Source: Radio New Zealand
Kiwi readers often turned to stories of wartime resilience, high-stakes thrillers and immersive fantasy, based on this year’s borrowing figures from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch libraries.
In Auckland, the extraordinary life story of WWII spy Pippa Latour, The Last Secret Agent , was the most borrowed. Latour, who died in West Auckland in 2023, also made an impression elsewhere, placing seventh in Christchurch and 15th in Wellington.
Close behind came two homegrown successes. New Zealand novelist Olivia Spooner secured both second and third place in Auckland with her WWII-inspired titles The Girl from London and The Songbirds of Florence .
The covers of some of the most borrowed books among libraries in New Zealand in 2025.
Supplied / Penguin Books, Allen & Unwin NZ, Scholastic, Bloomsbury Publishing
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Further south, readers were in the mood for something more thrilling. English presenter-turned-crime-writer Richard Osman ’s We Solve Murders landed in the top three for Wellington and Christchurch — first and second respectively — though Christchurch readers ultimately crowned a more classic hero. Andrew and Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novel In Too Deep claimed the city’s top spot, with Jojo Moyes ’ family-focused romance We All Live Here rounding out its top three.
Penguin Books Ltd & Claudia Janke
Wellingtonians also gravitated toward Irish author Sally Rooney’s novel Intermezzo Damien Wilkins ’ Delirious – a major winner at the 2025 Ockham NZ Book Awards .
Todd says it’s heartening to see award-winners and popular word-of-mouth titles prominently represented. “So books like You Are Here by David Nichols and Sally Rooney and Richard Osman were all really big for us last year.”
Wellington professor and author Damien Wilkins, left, and the cover of his novel ‘Delirious’.
Supplied / Ebony Lamb Photography
Biography lovers in Wellington flocked to A Different Kind of Power The Women
In Auckland, Todd says it has been one of this year’s bestselling titles.
What about children’s and YA books?
Auckland’s young adult shelves were dominated by Sarah J. Maas’ fantasy romances A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury , with Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping — the second prequel to The Hunger Games — securing the third spot.
Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins.
Supplied / Scholastic
Todd says romantasy’s rise stems from both escapism and curiosity, with prospective buyers wanting to check what the hype is about before committing.
For children, series reigned supreme. In Auckland, Dav Pilkey ’s Dog Man claimed the entire top three; Christchurch’s children showed similar devotion, with Dog Man first and Diary of a Wimpy Kid taking the next two spots. Wellington kids were even more decisive — Jeff Kinney ’s series swept all 10 of the city’s top children’s titles.
Dog Man: Fetch-22, by Dav Pilkey.
Supplied / Scholastic
“[It] really shows how important it is for kids to connect to a book,” Todd says. “And I think parents get quite relieved when a kid loves a series, because they can just go back for more and the publishers are happy with that because they can just continue selling it. So there’s a lot of life to series.”
What about eBooks and eAudiobooks?
Auckland recorded more than six million digital loans this year (and 11 million physical checkouts).
Among adult eBooks, Mel Robbins’ The Let Them Theory The Women and Wilkins’ Delirious . Children’s eBooks were dominated by graphic novel adaptations from Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-sitters Club universe — particularly Karen’s Grandmothers and Stacey’s Mistake . In eAudiobooks, meanwhile, the Harry Potter series remained unbeatable for Auckland kids.
In the adult’s eAudio category, Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series — Onyx Storm , Fourth Wing and Iron Flame — swept Auckland’s top three. Onyx Storm Quicksilver .
American author Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean fantasy book series is proving popular in digital loans.
Supplied, Hachette
For younger Christchurch listeners and readers, Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping , Pilkey’s Dog Man and the Baby-sitters Club graphic novels continued their strong run.
Todd says it was great to see local talent shine.
She notes that libraries and bookstores influence each other’s popularity lists. High library hold queues often push eager readers to buy instead, while long retail waitlists can send them back to the library.
“So I can imagine some books would be even more popular, if they could be…
“I think the main thing is as long as people continue to read and connect, get off their screens and really engage with reading, you can only feel better.”
*Christchurch’s eBooks and eAudiobooks figures were from end of November last year to November this year.
Top 10 physical books – adults
Auckland
The Last Secret Agent – Pippa LatourThe Girl from London – Olivia SpoonerThe Songbirds of Florence – Olivia Spooner
Wellington
We Solve Murders – Richard OsmanIntermezzo – Sally RooneyDelirious – Damien WilkinsYou Are Here – David NichollsHere One Moment – Liane MoriartyTell Me Everything: A Novel – Elizabeth StroutLong Island – Colm TóibínOrbital – Samantha HarveyAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James ClearMy Favourite Mistake – Marian Keyes
Christchurch
In Too Deep – Lee Child and Andrew ChildWe Solve Murders – Richard OsmanWe All Live Here – Jojo MoyesA Different Kind of Power: A Memoir – Jacinda ArdernIntermezzo – Sally RooneyThe Secret – Lee Child and Andrew ChildThe Last Secret Agent – Pippa LatourThe Hidden Girl – Lucinda EdmondsThe Waiting – Michael ConnellyDeath at the Sign of the Rook – Kate Atkinson
Top 10 physical books – young fiction
Auckland – children
Dog man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea – Dav PilkeyDog man: Fetch-22 – Dav PilkeyDog Man: Big Jim begins – Dav Pilkey
Auckland – young adults
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. MaasSunrise on the reaping – Suzanne CollinsA Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. MaasA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly JacksonThe Hunger Games – Suzanne CollinsThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne CollinsThrone of Glass – Sarah J. MaasThe Inheritance Games – Jennifer Lynn BarnesA Court of Frost and Starlight – Sarah J. MaasShatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
Wellington children
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel – Jeff Kinney
Wellington young adults
Sunrise on the Reaping – Suzanne CollinsThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne CollinsA Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. MaasCatching Fire – Suzanne CollinsA Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. MaasThe Hunger Games – Suzanne CollinsMockingjay – Suzanne CollinsA Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly JacksonGood Girl, Bad Blood – Holly JacksonThrone of Glass – Sarah J. Maas
Christchurch children and young adults
Dog Man – Dav PilkeyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: No brainer – Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess – Jeff KinneyHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J. K. RowlingCaptain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy – Dav PilkeyFantastic Mr Fox – Roald DahlCaptain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets: The Second Epic Novel – Dav PilkeyCaptain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000: The Eleventh Epic Novel – Dav PilkeyDog Man – Dav PilkeyHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling
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