Cleeves’ crime thrillers were most borrowed
Books of local interest held their own beside established bestsellers again, according to Shetland Library figures for 2008.
In the overall top 10 the first two places were held by the Shetland novels of Ann Cleeves. White Nights was the most popular, followed by Raven Black at number two. Her third novel in the series, Red Bones, is published next month.
Local author Chrissie Sandison’s A Slyde in the Right Direction, soon to be available as a talking book, came in at number four while S J Bolton’s Shetland-based thriller Sacrific made it to number six.
Reaching the top 10 for the second year running was Karen Inkster’s Voices from the Past: a History of North Roe, with Gardie: A Shetland House and its people by Wendy Scott close behind at number 11.
The non-Shetland volumes in the top 10 came from two very different authors. Khaled Hosseini appears twice with his hugely successful books The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Stuart Macbride held no less than three top 10 spots with his gory Aberdeen-based crime novels Dying Light, Cold Granite and Broken Skin.
Shetland artists also did well in the CD lending statistics too. The most popular lending CD was Amy Winehouse’s 2003 album Frank, but Fiddlers’ Bid were hot on her heels at number two, with Aly Bain at number four, just behind Green Day.
Learner drivers dominated general non-fiction loans. The DSA Driving Theory Test CD Rom took the top spot, with other driving publications not far behind. Second place in the non-fiction section went to Clarissa Dixon-Wright’s autobiography Spilling the Beans.
Generally, the best lending fiction books were a mixture of crime, thrillers, sagas and romance from well-known authors like Tess Gerritsen, Lee Child, Maeve Binchy and Lyn Andrews. Classic fiction was most popular among film borrowers though – the top lending DVDs were adaptations of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey.
The library is launching a promotion of 19th century novels and a Charles Dickens reading group in for anyone who is making a resolution to read more classic works.
Overall Top 10
1. White Nights, Anne Cleeves, 65 loans
2. Raven Black, Anne Cleeves, 60
3. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, 55
4. Slyde in the Right Direction, Chrissie Sandison, 49
5. Dying Light, Stuart MacBride, 47
6. Sacrifice, Sharon J. Bolton, 46
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini, 44
8. Cold Granite, Stuart MacBride, 44
9. Broken Skin, Stuart MacBride, 41
10. Voices From The Past – A History Of North Roe, Karen Inkster, 40
Top 10 Shetland books
1. Slyde In The Right Direction, Chrissie Sandison, 49 loans
2. Voices from the Past: a History of North Roe, Karen Inkster, 40
3. Gardie: A Shetland House and its people, Wendy Scott, 39
4. Costly Cargoes: the Merchant Navy at War, James W Irvine, 33
5. Travels in Shetland 1832- 1853, Edward Charlton, 33
6. My Memory is Free, David Strachan, 32
7. Meandering, James W Irvine, 31
8. Sips of Shetland, Davy Cooper, 31
9. Between Weathers: Travels in 21st Century Shetland, Ron McMillan, 28
10. The Shetland Dictionary, John J Graham, 28
