Information Bulletin

16 January 2006

Shetland Library's top reads of 2005

The most-borrowed books last year at Shetland Library last year followed national bestseller trends, but local authors also featured strongly.

The top adult fiction book was Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, closely followed by another Dan Brown novel, Angels and Demons. John Grisham’s new thriller, The Broker, came in at number three, then two more Dan Brown books, Deception Point and Digital Fortress.  However, the tenth and eleventh most-borrowed adult books are local: Willie’s War and Other Stories by Willie Smith, and Mackerel at Midnight by Ethel Hofman, which were both borrowed more often than the latest offerings from Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith, James Patterson, and Danielle Steel.  Altogether, eight Shetland books made the adult lending Top 30, including Black Gold Tide by Tom Kidd and Tom Morton, The Impossible Garden by Rosa Steppanova, Final Curtain by J. W. Irvine and John Graham’s Shetland Dictionary.

The most borrowed author of all, however, strongly reflecting Shetland Library’s integrated schools library service, was children’s author Jacqueline Wilson.  The top book was The Diamond Girls, and nine Jacqueline Wilson books made the junior top 20.  Other popular junior reads were Garfield, Finger Phonics, Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events books.  The most-borrowed non-fiction book overall is Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called It, which, although an adult book, is mostly borrowed in school libraries.


Shetland Library

Most borrowed books of 2005

Junior books

Title

Author

Total

Issues

1

The Diamond girls / Illustrated by Nick Sharratt

Wilson, Jacqueline

110

2

Best friends / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick

Wilson, Jacqueline

108

3

Garfield classics

Davis, Jim, 1945 July 28-

105

4

Midnight / by Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick S

Wilson, Jacqueline

93

5

Finger phonics / Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham / illustrat

Lloyd, Susan M.

92

6

Harry Potter and the half-blood prince / J.K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K.

86

7

The austere academy, 5 / by Lemony Snicket ; illustrate

Snicket, Lemony

81

8

A child called 'It' / Dave Pelzer

Pelzer, David J.

80

9

Clean break / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick S

Wilson, Jacqueline

75

10

Harry Potter and the goblet of fire / J.K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K.

73

11

Sleepovers / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick Sh

Wilson, Jacqueline

71

12

The slippery slope, 10 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

71

13

Girls out late / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nic

Wilson, Jacqueline

67

14

Secrets / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick Sharr

Wilson, Jacqueline

63

15

Vicky Angel / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick S

Wilson, Jacqueline

63

16

The hostile hospital, 8 / by Lemony Snicket / illustrat

Snicket, Lemony

61

17

Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix; J.K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K.

60

18

The Da Vinci code : a novel / Dan Brown

Brown, Dan, 1964-

59

19

Angels and demons / Dan Brown

Brown, Dan, 1964-

58

20

The reptile room, 2 / by Lemony Snicket / illustrated b

Snicket, Lemony

56

21

Bad beginning, 1 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

55

22

Girls under pressure / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated

Wilson, Jacqueline

55

23

Guinness world records

 

55

24

The carnivorous carnival, 9 / by Lemony Snicket / illus

Snicket, Lemony

55

25

Artemis Fowl / Eoin Colfer

Colfer, Eoin

54

26

Lola Rose / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick Sha

Wilson, Jacqueline

54

27

The broker / John Grisham

Grisham, John

53

28

The grim grotto, 11 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

53

29

The story of Tracy Beaker / by Jacqueline Wilson / illu

Wilson, Jacqueline

53

30

The wide window, 3 / by Lemony Snicket / illustrated by

Snicket, Lemony

53

31

Dustbin baby / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick

Wilson, Jacqueline

52

32

Deception point / Dan Brown

Brown, Dan

50

33

Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets / J. K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K.

49

34

Digital fortress / Dan Brown

Brown, Dan

48

35

Harry Potter and the goblet of fire [sound recording]

Rowling, J. K.

48

36

Northern lights / Philip Pullman

Pullman, Philip

48

37

Simpsons comic madness / Matt Groening

 

48

38

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time / Mar

Haddon, Mark

48

39

The Lottie project / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by

Wilson, Jacqueline

47

40

The twits / Roald Dahl / illustrated by Quentin Blake

Dahl, Roald, 1916-

47

41

Girls in love / Jacqueline Wilson

Wilson, Jacqueline

46

42

Girls in tears / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nic

Wilson, Jacqueline

46

43

Nights of rain and stars / Maeve Binchy

Binchy, Maeve

46

44

The graft / Martina Cole

Cole, Martina

46

45

Willie's war and other stories

Smith, Willie

46

46

The bad beginning, 1 / Lemony Snicket / illustrated by

Snicket, Lemony

45

47

The two of us : my life with John Thaw / Sheila Hancock

Hancock, Sheila, 1933-

45

48

Mackerel at midnight : growing up Jewish on a remote Sc

Hofman, Ethel G., 1939-

43

49

The miserable mill, 4 / Lemony Snicket / ilustrated by

Snicket, Lemony

43

50

The vicious Vikings / Terry Deary

Deary, Terry

43

51

The vile village, 7 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

43

52

Double act / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick Sh

Wilson, Jacqueline

42

53

Fleshmarket Close / Ian Rankin

Rankin, Ian

42

54

Simpsons comics wingding / [created by Matt Groening]

 

42

55

The Ersatz elevator, 6 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

42

56

Bad girls / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick Sha

Wilson, Jacqueline

41

57

Black Gold Tide

Kidd, Tom

41

58

Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone / J. K. Rowlin

Rowling, J. K.

41

59

Impossible Garden

Steppanova, Rosa

41

60

In the company of cheerful ladies / Alexander McCall Sm

McCall Smith, Alexander

41

61

Mates, dates and inflatable bras / Cathy Hopkins

Hopkins, Cathy, 1953-

41

62

Noughts and crosses / Malorie Blackman

Blackman, Malorie

41

63

The suitcase kid / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by N

Wilson, Jacqueline

41

64

Where's Spot? / Eric Hill

Hill, Eric

41

65

You are what you eat : the plan that will change your l

McKeith, Gillian

41

66

Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix [sound record

Rowling, J. K.

40

67

Holes / Louis Sachar

Sachar, Louis, 1954-

40

68

The American boy; Andrew Taylor

Taylor, Andrew

40

69

The cat mummy / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick

Wilson, Jacqueline

40

70

The field guide, vol 1 / Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Blac

DiTerlizzi, Tony

40

71

Trace / Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Cornwell, Patricia Daniels

40

72

Echoes / Danielle Steel

Steel, Danielle

39

73

Light on snow / Anita Shreve

Shreve, Anita

39

74

Shetland / Jill Slee Blackadder

Blackadder, Jill Slee

39

75

The ersatz elevator, 6 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

39

76

The illustrated mum / Jacqueline Wilson

Wilson, Jacqueline

39

77

The subtle knife / Philip Pullman

Pullman, Philip

39

78

Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging : confessions o

Rennison, Louise

38

79

Final curtain

Irvine, J. W

38

80

Honeymoon / James Patterson and Howard Roughan

Patterson, James

38

81

The lost boy : a foster child's search for the love of

Pelzer, David J.

38

82

What colour is love? / by Linda Strachan / illustrated

Strachan, Linda

38

83

Dark justice / Jack Higgins

Higgins, Jack

37

84

Miserable Mill, 4 / Lemony Snicket

Snicket, Lemony

37

85

Simpsons comics belly buster / [contributing writers, N

 

37

86

Stormbreaker

Horowitz, Anthony

37

87

The woeful Second World War / Terry Deary

Deary, Terry

37

88

Wide Window, 3

Snicket, Lemony

37

89

A man named Dave / Dave Pelzer

Pelzer, David J.

36

90

A mother's love / Lyn Andrews

Andrews, Lyn

36

91

Ark angel / Anthony Horowitz

Horowitz, Anthony, 1955-

36

92

Friends, freak-outs and very secret secrets / Karen McC

McCombie, Karen

36

93

Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban / J.K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K.

36

94

Kippers for breakfast [[Shetland Collection]]

Millie Vigor

36

95

The Shetland dictionary / John J. Graham

Graham, John J., 1921-

36

96

The dare game / Jacqueline Wilson / illustrated by Nick

Wilson, Jacqueline

36

97

The hobbit, or, There and back again / by J.R.R. Tolkie

Tolkien, J. R. R.

(John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1

36

98

The time traveler's wife / Audrey Niffenegger

Niffenegger, Audrey

36

99

Girls in love / Jacqueline Wilson / [illustrated by Nic

Wilson, Jacqueline

35

100

Guinness world records 2004

 

35

Ends

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