Clause," by John Sandford, 47
"Bullseye," by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, 47 - "Murder Games," by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, 46
- "Small Great Things," by Jodi Picoult, 45
- "Sex, Lies And Serious Money," by Stuart Woods, 44
- "Camino Island," by John Grisham, 43
- "The Mistress," by Danielle Steel, 42
"Stripped Bare," by Shannon Baker, 42
"The Midnight Bell," by Jack Higgins, 42 - "Sweet Tomorrows: A Rose Harbor Novel," by Debbie Macomber, 41
"Come Sundown," by Nora Roberts, 41 - "When All the Girls Have Gone," by Jayne Ann Krentz, 40
"Sting," by Sandra Brown, 40
"Home," by Harlan Coben, 40
"Below the Belt," by Stuart Woods, 40 - "The Texarkana Moonlight Murders: The Unsolved Case of the 1946 Phantom Killer," by Michael Newton, 38
"The Rising," by Heather Graham and Jon Land, 38
"Depraved Heart: A Scarpetta Novel," by Patricia Cornwell, 38
"Broken Trust: A Badge of Honor Novel," by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV, 38 - "The Sleeping Beauty Killer: An Under Suspicion Novel," by Mary Higgins Clark, 37
- "Woman of God," by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, 36
"Make Me Love You," by Johanna Lindsey, 36
"If Not For You," by Debbie Macomber, 36
"Humans, Bow Down," by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, 36 - "One Perfect Lie," by Lisa Scottoline, 35
"16th Seduction," by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, 35 - "The Silent Corner," by Dean Koontz, 34
"The Award," by Danielle Steel, 34
"Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal That Undid Him, and All the Justice That Money Can Buy," by James Patterson and John Connolly, 34
"All By Myself, Alone," by Mary Higgins Clark, 34
"Against All Odds," by Danielle Steel, 34 - "Rushing Waters," by Danielle Steel, 33
- "The Duchess," by Danielle Steel, 32
"Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency," by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, 32
TOP 49 E-BOOKS
Top 49 e-books borrowed from Texarkana Public Library, Dec. 1, 2016, to Nov. 30, 2017.
- "James Patterson's Kisses at Midnight," by Jen McLaughlin, Tabitha Ross and Smantha Towle, 12
- "Turbo Twenty-Three," by Janet Evanovich, 10
- "An Obvious Fact," by Craig Johnson, 9
"Curious Minds," by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton, 9 - "As Time Goes By," by Mary Higgins Clark, 8
"Bullseye," by James Patterson, 8
"Missing," by James Patterson and Kathryn Fox, 8
"Sticks and Stones," by Michael Hiebert, 8
"The Target," by David Baldacci, 8 - "Killing Kennedy," by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, 7
"The Escape," by David Baldacci, 7 - "15th Affair," by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, 6
"A Great Reckoning," by Louise Penny, 6
"Camino Island," by John Grisham, 6
"The Murder Book," by Jane A. Adams, 6
"Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay," by Reed Farrel Coleman, 6
"Rushing Waters," by Danielle Steel, 6
"The Bitter Season," by Tami Hoag, 6
"The Kill Order," by James Dashner, 6
"The Mistress," by Danielle Steel, 6
"The Nightingale," by Kristin Hannah, 6
"Truly Madly Guilty," by Liane Moriarty, 6 - "A Game of Thrones," by George R.R. Martin, 5
"Apprentice in Death," by J.D. Robb, 5
"Burn," by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, 5
"Child of Mine," by Beverly Lewis and David Lewis, 5
"Cross Kill," by James Patterson, 5
"Footprints in the Sand," by Mary Jane Clark, 5
"House of Spies," by Daniel Silva, 5
"Marriage, Monsters-in-Law, and Murder," by Sara Rosett, 5
"Married Men," by Carl Weber, 5
"Pirate," by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell, 5
"Scandalous Behavior," by Stuart Woods, 5
"The Games," by James Patterson, 5
"Tricky Twenty-Two," by Janet Evanovich, 5 - "America's Bitter Pill," by Steven Brill, 4
"Far From The Madding Crowd: The Wild and Wanton Edition," by Pan Zador and Thomas Hardy, 4
"He's Gone," by Deb Caletti, 4
"Into the Water," by Paula Hawkins, 4
"No Way Up (The Cimarron Legacy Book No. 1)," by Mary Connealy, 4
"NYPD Red 4," by James Patterson and Marshall Karp, 4
"Personal," by Lee Child, 4
"Snitch," by Dharma Kelleher, 4
"Taste of Life," by Sara Paretsky, 4
"The Divorce Diet," by Ellen Hawley, 4
"The Identicals," by Elin Hilderbrand, 4
"The Violent Land," by William W. Johnstone, 4
"Where Trust Lies (Return to the Canadian West No. 2)," by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan, 4 - "All My Puny Sorrows," by Miriam Toews, 3
TOP 50 DVDs
Top 50 DVDs borrowed from Texarkana Public Library, Dec. 1, 2016, to Nov. 30, 2017. "T" indicates a tie.
Rank, Movie Title, Checkouts
- "Frozen," 73
- "Rio," 59
- "Exposed," 56
- "Deadpool," 55
"Daddy's Home," 55 - "Ghostbusters," 51
- "The Magnificent Seven," 50
- "The Hateful Eight," 49
"Captain America: Civil War," 49 - "John Wick," 47
- "Texas Killing Fields," 46
"Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," 46
"Nerve," 46 - "Triple 9," 45
"Criminal," 45
"Central Intelligence," 45 - "Me Before You," 44
"Jurassic World," 44
"Hell or High Water," 44
"Get Hard," 44 - "The Lena Baker Story," 43
- "Hello, My Name Is Doris," 42
"Fantastic 4," 42
"Dog Eat Dog," 42
"Denzel Washington," 42
"The Boss," 42
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," 42 - "The Light Between Oceans," 41
"The Help," 41
"Ben-Hur," 41 - "The Princess and the Frog," 40
"The Peanuts Movie," 40
"Money Monster," 40
"Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," 40
"Life on the Line," 40
"Catch .44," 40
"Barbershop 3: The Next Cut," 40 - "Total Recall," 39
"Movies of Excellence," 39
"Maximum Ride," 39
"The Lion King," 39
"Greater," 39
"Gods of Egypt," 39
"Don't Breathe," 39 - "Zootopia," 38
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," 38
"Parker," 38
"Now You See Me 2," 38
"Life," 38
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," 38