Canberrans were looking for a little self-help throughout 2018, if the capital's most borrowed books are anything to go by.
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The most borrowed book of the year across Libraries ACT was The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F---: A counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson.
It jumped two places from 2017 to top the list, edging out last year's top spot winner, personal finance guide The Barefoot Investor.
All of the top five borrowed books for the year were non-fiction, with three of them self-help books.
About 2.6 million items are borrowed from ACT public libraries every year.
The most requested books (fiction and non-fiction) in 2018 were:
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F---: A counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson
- The Barefoot Investor: The only money guide you'll ever need by Scott Pape
- 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote For Chaos by Jordan Peterson
- The Trauma Cleaner: One woman’s extraordinary life in death, decay and disaster by Sarah Krasnostein
- Saga Land by Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason
In the category of Most Borrowed DVDs, Canberrans favoured fiction over non-fiction with a particular interest in movies based on books or comics, with four of the top five being adaptations.
The most requested DVDs in 2018 were:
- Big Little Lies
- The Crown: The Complete First Season
- Paddington 2
- Thor Ragnarok
- Blade Runner 2049
Director of Libraries ACT Vanessa Little said the volume of books borrowed showed the continued relevance of local libraries to the community.
“Library members have demonstrated a continuing interest in non-fiction titles for a third year running, with self-help books, memoirs and travel books comprising all five of the top five requested books," she said.
“Reading is the perfect leisure activity to turn to all throughout the year, including during the holidays. I encourage all Canberrans to visit their local library and discover the many resources on offer.
“Members can access music downloads, eBooks, digital magazines and newspapers, eAudio books and much more.”
