Libraries  |  23 Dec 2022

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While historical author Lucinda Riley and comedian Richard Osman are rising in the ranks of popular adult fiction, no one can bump Lee Child off the top spot.

For the fifth year in a row, the British thriller writer (who is now co-writing with his brother) has taken out Christchurch City Libraries’ most popular adult fiction book of 2022 with his Jack Reacher novel Better Off Dead.

“You’ve got to take your hat off to Lee and Andrew Child. There’s something about his story telling that grips people and gets them coming back year after year,” Christchurch City Council Head of Libraries Carolyn Robertson says.

“Closer to home, we’re also celebrating local authors so it’s really great to see New Zealand fiction writer Jacqueline Bublitz in the top five with her novel Before You Knew My Name. This book won the Best Crime Novel category at the Ngaio Marsh Awards held recently at our very own Tūranga.”

In adult non-fiction, Michelle Obama’s Becoming retained the most popular spot, and Julia J. Rucklidge and Bonnie J. Kaplan came second with The Better Brain: How Nutrition Will Help You Overcome Anxiety, Depression, ADHD and Stress.

“Julia is also a Christchurch author and we were lucky enough to have her at the WORD Christchurch Festival in September,” Ms Robertson says.  

In the rangatahi young adult list, manga and comics overwhelmed the most popular of the year and Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire was the most popular book in the children’s section.

“We really hope these lists inspire people to go to their local library over summer and pick up something they can get lost in over the summer holiday,” Ms Robertson says.

This year’s most popular has not only been limited to books.

“We’ve also added a list of the top images from Canterbury Stories from 2022. It must have been a year of nostalgia for pre-quake hospitality with an image of bars and restaurants from The Strip in 2000 being the most popular,” Ms Robertson says.

You can see the full collection of most popular books, e-books, magazines and images on the Christchurch City Libraries website here.

And check out some of the recommendations from librarians that might inspire your summer reading here.