The Vancouver Island Regional Library has released its list of the most popular books in its collection over the past year.
“In another year under the shadow of the pandemic, the top books included titles by Indigenous authors, murder mysteries by world-famous authors, series that have found their way to television and much more,” the VIRL said in a statement.
Crime and legal thrillers dominated the adult print top 10 list, but the most popular of them all in 2021 was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, a novel set during the Great Depression about farmers struggling to preserve their land amid challenging conditions.
Oscar viewers will recognize the name of the most popular e-book last year, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. The Jessica Bruder work was adapted into a film that won best picture, best director and best actress.
Nomadland was also No. 10 on the most popular e-audio books list. No. 1 was Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachers of Plants, by Robin Hall Kimmerer. The title recently reached No. 14 on the New York Times bestseller list, despite being published more than six years ago.
Julia Donaldson dominated the print picture book section, with her titles The Gruffalo’s Child and The Hospital Dog coming in at one and two, respectively, with another Donaldson book, Room on the Broom, coming in at No. 8.
The Vancouver Island Regional Library services areas of the Capital Regional District and elsewhere not covered by the Greater Victoria Public Library, including Sidney/North Saanich, Sooke and the Gulf Islands, as well as communities from Mill Bay north and west. Find the full lists at https://virl.bc.ca/the-most-checked-out-titles-of-2021-at-virl/
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bailey.moreton@goldstreamgazette.com
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