As the end of the year approaches, and for a seventh time in a row, the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ) presents its now classic list of works most borrowed by its subscribers.
Among adults, local novels and comics continue to take pride of place in the rankings. When it comes to children, classic novels, especially American ones, win the most crowns.
BAnQ offers separate rankings for digital books and — for the first time this year — digital audiobooks. The organization also judges that its prize lists contain “few big surprises”: award-winning works and “sure values” make them up. One of the most awarded books of 2023, Sad tigreby French author Neige Sinno, thus rises to the top of the list of paper novels.
In total, 10 Quebec authors are in the top 20 in this category. This is particularly the case of May our joy remainthe second most borrowed of 2024. Last year, the novel which earned Kev Lambert the 2023 Medici Prize was the most borrowed novel from the Grande Bibliothèque. Jean-Philippe Pleau, Michel Jean and Mariana Mazza are among the Quebec authors on the list.
Besides paper novels?
Quebec works are also popular in comics: 11 titles from here are in the top 20. At the top of the list is Rose on the island, by Michel Rabagliati. Situated between the novel and the comic strip, the book “would also have carved out a good place for itself in the list of novels, where it would have occupied second place”, notes BAnQ.
Continuing the momentum of popularity that the series has maintained since the debut of the charts seven years ago, the six volumes of The Arab of the future by the Franco-Syrian Riad Sattouf are found in the 20 most borrowed comics, as was the case in 2023. Those responsible for the Grande Bibliothèque are even betting that the first volume of Me, Fadi, the stolen brother (the author’s new series), published last October, will carve out a place in next year’s list.
As for digital books in French, the overwhelming majority are novels and several titles, such as May our joy remainalso appear on the list of paper novels. One type of book stands out, however: among the 20 most borrowed electronically, 10 are suspense books or detective stories. To explain the popularity of this particular literary genre in this specific format, BAnQ can only theoretically say that “many people read detective novels on vacation, an occasion where digital reading is particularly practical for reasons of weight and space.”
For digital audio books in French, love stories are popular, with no less than five books by American novelist Colleen Hoover and two by her compatriot Ana Huang. Note that no Quebec book is included in this list, which is mainly composed of works translated from English and books by French authors.
To the great surprise of BAnQ, no travel guide appears in the list of the most borrowed documentaries, essays and biographies on paper. Philosophy, politics, sociology, psychology, and personal finance have been of particular interest to nonfiction readers. The labyrinth of the lost. The West and its adversariesby Franco-Lebanese Amin Maalouf, climbs to first place, followed by The Odyssey of the Sacred. The great history of beliefs and spiritualities from the origins to the present dayby the philosopher Frédéric Lenoir, two other books of which are also in the ranking this year.
Among young people
Harry Potter continues to be popular among young people: three titles in the series are among the top 10 on the list. Special mention to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire et Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonewhich are respectively first and second in the list.
The Adventures of the Young Wizard are not the only JK Rowling novels appreciated by young people: L’Ickabog is also in fifth position. The Little Prince is also still present, in third position in the ranking, and the series of Diary of a Wimpy Kid by the American Jeff Kiney continues to be as popular.
Although less popular than among adults, Quebec books like Miville Hardwareby Alexandre Côté-Fournier and Geneviève Bigué, and volumes from the series Lucie the farting skunk manage to climb the rankings.
For comics intended for children, in addition The return of Lagaffe by Quebec cartoonist Delaf (third place), the entire prize list is reserved for different Asterix adventures. “Are children really that into the world of Uderzo and Goscinny? Or can we hypothesize that certain nostalgic adults contribute to increasing the borrowing of the adventures of the Gauls? » asks the library. The last volume in the series, L’iris blancby Fabcaro and Didier Conrad, dated October 2023, manages to be first in the ranking.
Beyond the books
The BAnQ not only records the borrowing of books, but also music CDs, films, video games and board games.
In music, the Cowboys Fringants CDs have seen a lot of borrowing, which is “not new” for the group. “The death of leader Karl Tremblay has certainly given many people the desire to discover or revisit the group’s work,” indicate those responsible for the Grande Bibliothèque. Taylor Swift, the Beatles and Daniel Bélanger scored the podium in this category.
For films, three Oscar-nominated films are at the top of the ranking: Oppenheimer, de Christopher Nolan, WarehouseTodd Field, et Barbie, by Greta Gerwig. Proof that the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has been transposed to the library? No Quebec film is in the list, but, like Tarcertain arthouse films “have risen to the top of Hollywood successes,” notes BAnQ.
Dance, adventure or role-playing games: variety reigns when borrowing video games from the Grande Bibliothèque, where Just Dance 2021 et Hogwarts Legacy reign. For board games, escape and puzzle games have been particularly popular, both among young and old.
For the complete list of the most borrowed documents of 2024 from BAnQ, it’s here.
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