Membership and book circulations are back at the Brandon Public Library after 2+ years of covid-closures and restrictions, says Erika Martin, Director of Library Services for the Western Manitoba Regional Library (WMRL)

"We've had a lot of people come for our programs, which has been fantastic, and we've had a lot of successful programming at a lot of our libraries," shares Martin. "The downtown public library has a regular story time on Thursdays and it's always very full! There's always lots of kids, and parents and grandparents around, and it's wonderful to hear the kids laughing here again!  It's been a really good year!"

Sharing the top 10 books in each of the reading genres (Adult, Teen and Children) with the public through a press release is new for the WMRL. 

"A lot of other organizations are doing it, so we really wanted to try something similar, and it's something we'll continue to do in the future," she explains.  "I think it's really neat to take a look at what we were all reading, and it gives some great ideas for those who haven't read any of these books. It's also neat to see how many you've read yourself from that list!"

The annual lists for adults, teens, and kids are curated based on the number of check-outs made at our WMRL libraries, between January 1 and December 31, 2022.

The lists include some new releases as well as some recurring favourites.

Adult (English)

  • 1. It Ends with Us, by: Colleen Hoover
  • 2. Verity, by: Colleen Hoover
  • 3. Where the Crawdads Sing, by: Delia Owens
  • 4. Reminders of Him, by: Colleen Hoover
  • 5. The Maid, by: Nita Prose
  • 6. The Four Winds, by: Kristin Hannah
  • 7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by: Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • 8. The Last Thing He Told Me, by: Laura Dave
  • 9. The Match, by: Harlan Coban
  • 10. Dream Town by David Baldacci

'The popularity of #BookTok on social media has ushered in physical book sales to record highs in 2022. The smash hit, It Ends with Us from Colleen Hoover (or CoHo to her legion of followers), saw 64 checkouts in 2022 from WMRL, and was the number-one selling book in Canada last year. Book club favorites and novels of romance, mystery, and drama dominated the top signed-out books last year. The WMRL continues to bring the latest big releases to our shelves, and online via our audiobook collections.

Teen (English)

  • 1. Guts, by: Raina Telgemeier
  • 2. Sisters, by: Raina Telgemeier
  • 3. Smile, by: Raina Telgemeier
  • 4. Drama, by: Raina Telgemeier
  • 5. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, by: Art Spiegelman
  • 6. Heartstopper 1, by: Alice Oseman
  • 7. Heartstopper 2, by: Alice Oseman
  • 8. Attack on Titan 1, by: Hajime Isayama
  • 9. It’s Not Summer Without You, by: Jenny Han
  • 10. Heartstopper 3, by: Alice Oseman

'There is no surprise to us that Raina Telgemeier took the top 4 spots on the teen list! Her books are praised for their thoughtful, charming, and funny true stories about growing up, developing courage, and addressing mental health with her teenage audience. Guts, by Raina Telgemeier, saw 36 check-outs in 2022, making it the most-read teen book in our collection last year. Graphic novels are expanding outward as well as upward and have been incredibly popular lately. The WMRL has plans to increase its collections in 2023, ushering in lots of great new content.'

Children's Fiction (English)

  • 1. My New Friend is So Fun!, By: Mo Willems
  • 2. Dog Man: Grime and Punishment, By: Dav Pilkey
  • 3. The Babysitters Club 11: Good-bye Stacey Good-bye, By: Ann M Martin
  • 4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, By: Jeff Kinney
  • 5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down, By: Jeff Kinney
  • 6. Dog Man and Cat Kid, By: Dav Pilkey
  • 7. Baby-sitters Little Sister.1, Karen’s Witch, By: Ann M. Martin
  • 8. Dog Man. Fetch-22, By: Dav Pilkey
  • 9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, By: Jeff Kinney
  • 10. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild, By: Dav Pilkey

'Children’s book author Mo Willems strikes again with My New Friend is So Fun!, a sensitive and wise tale about friendship and sharing. This hit takes the top spot with 53 check-outs in 2022. With the release of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie in 2021 and the much-anticipated release of the DreamWorks Dog Man movie adaptation, readers are lining up to get their hands on these series’ latest releases. Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s collections continue their popularity on this year’s list!'

E-books are very popular; however Martin says there are many who still enjoy the feel of a book in their hands and the turning of pages!

"Physical books are still incredibly popular," shares Martin.  "I think about 10-12 years ago everyone thought that e-books would completely overshadow them, but we just haven't seen that happen.  They are very popular!  There are a ton of people who love e-books, there's a ton of people who love audio books (including Martin herself), but the physical book is here to stay in my personal opinion and from seeing the trends that we see here in Westman.  I think there is room for all of the formats in our library and in our community."

All of the top 30 books are in the WMRL catalogue and many are available in multiple formats, including e-books, audiobooks, and accessible editions. "The above lists provide some future reading ideas, as we usher in 2023 - share and experience the joy of reading now and in the new year," adds. Martin.

Please listen to Erika Martin's explanation some of the top books in circulation below.