As every year, the Grande Bibliothèque published its list of the most borrowed books on Monday. If the latest novel by Quebecer Kevin Lambert seduced the juries of several prestigious literary prizes this year, it also aroused the interest of users of the Montreal-based institution, because “Let our Joy” remains at the top of the rankings for 2023.
When it comes to novels, works from Quebec account for half of the places in the ranking of books most borrowed from the Grande Bibliothèque, a share that increased from 20 to 50% between 2018 and 2023.
Other Quebec literary productions have thus found their way into Quebec homes. Maple – A trashy comic thriller by David Goudreault; Montréal-Nord, in which Mariana Mazza talks about her youth; River Woman, by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette; or even La Shéhérazade des paupers – Roman novel by Michel Tremblay; An Extraordinary Woman, by Catherine Ethier; and Tiohtiá:ke by Michel Jean can therefore be found in the list.
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“Montréal-Nord” by Mariana Mazza is published by QuébecAmérique.
Photo: Facebook/Mariana Mazza
The rest of the ranking is occupied by successful writers who are used to appearing there, such as the Swiss writer Joël Dicker, the American crime writer Michael Connelly, the queen of literary sales Amélie Nothomb and the very popular French writer Guillaume Musso.
The sought-after little astronaut
As in the last four years, the comic list is dominated by the six volumes of the series “The Arab of the Future” by the French-Syrian author Riad Sattouf. The Paul series by Quebecer Michel Rabagliati appears three times in this ranking, with first place going to The Little Astronaut by Jean-Paul Eid.
Julie Doucet, the first Quebecer to win the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival last year, also made the list with her comic Maxiplotte.
Note the presence of two novelists: Dany Laferrière and his comic book On the road with Bashō and Patrick Senécal for the comic version of his fantasy novel Aliss.
The most borrowed novels from the Grande Bibliothèque in 2023
Let Our Joy Remain, by Kevin Lambert
The Alaska Sanders Affair by Joël Dicker
Maple – A trashy comic thriller by David Goudreault
Montreal North, by Mariana Mazza
Darkness and Night, by Michael Connelly
Live Fast, by Brigitte Giraud
River Woman, by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
The Kremlin magician Giuliano Da Empoli
The Scheherazade of the Poor – An occasional novel by Michel Tremblay
Penance, by Alex Viens
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Ephemeral Masks by Donna Leon
Dear Asshole, by Virginie Despentes
The Book of the Sisters by Amélie Nothomb
Angelique, by Guillaume Musso
An Extraordinary Woman, by Catherine Ethier
The Virtuous One, by Yasmina Khadra
Fantasy Molasses by Francis Ouellette
Tiohtiá:ke, by Michel Jean
Resonances, by Patrick Senécal
The most borrowed comics from the Grande Bibliothèque in 2023
The Little Astronaut by Jean-Paul Eid
Paul at Home, by Michel Rabagliati
The Arab of the Future 3, by Riad Sattouf
Symptoms, by Catherine Ocelot
The Arab of the Future 5, by Riad Sattouf
The Arab of the Future 1, by Riad Sattouf
The Arab of the Future 2, by Riad Sattouf
Quebec was born in my country! – Encounter notebook, from Ani Kuni to Kiuna, by Emanuelle Dufour
Leonard Cohen – On a Wire by Philippe Girard
The Arab of the Future 4, by Riad Sattouf
The Arab of the Future 6, by Riad Sattouf
On the road with Bashō by Dany Laferrière
Maxi plot by Julie Doucet
Paul in the Park, by Michel Rabagliati
This is how I disappear, by Mirion Malle
Chronicles of Jerusalem, by Guy Delisle
Aliss, by Patrick Senécal and Jeik Dion
Living Body, by Julie Delporte
The Bomb, by Alcante, LF Bollé and Denis Rodier
Paul in the North, by Michel Rabagliati