Author Richard Osman dominates as top borrowed books in Staffordshire revealed

Victoria Wilson with Jamie Bilson from Staffordshire Libraries Service

Crime and thriller titles continue to be a huge hit amongst Staffordshire readers, as the county council’s libraries service reveals its most borrowed books of 2024.

Richard Osman’s gentle and humorous Thursday Murder Club series dominates the list, taking the first four places.  The stories follow four friends in a retirement village who get together to investigate and solve cold cases.  The four titles were borrowed more than 2,300 times during the year.

Best sellers Lee and Andrew Child’s Jack Reacher series also remain popular titles, taking two of the top ten places with The Secret and No Plan B.  Other established writers making up the top ten include Robert Galbraith, Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid and Harlan Coben.

In the children’s section, funny titles continued to be the most popular reads for children, with some classics also making the top ten.  Julia Donaldson’s What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside was the most borrowed children’s book, followed by The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams and Jeff Kinney’s The Last Straw.

Roald Dahl’s eternal appeal continued too with both Fantastic Mr Fox and George’s Marvellous Medicine making the top ten.  J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone also stays in the top ten, still proving popular with young readers.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council, said:

“In past years, crime and thrillers have always been popular titles with customers and looking at this year’s list, it remains the case.

Compiling our list of books is always an interesting and fun activity for staff and gives us an insight into the minds of our readers.  Libraries will usually have multiple copies of these books, so it’s a good way of getting your hands on the latest titles.

Audio versions of the most popular books are also available to download using the libraries Apps and staff and volunteers will also be happy to recommend a book.”

The top ten adult fiction borrowed books are as follows:

1. Richard Osman - The Last Devil to Die
2. Richard Osman – The Man Who Died Twice
3. Richard Osman – The Thursday Murder Club
4. Richard Osman – The Bullet That Missed
5. Lee Child – No Plan B
6. Robert Galbraith – The Running Grave
7. Lee Child – The Secret
8. Val McDermaid – Past Lying
9. Ann Cleeves – The Raging Storm
10. Harlan Coben – I Will Find You

Top ten borrowed children’s books include:

1. Julia Donaldson – What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside
2. David Walliams – The World’s Worst Children
3. Jeff Kinney – The Last Straw
4. Julia Donaldson – The Hospital Dog
5. Roald Dahl – Fantastic Mr Fox
6. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
7. Jeff Kinney – Rodrick Rules
8. Roald Dahl – George’s Marvellous Medicine
9. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal
10. Julia Donaldson – The Singing Mermaid

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