'Wimpy Kid' series takes out top four spots

Tauranga's most popular library books for 2015 have been revealed with one author taking out four of the top five spots.

Tauranga City Libraries' four most popular books were from Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, according to Tauranga City Council group communication adviser Amanda Weatherley.

The Last Straw received 523 issues, Greg Heffley's Journal received 480 and Cabin Fever was issued 458 times. Hard Luck had 425 issues.

Tauranga City Libraries' fifth most issued book was Lee Child's Never Go Back, receiving 410 issues.

The figures included issues from Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Papamoa libraries, said Ms Weatherley.

Team leader for children and teenage services Michelle Anderson said some eBooks were becoming just as sought-after as physical books among children. However, some children still preferred to read a physical book.

Books with a mixture of text and pictures, such as the Dairy of a Wimpy Kid series, were becoming more popular as children were living in a more visual world, said Ms Anderson.

Children and adults were keen on Lego books.

Collections team leader Diane Taggart said adults read both physical books and eBooks but print remained the most popular.

She said crime and thriller had been popular genres among adults for many years and remained so.

The popularity of other genres such as vampire books and fantasy had declined.

Lifestyle books, particularly cooking and health and interior design books, were increasing in popularity.

Interest in cooking books had increased markedly with the rise in popularity of cooking shows on television, said Ms Taggart.