Brisbane readers’ favourite books revealed

Brisbane’s most borrowed library books have been revealed, with a local author making the top five in two different categories.

Trent Dalton’s Lola in the Mirror, the story of a young homeless woman on the run in Brisbane, was the fourth most popular adult fiction title borrowed in the last financial year, according to data released by Brisbane City Council on Wednesday.

Garden City Library (pictured) is one of the five most-visited libraries in Brisbane.Credit: Brisbane City Council

Meanwhile, Dalton’s Love Stories, a collection of tales that strangers told him as he sat in the city centre with his vintage typewriter, was the third most popular non-fiction title, after a biography of George Orwell’s wife and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.

Nadia Ruttley, the co-ordinator of reading at Brisbane Libraries, said Brisbane readers loved Dalton’s works because they captured what it was like to be a local.

“He writes about our city so beautifully,” she said. “Brisbane readers can connect with Brisbane and the locality and what we know.”

Which books were borrowed the most from Brisbane libraries

Adult fiction:

• The Secret – Lee Child
• Yellowface – R. F. Kuang
• Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
• Lola in the Mirror – Trent Dalton
• The Bookbinder of Jericho – Pip Williams

Non-fiction:

• Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s invisible life – Anna Funder
• Spare – Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
• Love Stories – Trent Dalton
• Outlive: the Science & Art of Longevity
• Did I ever tell you this?: a memoir – Sam Neill

Junior fiction:

• The 169-storey Treehouse – Andy Griffiths
• No Brainer – Jeff Kinney
• Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose – Dav Pilkey
• Thea Stilton and the Fiesta In Mexico – Thea Stilton
• Weird Wedding! – Anh Do

Young adult fiction:

• The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
• A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
• One of Us is Lying – Karen M. McManus

Visitor numbers have rebounded since the pandemic, with more than 5.5 million visits recorded in 2023-2024 – up 20 per cent from the year before.

On average, more than 27,000 books, CDs, DVDs and other resources are borrowed each day.

The CBD’s Brisbane Square Library topped the list of most popular libraries, with almost 540,000 visits, followed by Chermside, Garden City, Sunnybank Hills and Carindale.

Ruttley, whose office is in the same building, said Brisbane Square Library punched above its weight, attracting city workers having a lunch break, international students and tourists alike.

“People can spend hours each day, sitting in a chair, working on their laptop or reading a book, reading a newspaper and looking out to the river,” she said.

She said many did not appreciate the breadth of services available at Brisbane’s 33 suburban libraries: from early literacy programs for babies and small children, through to author talks, technology classes, and a home delivery service.

“We talk about libraries as being that third space ... you can come on your own, you can come with your friends, you can come with your family, it really doesn’t matter,” she said.

“You don’t have to buy something, you don’t have to have a coffee – you can sit in a chair and stay in the library all day, and have interactions with people, be out of the house, and learn new things, and it’s all free.”

The numbers proving Dalton’s popularity with readers come at a busy time for the local writer.

After the Netflix series adapted from his debut novel Boy Swallows Universe won five Logies, he also confirmed he was working on a TV series adaptation of Lola in the Mirror.

Dalton and his typewriter will return to King George Square on September 6 as part of the Brisbane Festival, joined by 20 aspiring writers. This will be followed by an exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane.

A stage adaptation of the original Love Stories collection will premiere at Brisbane’s Playhouse during September.

With AAP