Have your reading and watching habits changed during the last two years? If yes, are you more likely to dive in and learn all you can about each new horror as it arises? Or does your waking and sleeping brain yearn for some light-hearted escape?

Overall, what did Canadians – and more specifically Vancouverites – read during 2021?

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CBC Books looked first at which books by Canadian authors sold the most, this according to their analysis of data from 300 independent booksellers.

Top 10 Bestselling Canadian Books of 2021

i. Five Little Indians. Michelle Good
ii. 21 Things You May Not Know About The Indian Act. Bob Joseph
iii. Finding The Mother Tree. Suzanne Simard
iv. The Madness of Crowds. Louise Penny
v. Jonny Appleseed. Joshua Whitehead
vi. State of Terror. Louise Penny + Hilary Clinton
vii. The Marrow Thieves. Cherie Dimaline
viii. Fight Night. Miriam Toews
ix. Butter Honey Pig Bread. Francesca Ekwuyasi
x. Indian in the Cabinet. Jody Wilson-Raybould

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Turning to the Vancouver Public Library, their data found that people were actively borrowing books over 2021, including 73% more physical loans compared to 2020 when people were staying closer to home. Meanwhile, digital book borrowing continues to increase.

What were some of the most popular borrows from VPL over the last year?

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Endless Internet reading options have not been kind to the magazine and newspaper business. However, Kay Cahill, VPL’s Director of Collections and Technology, told CBC that she has been surprised to see an increased interest over the last year in digital magazines and newspapers. The digital version of The Economist, she offers as an example, was checked out of the Vancouver Public Library more than 6,000 times in 2021.

Check out the VPL’s extensive digital magazine library if you haven’t already!

VPL Digital Magazines + Newspapers

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www.creatorsvancouver.com

Header Image: Jacob Lawrence. The Library. 1978