The 5 most popular books in Cincinnati right now, according to library check-out data

It's getting colder, Cincinnati. As the wintertime nears, there's no better time than now to find the perfect book to cozy up with on cold nights. If you're not sure what to read, don't fret. We've got you covered.

So, what are they reading? Below is a list of the top five books Cincinnati residents checked out the most in October, according to the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library system.

Top 5 books checked out the most in October in Cincinnati

'Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life' by Nicholas Kristof is among the Top 5 most-checked-out books in the Cincinnati Public Library system in October.

1. 'Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life' by Nicholas Kristof

GoodReads rating: 4.49/5 (over 1,400 ratings).

GoodReads description: "Since 1984, Nicholas Kristof has worked almost continuously for The New York Times as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and now columnist, becoming one of the foremost reporters of his generation. Here, he recounts his event-filled path from a small-town farm in Oregon to every corner of the world.

Reporting from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo, while traveling far afield to India, Africa, and Europe, Kristof witnessed and wrote about century-defining events, such as the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Yemeni civil war, the Darfur genocide in Sudan, and the wave of addiction and despair that swept through his hometown and a broad swath of working-class America. Fully aware that coverage of atrocities generates considerably fewer page views than the coverage of politics, he nevertheless continued to weaponize his pen against regimes and groups violating basic human rights, raising the cost of oppression and torture. Some of the risks he took while doing so make for hair-raising reading.

Kristof writes about some of the great members of his profession and introduces us to extraordinary people he has met, such as the dissident whom he helped escape from China and a Catholic nun who browbeat a warlord into releasing schoolgirls he had kidnapped. These are the people, the heroes, who have allowed Kristof to remain optimistic. Side by side with the worst of humanity, you always see the best.

This is a candid memoir of vulnerability and courage, humility and purpose, mistakes and learning—a singular tale of the trials, tribulations, and hope to be found in a life dedicated to the pursuit of truth."

2. 'Billion-Dollar Ransom: A Thriller' by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski

'Billion-Dollar Ransom: A Thriller' by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski is among the Top 5 most-checked-out books in the Cincinnati Public Library system in October.

GoodReads rating: 4.26/5 (over 5,000 ratings).

Five members of a billionaire’s family. In different locations. All kidnapped at the same moment. Two children taken from a private school bus. A film producer and a movie star grabbed at a hideaway resort. A beautiful wife whisked off the streets of Beverly Hills. A patriarch wants his family back. The cash, gold, jewels, and crypto are all ready. There’s only one problem: a brilliant, very stubborn FBI agent. Special Agent Nicky Gordon doesn’t want to pay the kidnappers. Not a dime."

3. 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah

GoodReads rating: 4.59/5 (over 1.4 million ratings).

GoodReads description: "Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances 'Frankie' McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

'The Women' is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, 'The Women' is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era."

4. 'Emma on Fire' by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

'Emma on Fire' by James Patterson and Emily Raymond is among the Top 5 most-checked-out books in the Cincinnati Public Library system in October.

GoodReads rating: 3.72/5 (over 2,600 ratings).

What Emma Caroline Blake has planned at New Hampshire’s Ridgemont Academy is shocking. Her school blames a heartbreaking tragedy in her family. Her best friends point to her most recent social media. Her teachers, even her father, say it’s a drastic cry for help.

But Emma doesn’t want help. She wants to make a difference. Now. Today. Not tomorrow. She’s going to walk through fire to change the world."

5. 'Strangers in Time' by David Baldacci

'Strangers in Time' by David Baldacci is among the Top 5 most-checked-out books in the Cincinnati Public Library System in October.

GoodReads rating: 4.18/5 (over 2,700 ratings).

GoodReads description: "Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, ducking school but barred from actual work, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of people to have been evacuated to the countryside via 'Operation Pied Piper,' Molly has been away from her parents—from her home—for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: both her parents are gone.

Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his book shop, The Book Keep, where a book a day keeps the bombs away. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other—over the course of the greatest armed conflict the world had ever seen—they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.

But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is still reeling from a secret Imogen long kept from him while she was alive—something so shocking it resulted in her death, and his life being turned upside down.

As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive."

Top 5 most checked-out books in 2025 so far

Here's a list of the most checked-out books in the public library system this year.

• "The Women" by Kristin Hannah.
• "Strangers in Time" by David Baldacci.
• "To Die For" by David Baldacci.
• "Paranoia" by James Patterson.
• "The Writer" by James Patterson.

Most popular e-books on Libby

The library's data analysts provided The Enquirer with a list of the most popular e-books among Cincinnati residents on Libby, a free app that gives library cardholders access to e-books, audiobooks, magazines and more.

• "The Housemaid" by Freida McFadden.
• "The Intruder" by Freida McFadden.
• "Great Big Beautiful Life" by Emily Henry.
• "The Housemaid's Secret" by Freida McFadden.
• "The Tenant" by Freida McFadden.