Hot Library Reading

Check out the popular book that Dallas readers can't put down

What have you been reading, Dallas?

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Are you on-trend with your reading material? Fifteen cities across the U.S. reported their library records to Quartz, which then narrowed down the top two adult novels in circulation. Some of the results are predictable, but others are a bit surprising.

In Dallas, the most checked-out book is Paula Hawkins' mystery thriller The Girl on the Train. The book is the most popular in the country, the top pick in five other cities including New York and San Diego, and it was checked out enough to make 11 top 10 lists.

Coming in second is Harper Lee's controversially published Go Set a Watchman, the top read in Seattle, Phoenix, and Baltimore. Watchman was popular enough to be a top 10 most popular book at nine of the libraries.

Houston is devouring James Patterson's latest bestseller, Truth or Die. Some public libraries of well-known bookish cities, including Austin, Boston, Charlotte, and San Antonio, did not provide Quartz with rankings prior to publication.

Quartz notes that the time period for the checkout lists varied by library, but all were each library's most recent figures. Because Go Set a Watchman was released on July 15, its popularity could be underrepresented by some libraries' lists.

If we exclude Hawkins and Lee's books, then Dallasites can't get enough of Gray Mountain by John Grisham. Hollywood-inspired titles such as Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and John Green's The Fault In Our Stars are also popular around the country, along with Janet Evanovich's Wicked Charms and All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

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This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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