Western Bay’s top reads — by library stats

One of Hairy Maclary's tales was the most popular picture book at Western Bay libraries last year.

Young Western Bay bookhounds have sniffed out a Hairy Maclary classic as their top read for 2023.

Hairy Maclary, sit! by Lynley Dodd was the top picture book for the year, and other books by the Tauranga author were also sought after.

About 350,000 books were checked in and out of Western Bay of Plenty’s four libraries throughout the year by residents young and old, making the most of the offerings.

Classic books and titles remained popular, including the children’s book Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The series has 18 books, and an activity book.

For adults, books from the author of the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley, were often requested. The final book in the series, Atlas: The story of Pa Salt, was the most sought-after adults book for 2023.

Fantasy series were popular with young adults. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is the first book in a series that Western Bay library users couldn’t get enough of.

Not only were books popular in 2023, the libraries were too. In the 2022-23 year, 235,000 visits were made to the district’s libraries — an increase of 38,000 on the previous year.

Events have also been a hit. The library service ran nearly 1000 events during the same period, with about 10,000 people attending.

The district’s collection has more than 91,000 books and 31,700 e-books and e-audio books.

Libraries in Western Bay of Plenty have removed overdue fines for most books, although fines still apply to Top Shelf books and DVDs.

After closures during the holiday period, the libraries are now back to normal opening hours.