Quebec authors are always popular with subscribers to the Grande Bibliothèque. The novels Em, by Kim Thúy, and Kukum, by Michel Jean, are indeed at the top, respectively in first and second place, of the list of fiction books most borrowed by users this year.
These precede Yoga, from Frenchman Emmanuel Carrère (third place), and Fire nocturnal, of the American Michael Connelly (fourth place). Fanny Britt’s latest novel follows in fifth place, Make the sugars. In all, nine Quebec books are among the 20 most borrowed titles, according to year-end statistics released by Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).
Regarding its list of the most loaned documentaries, the BAnQ team tries a synthesis: “We could try to draw from this list a portrait of Quebecers in 2021: we love to cook, we dream of retiring in At a young age, we were saddened by the loss of Serge Bouchard and, pandemic oblige, our trips were concentrated in Quebec and Canada. “
If the Route guide and Drive a passenger vehicle year in and year out at the top of the list, they are followed this year by Hourglass. Hostage in the Sahara for 450 days, by Edith Blais; Freedom 45, by Pierre-Yves McSween; The Empire of Political Correctness, by Mathieu Bock-Côté; and Retirement at 40. How to outsmart the system to achieve financial freedom, by Jean-Sébastien Pilotte.
However, the picture changes when we switch to digital books. Among the books in French, it is Secretly, by Mary Higgins Clark, who is at the top of the charts, while the English translation of Vi, by Kim Thúy, comes first in English book borrowing.
Autobiographical comics
On the comic book side, the autobiographical works stand out, we note, with Paul in the North, by Michel Rabagliati, who comes first for the borrowed works. Follow the five popular volumes of The Arab of the future. Youth in the Middle East, by Riad Sattouf.
In compact discs, loyalty to Quebecers can still be seen: Inscape, by Alexandra Stréliski, comes first, followed by Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, Klô Pelgag, and Traveling, by Daniel Bélanger.
When it comes to borrowing films and television series, on the other hand, American productions are gaining the upper hand. Joker, by Tod Phillips, figure in first place, followed by Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (Once upon a time in … Hollywood), by Quentin Tarantino, and the series Chernobyl, by Craig Mazin. Blade Runner 2049, by Denis Villeneuve, arrived in 19e square.
The “action and adventure” video games were the most popular in 2021, with Final Fantasy VII Remake in the first row, followed byAssassin’s Creed – Ghost of Tsushima, of Call of Duty Black Ops – Cold War, and of The Outer Worlds.
In children’s literature, JK Rowling leads the way, with Ickabog and Harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone, respectively first and second among the most borrowed fictional titles. On the documentary side, the children first borrowed My first cookbook, by Ricardo, followed by the three volumes of Minecraft. The official guide to get started. In terms of video games, they mostly left with NHL 21, FIFA 21, Team Sonic Racing, LEGO – Harry Potter Collection and Spyro Reignited Trilogy.