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'Go Set A Watchman' A Hot Read In Peekskill

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- "Go Set A Watchman" is the one book on the top of every Peekskill residents summer reading list.

"Go Set A Watchman" has been very popular in Peekskill.

"Go Set A Watchman" has been very popular in Peekskill.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The book, written by Harper Lee, has set a record for most holds by public readers, according to the Westchester Library System.

On Tuesday, the county's system, which includes 38 member libraries, reported 602 holds on its 238 hardcover and paperback copies of "Watchman." 

There were 136 holds on 40 large print copies of "Go Set A Watchman."  

There were 49 holds on 27 CD versions of "Watchman," and 80 holds on 14 eAudiobook formats for MP3 players and OverDrive Listen.

"Go Set A Watchman" also had  595 holds on the eBook versions, an all-time high.

In Peekskill, Nora Mulligan, head of circulation at the Field Library, said two people placed holds for the book in March.

"We haven't been able to keep them on the shelf," Mulligan said. "We bought three copies."

Mulligan said books usually doesn't have this much publicity before they came out. Books like "The Girl On A Train" and "50 Shades Of Grey" became popular after they were released due to word of mouth. 

"We usually get one or two books per year that everyone has to read," Mulligan said. "Last year was "Gone Girl." 

Mulligan said she hasn't read the book and is going to wait until the demand dies down. 

The original draft of "Go Set A Watchman," which was recently discovered, was written in the 1950s. It follows the adult Scout, the main character in Lee’s bestselling book “To Kill A Mockingbird.” More than 1 million copies of "Watchman" were sold at bookstores in the opening week of its July 13 release.

"Watchman" has generated widespread controversy. Some wonder whether the 89-year-old Lee, who has vision and hearing problems, even wanted the lightly edited draft to be published.

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