Popular authors, some vague musings
Looking at the top 10 list of fiction borrowed most often from Leeds Libraries in 2014, a few thoughts scudded across my mind (nothing too deep, I'm sleepy and full of cold right now). One was that they're mostly authors who've been around for a long time (John Grisham, JK Rowling, Ian Rankin), another was that there's a hefty dose of crime and thrillers on there, and the third was that there are a couple of authors with a Yorkshire background (Kate Atkinson, Peter Robinson). Which got me wondering how this sort of list varies across the UK - do crime novels with a local link prove popular everywhere? Are there places where you can see the influence of the Richard and Judy Book Club, for instance, or where it's all Booker Prize longlisters and recommendations from the Guardian review section? How does it match up with book-buying habits (are we getting the Hmm, not sure but let's see what all the hype's about out of the library, and buying the ones we think we'll treasure)?
As I don't have the answers to any of that (though I'd be interested if anyone else does - have I missed a similar top 10 list from Dorset library service this week?) I'll merely note that I did read 3 of those authors last year (Peter Robinson, Kate Atkinson, and Michael Connelly) though not the books mentioned, and all borrowed from the Library of Mum and Dad rather than Leeds.
My most-read authors of 2014 are (and this will tell you more than you need to know about me, I'm sure):
Anthony Trollope (3 books)
PG Wodehouse (3)
Martin Edwards (2)
Tad Williams (2)
Peter Robinson (2)
Robert Goddard (2)
CJ Cherryh (2)