Murakami and Horrid Henry top Canada Water’s favourites
Published 21 December 2011
The most popular authors at Canada Water library, London’s first super library, can be revealed today.
Cult Japanese author Haruki Murakami was top of the list for most borrowed adult author, while the creator of the Horrid Henry books, Francesca Simon, proved to be the most popular children's author.
The figures show that Murakami was borrowed 26 times during the first ten days of opening, while Simon's books were borrowed over 135 times from the children's section.
Second and third places in the adult author table have a more romantic feel with the new queen of period romance Stephanie Laurens and the always popular Nora Roberts. Jacqueline Wilson, the former children's laureate and Tracey Beaker author, was the second most borrowed children's author, with nearly 100 books borrowed.
The new £14.1m library has already seen more than 31,000 visitors in its first three weeks of opening.
Cllr Veronica Ward, cabinet member for culture, leisure, sport and the Olympics at Southwark Council, said:
"This snapshot of our library users' tastes tells its own tale. It is both a fascinating glimpse into what the public wants from our new library, as well as a strong reminder that we're a borough of book lovers who value and make the most of their libraries."
Background Information
Haruki Murakami
Japanese author Haruki Murakami is famous for "Norwegian Wood", "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle", and "Dance, Dance, Dance", among others. His latest books are "1Q84 Book 3" and "1Q84 Books 1 and 2".
Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon is an American author living in London , who is mostly known for writing the popular Horrid Henry series of children's books.
Canada Water library
Southwark Council's £14.1m Canada Water library is London's first 'super library', with everything for the community under one roof - including a theatre and performance space, restaurant and cafe, evening class space, wi-fi network throughout and community meeting rooms. It is the first time that a London library has had not only a 150-seat theatre space designed within it, but also the first time that an entrance and exit to a tube station has been built within the walls of a library.
