Ah, reading. Isn’t it the best? It’s an excellent way to either escape reality or delve into the darkest parts of it, depending on our mood.

The New York Public Library is one of the most-used library systems in the country, and these are the top 10 most checked out books in their history.

10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I’ve read this to my own kids what feels like 189,550 times, but it might not be quite this many.

9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

These 231,022 borrows prove that this book series is well on its way to becoming a classic in its own right.

8. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Everyone wants to self improve, right?

Well, at least 284,524 people in NYC do.

7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Like 1984, the topics just keep rearing their ugly heads.

Humans, right?

Around 316,404 of them have checked this out over the years.

6. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Because apparently we like to traumatize generations of people with dying spiders.

It’s been checked out 337,948 times.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I’d say a good chunk of these 422,912 borrows are because literally everyone has to read this in school.

4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Everyone wants to read this to their kids, to introduce them to the magic they knew as a kid – 436,016 people, to be exact.

3. 1984 by George Orwell

I sure wish this book wasn’t still relevant, but as long as it is, expect the 441,770 borrows to keep climbing.

2. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess

A classic is a classic, and even out of all the Seuss books, this one is a rock star – it’s been checked out over 469,650 times.

1. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This illustrated children’s book about a boy discovering a snowy day has been in circulation since 1962, and has been borrowed 485,583 times.

Pretty interesting, no?

I love anything books so I might be biased – what do you think?