(This story has been updated to reflect author Thomas Armstrong's book The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired as one of the popular books available at the library.)

A good read to help you improve or maintain your good health is only as far away as your local library.

The Cyrenius H. Booth Library's Reference Department has a range of books on health topics available for local residents to check out, and some of the most popular topics are mainstays.

Library Reference Department Head Andy Forsyth checked the highest circulation numbers recently to find the most popular topics and books. Diet and exercise, she said, is a "tried and true" favorite topic for the library's patrons.

There are always trends that can be noted in the frequency of the books being taken out or the types of books being check out.

"People are hearing and seeing these health authors, and they will come in and request those specifically," said Ms Forsyth, adding that there are some authors that are notably searched for frequently by patrons.

Books that have been popular at the library include

The Emperor of All Maladies: a Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Ms Forsyth said the book has been popular since it was a "Best Books of 2010" choice by The New York Times, and Ms Forsyth said it is still popular. The book also won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. Siddhartha Mukherjee's 2016 novel The Gene: An Intimate History has also been popular among library patrons looking for his work.

Mary Roach is another popular author. A number of her books - like

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal - were among the most frequently checked out, according to Ms Forsyth.

Ian Smith, who Ms Forsyth said grew up in the Bethel/Danbury area, is another popular author. His book

Shred: Revolutionary Diet has frequently been taken out at the library. Another popular diet and exercise book at the library is The Hungry Girl Diet: Big Portions, Big Results, Drop 10 Pounds in 4 Weeks, by Lisa Lillien.

Ms Forsyth said the library staff try to provide a broad range of options for readers.

Yoga is also a popular book topic, according to Ms Forsyth.

Yoga for Warriors: Basic Training in Strength, Resilience & Peace of Mind by Beryl Bender Birch addresses PTSD and Ms Forsyth said it is a favored book at the library.

Books about maintaining youth and beauty are also always in demand, according to Ms Forsyth.

Books about the brain have been popular in recent years.

2 Weeks to a Young Brain by Gary Small and Gigi Vogran and The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku are both well choices at the library. The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain by Thomas Armstrong "has been a popular book," Ms Forsyth said.

"There is a lot being published about the brain and brain health," said Ms Forsyth, adding that the popularity of the topic has been growing.

Another topic being sought out more frequently has been related to family gene research.

"I think people are really looking deeper," said Ms Forsyth.

The Family Gene: A Mission to Turn My Deadly Inheritance into a Hopeful Future by Joselin Linder has been a popular book for the topic.

Overall, Ms Forsyth said popular health books at the library have constantly reflected a focus on diet, exercise, and a deeper look at being human.