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What made this year’s list of top 10 titles to read, watch and listen?  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Nanaimo, BC (December 24, 2024) – The results are in! We’ve tallied up the titles you, our library users, borrowed the most in 2024. We have the top 10 most popular titles taken out across our 39 branch libraries from Sooke to Sandspit (and everywhere in between). The titles range between formats, from books to eBooks and audiobooks, as well as genres, so dig into what was most popular in the lists and links below.  

See what book lovers across our Vancouver Island Regional Library system borrowed this past year and find inspiration for your next read. 

Top 10 Most Popular Adult Print Fiction 

1. The Women by Kristin Hannah 
2. Demon Copperhead: a Novel by Barbara Kingsolver 
3. The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham 
4. Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly 
5. The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves 
6. Tom Lake: a Novel by Ann Patchett 
7. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 
8. The Secret by Lee Child 
9. The Covenant of Water: a Novel by Abraham Verghese 
10. The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt 

Top 10 Most Popular Adult Print Non-Fiction

1. The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté 
2. Fire Weather: the Making of a Beast by John Vaillant 
3. Doppelganger: a Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein 
4. Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor 
5. Outlive: the Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia 
6. Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: an Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear 
7. Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex 
8. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears 
9. The Wager: a Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann 
10. Killers of the Flower Moon the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Top 10 Most Popular eBooks

1. Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea 
2. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese 
3. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor 
4. The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah 
5. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 
6. Random in Death by J.D. Robb 
7. Payback in Death by J.D. Robb 
8. A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny 
9. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell 
10. Tom Lake: a Novel by Ann Patchett 

Top 10 Most Popular Digital Audiobooks

1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 
2. 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest 
3. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese 
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
5. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 
6. The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros 
7. The Locked Door by Freida McFadden 
8. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer 
9. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 
10. Twisted Love by Ana Huang 

Find something new, free, with your library card at virl.bc.ca!

For the full list, including links to items in our catalogue in both books, audiobooks, eBooks and more, see our top 10 at https://virl.bc.ca/most-popular-titles-of-2024-released/

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About VIRL

As a regional system, Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) covers a vast geographic area, from Sooke and Sidney in the south to Port Hardy, Haida Gwaii and the Central Coast. Our libraries service a mix of urban, rural, and remote communities across more than 42,000 square kilometres – working together to deliver exemplary services. These services include free access to dynamic programming and events, bookable meeting rooms, and 39 branches that are essential spaces in communities large and small. VIRL has the third-largest public library collection in BC, featuring downloadable e-books, audiobooks, digital news, streaming services, children’s materials, and much more. 

For more information, interviews, or media inquiries, please contact:

VIRL Media Contact
Natasha Bartlett, Divisional Manager, Communications
250.327.3114
nbartlett@virl.bc.ca