FINDING a good book can keep you hooked for days and weeks – and there is one author it seems Warrington residents cannot get enough of.
A Freedom of Information Act request submitted to Warrington Borough Council has revealed the top ten borrowed books from the town’s libraries over the past six years.
These are the most checked out page turners across Warrington’s 13 library sites, which include nine branches and four hubs.
And the clear winner is thriller novel author Lee Child, who is best known for his Jack Reacher series of books.
Of the top 10 most borrowed books in Warrington libraries between January 1, 2016, and November 29, 2021, he wrote five of them.
Night School came out on top, which sees Reacher back in his army days in a globetrotting adventure to complete a critical and perilous undercover mission.
The other four Child books making up the top 10 are The Midnight Line, Personal, No Middle Name and Past Tense.
Lee Child, mega-bestselling creator of Jack Reacher
Other authors that have hooked Warrington readers include Michael Connelly, Jeffrey Archer, Mark Billingham and Jessica Parish.
Here is the top 10 list:
1. Night School by Lee Child – issued 455 times
2. The Midnight Line by Lee Child – issued 378 times
3. This Was a Man by Jeffrey Archer – issued 357 times
4. Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham – issued 332 times
5. The Late Show by Michael Connelly – issued 325 times
6. Personal by Lee Child – issued 324 times
7. No Middle Name by Lee Child – issued 324 times
8. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly – issued 323 times
9. Past Tense by Lee Child – issued 309 times
10. The Adventures of Pugalugs by Jessica Parish – issued 307 times
The Freedom of Information Act request has also shown the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the number of books being borrowed from the town’s libraries.
Opening hours only recently returned to pre-Covid levels, while dedicated library teams worked throughout the pandemic to ensure restrictions and concerns did not stop readers from being able to access books.
Library records have revealed Warrington’s most popular books over recent years
But the pandemic has obviously had an impact on the ability to borrow books.
In 2019, 341,553 books were checked out of the town’s libraries, however this fell to 142,091 in 2020 and 135,299 in 2021.
Emma Hutchinson, managing director at LiveWire, says she hopes libraries are able to flourish again in 2022 as Covid restrictions are lifted.
She said: “From our online e-book and e-audio platforms to our order and collect and home library services, our brilliant library team was dedicated to helping keep people reading during 2021 despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
“We look forward to continuing our work in the year ahead.
“As such, it is fantastic that 2022 has started with a return to our pre-lockdown opening hours, which is a real cause for celebration.
“We cannot wait to welcome even more customers back through our doors in the weeks and months ahead.”
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