Top Titles at Public Libraries

Here are the top twenty titles US public library patrons looked for in March 2026.

The list features several books at different stages of the adaptation pipeline we described in last month’s deep dive, From Screen to Shelf: How Movies and TV Shows Drive Library Patron Interest.

Project Hail Mary climbed from #3 to #2, as the movie, starring Ryan Gosling, opened March 20. The movie has racked up over $400 million at the box office so far, and Andy Weir’s 2021 novel is now more popular in US public libraries than it’s ever been—Amaze! Amaze!
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt charged in at #10, ahead of Netflix’s May 8 film version starring Sally Field and Lewis Pullman.
For the third month running, Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent stayed on top. The debut novel, told entirely in letters, was the sleeper hit of 2025.
The Crossroads by C. J. Box was March’s highest debut, entering at #3. Box is a reliable library draw, and his thrillers tend to open strong and hold for a month or two.
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden slipped from #2 to #5, the familiar post-release decay pattern for McFadden’s thrillers. But The Housemaid is still on the list at #9, giving McFadden two titles on our list for a third straight month.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover entered at #11 — Hoover’s backlist continues to resurface in waves years after publication.
Kin by Tayari Jones debuted at #15, Jones’ first novel since An American Marriage.
Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale debuted at #18, a decade after its 2015 publication.
More Than Enough, a new novel from Pulitzer-winning Anna Quindlen, debuted at #20.
Finally, February’s big adaptation story—Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, which jumped into February’s list at #10—tumbled off the chart. (It landed at #53.)