The Toronto Public Library says women were among the most popular from the library this year. Of the 10 most borrowed books in 2019, announced Monday, eight were written by women, with the top two written by Black women.

Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” came in first place at 5,860 borrows and holds combined, followed by Esi Edugyan’s “Washington Black” with 4,997 borrows and holds.

While thrillers, mysteries and books about politics topped last year’s list, books on this year’s list included more fiction as well as two memoirs. The stories were more intimate and marked by the unique voice of their characters or authors.

Despite U.S. politics capturing the attention of so many, it was a strong year for Canadian literature. Canadian authors on the list included Edugyan, Margaret Atwood, Louise Penny and Miriam Toews.

The library’s top reads as of Nov. 28 include:

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama — 5,860

“Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan — 4,997

“Educated” by Tara Westover — 4,043

“Kingdom of the Blind” by Louise Penny — 3,732

“The Reckoning” by John Grisham — 3,418

“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood — 3,292

“Women Talking” by Miriam Toews — 3,204

“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens — 3,172

“Dark Sacred Night” by Michael Connelly — 3,116

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney — 3,076

Edugyan’s novel “Washington Black,” chronicling the life and escape of slave George Washington (Wash) Black, won the 2018 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and Booker Prize.

“The Testaments,” Atwood’s sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” won the Book Prize in a joint prize alongside Bernardine Evaristo for her novel “Girl, Woman, Other.”

Some staff said they were surprised to see an experimental novel such as “Women Talking” make the list.

“It’s supposed to be a transcript of a conversation between women, so it literally is just the women’s’ voices, with a little bit of narrative in between,” said Wendy Banks, a digital content lead with the library.

“It’s kind of a difficult subject matter and it’s about a rash of sexual assaults that take place in a small Mennonite community. It’s not a feel-good blockbuster kind of story. So I was surprised, and really pleased to see it make the list.”

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Toews’ latest novel was shortlisted for the 2018 Governor General’s Award for English-language fiction.

Library staff released a list of their own top picks this year, Some of the top staff picks this year included “Good Talk”by Mira Jacob, “Frying Plantain”by Zalika Reid-Benta, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”by Otessa Moshfegh, and “Fleishman is in Trouble”by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

“Sometimes people’s use of language is so thrilling to read and that’s how I feel about Taffy Brodesser-Akner,” Banks told the Star. “She’s a fantastic writer.”

Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine