The Regina Public Library (RPL) has shared its most popular books just in time for the new year.
According to RPL, the most borrowed fiction book was The Woman by Kristen Hannah and Britney Spears’ The Woman in Me took the top spot for non-fiction.
RPL staff explained that 2024 saw many young people looking to get into reading more.
“People are seeing things online and learning more about what kinds of things are popular and so they’re talking to their friends about it and they’re coming to the library,” explained Kimberly Hintz, Executive Director for Branch Libraries.
“They’re asking for recommendations and they’re seeing things. So, there’s a lot of news and publishing around. They’re posting things on Instagram and they’re really capturing a new audience.”
As the new year approaches, RPL staff share that reading more is a new year’s resolution with many benefits.
“You can feel what people are going through, even vicariously, it broadens one’s horizons,” said Ferdinand Go, an RPL customer service associate.
Go’s favourite book of the year was Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. This particular book is in the form of a graphic novel, and peaked Go’s interest after the book was listed on the 2023 Canada Reads winners.
“I could empathize with the author because the author came from the East Coast to the oil sands for employment so I said ‘Whoa, similar to my life’ I’m from the Philippines coming here for greener pasture[s],” he explained.
Some of the RPL staff shared their favourite reads of the year as well, which include:
- We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
- 20.12m: A Short Story Collection of a Life Lived As a Road Allowance Metis by Arnolda Dufour Boews
- A Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J Maas
For those looking to read more books in 2025, the RPL website has reading lists for a variety of tastes.
The library also has books in other formats as the typical ink and paper isn’t for everyone.
“Reading is reading … So lots of people have moved to audiobooks or reading ebooks online, and many people are still looking to read in print,” Hintz said.
“We’re making things available in lots of different formats … We have lots of books available in print, but we also have online books. You can read an e-book on your e-reader or your iPad, and you can also read or read through audiobooks are very popular.”
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