As the year comes to a close, staff at the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) are sharing the most requested books of 2024.
The annual lists for adults, teens and children show which stories captured people’s attention. The data is pulled from the number of holds requested at libraries across the city between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1.
It’s clear fantasy dominates the teen category, but data also shows it’s one of the top genres for a younger audience. Adult books are steering away from settings around the Second World War, but historical fiction is still very popular.
The list hosts new and beloved classics, according to OPL.
Adult books:
- The Women by Kristen Hannah
- The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
- The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
According to staff, fiction and non-fiction books have some known favourites but others are “rising stars.” One of which is The Grey Wolf, which was released late October and “sprinted” to the top.
“There’s no surprise—OPL readers love the Inspector Gamache mystery series.”
Other top stories
Historical fiction is popular with readers, but the trend of book set around the Second World War is starting to decrease. The Women and The Briar Club focus on settings later in the twentieth century. Humour and romance dominated the list with Funny Story, and Canadian author Carley Fortune’s This Summer Will Be Different, which “gifts readers with the excitement of a sun-soaked romance set among the beauty of Prince Edward Island.”
Teen books:
- A court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Powerless by Lauren Roberts
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Romance-fantasy books, like A Court of Thorns and Roses, is a book focused on the fae world where a beast somehow sways the beauty in an enemies-to-lovers romance. This trend of books that combine fantasy with romance tropes is popular for teens, with four of of the five most requested titles falling into the genre.
“Familiarly referred to by its BookTok hashtag #ACOTAR, this title has millions of linked videos and a very loyal fanbase! Unsurprisingly, Sarah J Maas fans are returning to her first series, Throne of Glass, which has also claimed a top 5 spot this year,” OPL press release reads.
Dominated top five titles were found on BookTok, including Powerless a newer romance-fantasy trilogy self-published in 2023.
Children’s books:
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (series)
- Wild Robot by Peter Brown (series)
- Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
- Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
- The Bad Guys in the Serpent and the Beast by Aaron Blabey
The top spot continues to be taken up by Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a long-running series that isn’t slowing down. The release of the motion picture of Wild Robot boosted the book to the second top spot and also brought renewed interest in science fiction series.
The hype around fantasy begins young, with children gravitating to authors like Rick Riordan’s newest Percy Jackson novel.
Children picture books:
- The Pigeon Has to Go to School! by Mo Willems
- Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
- The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
- Bounce! by Robert Munsch
- The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers
The full list can be seen on the OPL website.