AMERICAN novel 'The
Help' was the most borrowed book of adult fiction at
Irish libraries last year, new figures show.
Kathryn Stockett's story about African-American
maids working in white households in Mississippi
during the 1960s was the most popular choice for
grown-ups in 2012 at the country's 336 public
libraries including those in Co Donegal. John
Grisham's legal thriller 'The Litigators' was the
second most borrowed book of adult fiction.
Meanwhile, Maeve Binchy's final novel, 'Minding
Frankie', was fourth favourite among library users
last year while the late writer was also the 25th
most borrowed author overall in Ireland.
'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' by Jeff Kinney topped the
children's most borrowed list and was also the most
borrowed title overall at Irish libraries last year,
according to official figures from the Local
Government Management Agency (LGMA).
There were some 16.4 million visits to Irish
libraries last year resulting in more than 19
million loans of books and other materials.
The LGMA revealed that children's books now account
for a whopping 46 per cent of all books borrowed
from Irish libraries.
Roderick Hunt, author of over 300 titles in the
Oxford Reading Tree series, was the most popular
children’s author overall with his books loaned
155,000 times last year.
"Classic stories continue to delight today’s
children with stars such as Enid Blyton, Roger
Hargreaves and Roald Dahl in the top ten alongside
Daisy Meadows, Francesca Simon, and Jacqueline
Wilson," said the agency.
The most popular non-fiction books in 2012 were the
Guinness World Records 2011 and the Official Driver
Theory Test.
The new figures also show that a total of almost
€222,000 was paid out to 4,685 home-grown and
international authors in respect of their library
loans. Nineteen writers received the maximum €1,000
payment, the agency revealed.
Meanwhile, the LGMA said the success of the ‘Dublin:
One City, One Book’ initiative was reflected in
James Joyce's 'Dubliners' becoming the seventh most
borrowed adult fiction title last year. For the
third successive year, US crime writer James
Patterson was the most borrowed adult fiction author
overall with his books checked out almost 71,000
times.
Creator of the Jack Reacher series, Lee Child, was
the second most-borrowed adult fiction author with
almost 50,000 loans.
"The 2012 Jack Reacher film with actor Tom Cruise in
the lead role has certainly helped increase loan
figures," noted the LGMA.
It added that Irish writers and illustrators are
also attracting lots of readers, with 12 featuring
in the top 100.
Judi Curtin was the most borrowed Irish author in
2012 followed by Martin Waddell and Maeve Binchy.
Alan Early’s Viking adventure ‘Arthur Quinn and the
World Serpent’ was the most popular Irish fiction
title. The list was compiled by the libraries
development unit of the LGMA with statistics from
the Public Lending Remuneration (PLR) scheme.
Most Borrowed Adult Fiction Titles 2012
1 Kathryn Stockett: ‘The Help’
2 John Grisham: ‘The Litigators’
3 Julian Barnes: The Sense of an Ending’
4 Maeve Binchy: ‘Minding Frankie’
5 Jon McGregor: ‘Even the Dogs’
6 Stieg Larsson: ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’
7 James Joyce: ‘Dubliners’
8 Sebastian Barry: ‘On Canaan’s Side’
9 Jo Nesbo: ‘Headhunters’
10 Lee Child: ‘The Affair’
Most Borrowed Children’s Fiction Titles 2012
1 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’
2 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly
Truth’
3 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last
Straw’
4 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever’
5 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules’
6 Jeff Kinney: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days’
7 Francesca Simon: ‘Horrid Henry and the Bogey
Babysitter’
8 Alan Early: ‘Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent’
9 Suzanne Collins: ‘The Hunger Games’
10 Francesca Simon: ‘Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean
Time Machine’ |
