91Ô­´´

Word of mouth and social media may be responsible for keeping some books on the Greater Victoria Public Library’s top 10 most-borrowed lists for multiple years running.

It’s becoming more common for books to make the list year after year, said Rachel Rogers, coordinator of collections and technical services at GVPL, which has 12 branches in the capital region.

“Books seem to have a little bit more of a tail on them,” she said, attributing the shift to social media and a “revived interest in reading” over the past few years.

Two of the most borrowed adult fiction books last year, The Covenant of Water, a story about three generations of an Indian family affected by suspicious drownings, by Abraham Verghese, and Fourth Wing, a romance fantasy novel about dragon riders, by Rebecca Yaros, appeared again this year on the , which was released Monday after the ­ last week.

Three titles appear on both libraries’ most borrowed adult fiction: The Women, a historical fiction novel about a young army nurse during the Vietnam War, by Kristin Hannah; Tom Lake, a novel that follows three daughters learning their mother’s story of an early romance with a famous actor, by Ann Patchett; and The Covenant of Water.

Fourth Wing’s sequel, Iron Flame, also appeared on the GVPL’s most borrowed adult fiction, and Rogers is anticipating a third in the series expected out in January will make it on the 2025 list.

The libraries’ non-fiction lists feature six overlapping titles, including The Myth of Normal by 91Ô­´´ physician and writer Gabor Maté and John Vaillant’s Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, which explores the events and aftermath of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.

A surprise and newcomer to GVPL’s list, Rogers said, was Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, a novel about a night cleaner in an aquarium who befriends an octopus. The book was released in 2022. “It’s not unique to us, as far as I can tell,” Rogers said, ­adding the book has been ­growing in popularity since it was published.

Traditionally popular thrillers and mysteries didn’t rank as highly this year, replaced by historical fiction and romance, Rogers said.

91Ô­´´ Island Regional Library’s lists showed a strong interest in “compelling stories” and well-loved series, said Vicki Dolling, library manager for the Sooke and Port Renfrew branches.

Mystery, fantasy and books on wellness were all popular, reflecting the broad interests of the people accessing the library system’s 39 branches, which span Sooke to Sandspit on Haida Gwaii, Dolling said.

While romance fantasy novels aren’t new, the coining of the “romantasy” genre reflects the increasing popularity of titles such as A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, which showed up on VIRL’s top 10 most popular audiobooks.

“This space is really drawing in people that are attracted to authors who can really build a world and put you at the ­centre of that world while you’re ­reading about it, and we’re ­looking for things that resonate with us emotionally,” Dolling said.

THE GVPL LISTS

Adult fiction

1. The Women by Kristin Hannah
2. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
5. Funny Story by Emily Henry
6. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
7. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
8. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
9. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
10. The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Adult non-fiction

1. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
3. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
4. Outlive by Peter Attia
5. Fire Weather by John Vaillant
6. The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
7. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
8. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
9. Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
10. How to Know a Person by David Brooks

Teens

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
3. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
4. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
5. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
6. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
7. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
9. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
10. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Kids

1. No Brainer by Jeff Kinney
2. Diper Överlöde by Jeff Kinney
3. Stacey’s Mistake by Ellen T. Crenshaw and Ann M. Martin
4. Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey
5. Claudia and the Bad Joke by Arley Nopra and Ann M. Martin
6. Influencers by Dav Pilkey
7. Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
8. Move It or Lose It! by Lincoln Peirce
9. Karen’s Haircut by Katy Farina
10. Winter Turning by Tui Sutherland

THE VIRL LISTS

Adult fiction

The Women by Kristin Hannah
Demon Copperhead: a Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham
Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
Tom Lake: a Novel by Ann Patchett
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Secret by Lee Child
The Covenant of Water: a Novel by Abraham Verghese
The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt
 

Adult non-fiction

1. The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté
2. Fire Weather: the Making of a Beast by John Vaillant
3. Doppelganger: a Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
4. Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
5. Outlive: the Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
6. Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: an Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
7. Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
8. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
9. The Wager: a Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

YA (young adult)

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
2. Heartstopper, Volume 4 by Alice Oseman
3. Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer
4. Heartstopper, Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
5. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
6. Heartstopper, Volume 3 by Alice Oseman
7. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
8. The Brother’s Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
9. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
10. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Kids

1. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot by Dav Pilkey
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
3. Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey
4. Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey
5. Class Trip by Robert Munsch
6. Pete the Cat Plays Hide-and-Seek by Kim Dean
7. Leaves! By Robert Munsch
8. Peppa Pig and the Day at the Farm
9. The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! By Mo Willems
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer by Jeff Kinney

eBooks

1. Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea
2. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
3. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
4. The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
5. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
6. Random in Death by J.D. Robb
7. Payback in Death by J.D. Robb
8. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
9. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
10. Tom Lake: a Novel by Ann Patchett

Audiobooks

1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
2. 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
3. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
5. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
6. The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
7. The Locked Door by Freida McFadden
8. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
9. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
10. Twisted Love by Ana Huang

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