Top Titles of 2025
December 22, 2025
The Results are in! Top 10 Most Borrowed Titles of 2025 at Vancouver Island Regional Library Released
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nanaimo BC – The results are in! Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) is thrilled to announce the most popular titles borrowed by library users in 2025. From captivating adult fiction to thrilling young adult novels, and beloved children’s books, these top 10 lists showcase the diverse reading interests of our vibrant library community. Whether you’re looking for your next page-turner or exploring new digital content, there’s something for everyone.
Speaking to what sparked the top 10 adult fiction list, “As 2025 marked the end of the Vietnam War half a century ago, readers explored untold stories, including those of the women who served. Kristin Hannah’s The Women topped our fiction list, with its powerful narrative and well-researched historical insights,” says Arija Fisher, Library Manager of the Campbell River branch.
Meredith Temple, Customer Services Librarian at the Nanaimo Harbourfront branch, highlights the popularity of children’s books: “Kids love books that are fast-paced, action-packed, and brimming with humour. Series such as Dog Man and Captain Underpants perfectly capture their sense of fun and adventure.”
Ranked as the most popular of our print, ebook, and digital audiobook collection, these lists of the top 10 borrowed titles reflect the unique reading preferences of our library community:
Top 10 Most Popular Adult Print Fiction
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
- The Waiting by Michael Connelly
- The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves
- Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin
- In Too Deep by Lee Child
- The Briar Club: a novel by Kate Quinn
- Here one moment: a novel by Liane Moriarty
- Tell me everything: a novel by Elizabeth Strout
- Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
Top 10 Most Popular Adult Print Non-Fiction
- Revenge of the tipping point: overstories, superspreaders, and the rise of social engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
- The let them theory: a life-changing tool that millions of people can’t stop talking about by Mel Robbins
- The anxious generation: how the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness by Jonathan Haidt
- The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté
- Nexus: a brief history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
- At a loss for words: conversation in the age of rage by Carol Off
- Fire weather: the making of a beast by John Vaillant
- Outlive: the science and art of longevity by Peter Attia
- Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad onesby James Clear
- The serviceberry: abundance and reciprocity in the natural worldby Robin Wall Kimmerer
Top 10 Most Popular YA Novels
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Powerless by Lauren Roberts
- The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
- The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Top 10 Most Popular Children’s Books
- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot by Dav Pilkey
- Dog Man. Big Jim begins by Dav Pilkey
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
- Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream! by Kim Dean
- Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems
- Pete the Cat plays hide-and-seek by Kim Dean
- Dog Man. The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey
- The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! by Mo Willems
- PAW Patrol 5-minute kindness stories
- 5 “Away We Go” Adventures! by Mike Berenstain
Top 10 Most Popular eBooks
- Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea
- The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
- Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
- Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
- Nightshade by Michael Connelly
- Strangers in Time by David Baldacci
- Going to Beautiful by Anthony Bidulka
- The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose
Top 10 Most Popular Digital Audiobooks
- Assistant to the Villain (unabridged) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
- Onyx Storm (unabridged) by Rebecca Yarros
- The Crash (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
- The Witch Collector (unabridged) by Charissa Weaks
- Never Lie (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
- The Wife Upstairs (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
- The Tenant (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
- The Housemaid (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
- Quicksilver (unabridged) by Callie Hart
- Do Not Disturb (unabridged) by Frida McFadden
Don’t have a VIRL library card? Get one here today.
About Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL)
Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) connects and empowers island and coastal communities by providing equitable, barrier-free access to critical library services. We serve 38 jurisdictions spanning more than 42,000 km². VIRL is a vital hub for connection, discovery and community conversations throughout one of Canada’s most diverse regions.
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For more information, interviews, or media inquiries, please contact:
VIRL Media Contact
Natasha Bartlett, Assistant Director of Marketing & Development
250.327.3114
nbartlett@virl.bc.ca
