Christmas Reading Times 2023
Every year we eagerly look forward to the Christmas Reading Times, compiled by Helen Smith, Librarian at Eckington School. Helen scours the TV and streaming listings to find films and TV series based on books. This is an every increasing task with the proliferation of streaming platforms. From Julia Donaldson picture books to Jack Reacher thrillers, there is a wide range of viewing based on books and traditional stories. A highlight for me is ‘The Essex Serpent’ and ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ on Apple TV.
There is also a Christmas Reading Times Primary listing programmes and films based on young children’s books.
It’s certainly a good year for Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Sheffler’s picture book adaptations! I’m really looking forward to the new adaptation of Tabby McTat (BBC 1 25th December 2.35pm). Here’s a trailer to enjoy in anticipation.
Here are our Top Ten most borrowed fiction titles of 2023:
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Scythe (Book 1) by Neal Shusterman
- The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Five Survive by Holly Jackson
- Nothing more to tell by Karen M McManus
Top Ten Most Borrowed Authors 2023
- Sarah J. Maas
- Robert Muchamore
- Neal Shusterman
- Holly Jackson
- George Orwell
- J. K. Rowling
- Bonnie Garmus
- Malorie Blackman
- Claire Keegan
- Karen M. McManus
Top Ten Most borrowed non-fiction 2023
- Better day coming: Blacks and equality 1890 – 2000 by Adam Fairclough
- Global perspectives on sustainable fashion by Alison Gwilt
- Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
- The Connell Guide to how to read a poem by Malcolm Hebron
- A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenni Murray
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez
- Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas
- How to break up with fast fashion by Lauren Bravo
- Why chemical reactions happen by James Keeler and Peter Wothers
A selection of Books of the Year lists:
Best Books for Teens of 2023 – Five Books Expert Recommendations
The best books of 2023 | Best books of the year | The Guardian
The 10 Best Books of 2023 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
It’s interesting to get an American perspective on the Best Books of the Year. Here are the NYT Top Ten from 2023:
- The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (Booker Prize Shortlisted)
- Chain-Gang All-Stars, by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (This debut novel is a dystopian satire in which death-row inmates duel on TV for a chance at freedom)
- Eastbound, by Maylis de Kerangal
- The Fraud by Zadie Smith
- North Woods, by Daniel Mason
- The Best Minds, by Jonathan Rosen
- Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs, by Kerry Howley
- Fire Weather, by John Vaillant (Non-fiction and winner of the Royal Society Science Book Prize, this book explores the Canadian wildfires of 2016 and their implications for the planet)
- Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo
- Some People Need Killing, by Patricia Evangelista