Jack Reacher thriller tops Tauranga library loans in 2024

Library and community hub assistant Mia Lee with an e-book title downloaded to her phone. Photo / Tauranga City Council

More than a million books were borrowed from Te Ao Mārama–Tauranga City Libraries in 2024, but which one was the most popular?

Lee and Andrew Child’s The Secret was hot copy because it was issued more than 500 times this year.

The novel is the 28th in the crime thriller series centred around the well-known character Jack Reacher.

Tauranga City Libraries content team leader Sarah Huizer said adults weren’t the only ones getting stuck into good reads.

“The Harry Potter and Hunger Games series remained popular among young adults in 2024.

“The characters are well loved, live in well-developed fantasy worlds and have themes so many of us can connect to around friendship and bravery.”

Huizer said Andy Griffith and Terry Denton’s Treehouse series was a hit for children too.

“Their first book, The 13-Storey Treehouse, was issued nearly 300 times by young readers keen to explore what’s up the tree.”

Non-fiction books were also in hot demand, including study guides for science, English and mathematics. The New Zealand Road Code is an indefinite over-achiever.

Huizer said Minecraft enthusiasts kept the Minecraft Survival Guide in constant circulation throughout the year.

“Meanwhile, over in biographies it was heartening to see New Zealanders dominate, with the likes of Sam Neill, Dame Susan Devoy, Dai Henwood, Judy Bailey, and the Topp Twins outmuscling Prince Harry.”

Te Ao Mārama–Tauranga City Libraries are closed and will reopen on January 3.

To get your holiday reading fix, digital memberships are available via the library website and allow new browsers to begin borrowing e-resources right away.

Top three children’s titles

1. The 13-Storey TreeHouse by Andy Griffith and Terry Denton: issued 290 times 
2. Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey: issued 283 times 
3. Pokemon by Hidenori Kusaka: issued 252 times 

Top three young adults’ titles

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling: issued 102 times
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling: issued 82 times
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: issued 77 times

Top three adults’ titles

1. The Secret by Lee and Andrew Child: issued 520 times
2. The Edge by David Baldacci: issued 282 times
3. Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly: issued 275 times