The Kitsap Regional Library released its “Wrapped” list for 2024, a compilation of books that most captivated county readers of all ages last year.

“We crunched the numbers to discover the most popular titles across genres, formats and audiences, but we anticipated you might already be aware of these,” library officials wrote in an announcement. “Because you put them on hold eons ago.”

Those who use Spotify as their preferred music-streaming platform will recognize the year-end “wrapped” concept, but for those who don’t, here’s how it works: libraries keep track of how many times a title is checked out or put on hold as part of their annual review. The data is used to inform the library’s purchasing decisions and manage the collection’s size, which helps bring fresh material to the shelves and caters to public demand.

The yearly report is a hyper-local look at what stories Kitsap readers are interested in, what they’re learning about, and what book they might like to pick up next. Many of the most in-demand books had a local angle: a military connection, a Washington-based author, an indigenous voice, etc.

Here’s some of the top reads:

FICTION

1. “The Women” by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)

In 1965, a young nursing student raised on Coronado Island near San Diego ships out to Vietnam with the Army Nurse Corps. She is rocked to her core by the war, returning home to a divided world she barely recognizes but must still find her place within. If you liked the book, KRL librarians recommend these other titles: “Absolution” by Alice McDermott; “Flying Angels” by Danielle Steel; “Band of Sisters” by Lauren Willig; “Sisters Under the Rising Sun” by Heather Morris; and “Today We Go Home” by Kelli Estes.

2. “First Lie Wins” by Ashley Elston (Thriller)

A woman named Evie Porter — or so she says — is on an undercover mission in a small Southern town to rob her mark blind. The pressure is on from her mysterious boss, after the disastrous outcome of her last job — but even though she’s determined to pull the con off, things start to go awry when a stranger bearing her true identity comes to town.

3. “Funny Story” by Emily Henry (Romance)

Two broken hearts have to re-discover what they want out of love after their lives are turned upside-down by a sudden engagement. It’s a little awkward to find yourself living with your ex’s new fianceé’s ex-boyfriend in a tiny little town, but at least you’re in the same boat, right?

4. “The Silence at Mystery Bay” by D.D. Black (Murder Mystery)

Black is a master of Pacific Northwest crime fiction, and his most recent work is a hit close to home. Sleepy Port Townsend seemed like the perfect place for private investigator Thomas Austin to relax on vacation, but a sudden death in front of thousands of witnesses at a music festival, all of whom are sworn to secrecy, calls for his expertise.

5. “Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange (Historical Fiction)

Indigenous writer Orange, author of bestseller “There, There,” writes about Jude Star, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, who is imprisoned at Fort Marion in 1864 and forced to learn English and convert to Christianity by an evangelical prison guard. The guard goes on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, dedicated to eradicating indigenous culture and practices. Star’s descendants suffer by his hand, but dream of a future away from the institution.

NONFICTION

1. “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt (Psychology)

Haidt explains the multitudinous reasons children’s mental health plunged in the early 2010s — it’s no coincidence that smartphones were ubiquitous by then — and calls for sweeping reforms to restore a healthy upbringing to children.

If you liked this book, KRL librarians recommend these other titles: “Who’s Raising the Kids?” by Susan Linn; “Growing Up Human” by Brenna Hassett; “Growing Up Public” by Devorah Heitner; “The Orphans of Davenport” by Marilyn Brookwood; and “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari.

2. “The Amish Wife” by Gregg Olsen (True Crime)

Amish woman Ida Stutzman, pregnant wife and mother, died in a barn fire in 1977. The coroner ruled it “natural,” but after Stutzman’s husband Eli and their son Danny took off across the country, leaving multiple murders in their wake, author Olsen and Stutzman’s brother sought answers.

3. “The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster” by John O’Connor (Information, Cryptozoology)

Journalist O’Connor seeks to discover exactly what captivates the imagination about the myth of Bigfoot through a series of interviews with cryptozoologists, treks through the Pacific Northwest and meticulous research.

4. “Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Language of Connection” by Charles Duhigg (Psychology, Self-Help)

Excellent listeners have a knack for understanding human connection, Duhigg argues, but it’s not a fixed trait; we can all learn to open our ears.

5. “Thunder Song” by Sasha taqwseblu LaPointe (Essays)

Nooksack and Upper Skagit author LaPointe explores themes ranging from indigenous identity and stereotypes to cultural displacement and environmental degradation to understand what our experiences teach us about the power of community, commitment and conscientious honesty.

FOR YOUTH

“A Tempest of Tea” by Hafsah Faizal (YA Thriller, Romance)

Criminal mastermind and tearoom manager Arthie Casimir caters to unsuspecting humans by day and the secret vampire society lurking just beyond the surface of the city of White Roaring by night. When her cafe is threatened by the city’s tyrannical ruler, she must flex her connections in that dark world, at her own risk.

“The Princess and the Greedy Pea” by Leigh Hodgkinson (Children’s Fiction)

The pea is very hungry — so hungry it’s eating nearly everything in sight. A big meal calls for a big nap, but wait a minute, whose dinner did it eat? And whose bed is it sleeping in?

File photo Kitsap Regional Library in downtown Bremerton.