Romance and cookery books helped readers through the recession in 2013

Almost 545,000 items were borrowed from Clare County Library in 2013. Although there is an increasing demand for electronic resources, 92% of the items borrowed were physical books. Rachel Allen’s cookery books claimed 4 of the spots on the list of the 10 most popular non-fiction books borrowed from Clare County Library in 2013. As further evidence of the increased popularity of home cooking two other cookery books, Avoca Café Cookbook 2 and Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals, also made the top 10 list. As has been the pattern for many years The Official Driver Theory Test – questions and answers topped the most popular list. Memoirs by retired politician Mary O’Rourke and author Michael Harding experienced strong demand from readers. World Football Records 2013 was the tenth most popular non-fiction book of 2013.

ADULT NON-FICTION – top ten books in 2013:
The Official Driver Theory Test
Rachel's baking secrets by Rachel Allen
Home Cooking by Rachel Allen
Staring at lakes by Michael Harding
Easy meals by Rachel Allen
Rachel’s Food for Living by Rachel Allen
Just Mary by Mary O’Rourke
Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver
Avoca Café Cookbook 2 by Hugo Arnold
World Football records 2013 by Kier Radnedge

Books by Irish romance writers Sheila O’Flanagan, Patricia Scanlan, Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes and Roisin Meaney continue to generate huge demand among fiction readers at the library. In 2013 Hilary Mantel’s multi-award winning Wolf Hall was only beaten to the top spot on the fiction list by Sheila O’Flanagan’s Better Together. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – a word of mouth bestseller – claimed number 5 on the list. This psychological thriller has been very popular with readers and especially bookclubs worldwide. A John Grisham book regularly features on the list of the most popular fiction books among readers in Clare County Library and 2013 was no exception with The Racketeer claiming the number 10 spot. Lee Child fans eagerly awaited the 17th Jack Reacher novel A Wanted Man. There was renewed interest from readers in James Plunkett’s Strumpet City, due to the publicity around the centenary of the 1913 Lockout.

ADULT FICTION – top ten books in 2013:
Better Together by Sheila O’Flanagan
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
With All My Love by Patricia Scanlan
The Honey Queen by Cathy Kelly
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A Wanted Man by Lee Child
The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
One Summer by Roisin Meaney
Strumpet City by James Plunkett
The Racketeer by John Grisham