Ottawa's most borrowed books of 2023

It's been a busy year for the Ottawa Public Library. 

From a royal's memoir to a book by a celebrated Quebec author, readers enjoyed getting lost in the pages of everything from thrillers to tales of love and even a graphic novel about the oil sands.

It was also a big year for women authors and francophone titles.

Here's a look at the most borrowed books of 2023:

Topping the English-language adult list was Spare by Prince Harry. The royal's tell-all memoir delves into the privilege and trauma he endured growing up in the spotlight of one of the most famous families in the world.

Next up is a book that made the library's most requested for a second year in a row: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus looks at a woman, a chemist by trade, who ends up starring in a popular cooking show. An Apple TV+ adaptation premiered in October.

Number three is another by a female author. Barbara Kingsolver was the co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Demon Copperhead, a novel that delves into the world of a boy living in poverty in Virginia as he navigates living in foster homes, addiction and child labour.

Rounding out the top 10 adult book list are:

• Happy Place by Emily Henry.
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton.
• Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune.
• Everyone Here is Lying by Shari LaPena.

When it comes to francophone books, Que notre joie demeure by Kevin Lambert tops the list of most borrowed books in the city.

The novel, which deals with the housing crisis, was also the most borrowed book from the Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal in 2023. The book was nominated for this year's Goncourt Prize.

It's followed by Rose à l'île, by the illustrator and cartoonist Michel Rabagliati and then Veiller sur elle, by French author Jean-Baptiste Andrea, who ended up winning the Goncourt Prize.

The other top 10 most borrowed francophone books in Ottawa were:

• Qimmik by Michel Jean.
• La vie de ma mère by Nathalie Petrowski.
• Les angoisses de ma prof de chinois by Jean-François Lépine.
• Je ferai le tour du monde by  Alexandra Szacka.
• Psychopompe by Amélie Nothomb.
• L'Arabe du futur by Riad Sattouf.
• Les vents contraires by Louise Tremblay d'Essiambre.

When it comes to teen fiction, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson sat at number one, while The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was the most-requested book series in French.