Dorset bookworms turn to crime (novels) over the festive season
Crime novels are the most popular books borrowed from Dorset's libraries at this time of year
Murder mystery, thrillers and cop dramas were all top of Dorset's book list last Christmas.
8 out of the top 10 borrowed library books in December 2020 and January 2021 were some form of crime novel.
That's an increase on the festive season in 2019/20 where four of the books on the same list were biography or historical fiction.
The most borrowed library books last winter included:
1 - The Darkest Evening - Anne Cleeves - borrowed 47 times
2 - Troubled Blood - Robert Gailbraith - borrowed 46 times
3 - The Long Call - Anne Cleeves - borrowed 44 times
4 - Blue Moon - Lee Child
5 - Find them Dead - Peter James
6 - The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman
7 - Dead at First Sight - Peter James
8 - The Sentinel - Lee Child
9 - Those Who Are Loved - Victoria Hislop
10 - The Secret Hours - Santa Montefiore
Most notably missing are any Christmas themed books.
But, Rachel McClean, independent author of the Dorset Crime series says there's a reason crime performed so well last Christmas. She said:
"In the first lockdown, and in subsequent lockdowns, crime books have been really really popular, and you'd think that they wouldn't be because it's dark and it's depressing and it's not very pleasant to read about.
"Other genres that are also dark haven't done so well, so for example dystopia - I've got a couple of dystopian novels and they really didn't sell at all during lockdown.
"Crime has been really popular and I think part of the reason for that is that in a crime novel the crime is always solved and justice is always done. So it gives people a sense that all is well with the world.
"You've got a team of detectives who are finding a perpetrator and bringing them to justice and I think it does give people a bit of reassurance in times when there's not much reassurance in real life to be honest."
Rachel added that this is especially true in the week between Christmas and New Year because people find themselves with more time to read a book cover to cover, without the mystery being interrupted.
Since 2018 only three books have breached the top 5 most borrowed here in Dorset. Those are:
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
The Salt Path - Raynor Winn
A Single Thread - Tracy Chevalier