2024 Friends of HCL Reading Survey Results

Books covers rain down, blossoming with flowers and stars.

What is the best book you read in 2023?

Titles appear on book spines noting the most frequent response. 11. Trust – Herman Diaz 10. Yellowface – R. F. Kuang 9. Hello Beautiful – Ann Napolitano 8. Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt 7. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin 6. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride 5. Horse – Geraldine Brooks 4. Tom Lake – Ann Patchett 3. Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver 2. The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese 1. Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
A dog lounges on his back with an open book.

What genre did you read most often in 2023?

A book stack appears next to the results of this question. Essay <1% Poetr <1% Science Fiction 1% Memoir 3% Other 3% Romance 4% Fantasy 5% Nonfiction 9% Historical Fiction 13% Mystery 19% Literary Fiction 43%
A person lounges on a comfortable chair with a cup of tea, wearing headphones and reading a book.

How do you prefer to read your books?

A pie chart shows the results. Paper books 60% eBooks 16% A combination 15% Audiobooks 9%
Two readers sit back to back in funky colors, books open.

What is your primary motivation to read?

A librarian shelves books beside the answers to this question: #1 Attend a book club, #2 Visit a new HCL location, #3 Check out more books, #4 Access the technology, #5 Spend time in meeting rooms, #6 Volunteer, #7 Get a recommendation from a librarian.
A penguin contemplates a stack of books.

What lesson or idea did you take away from a book in 2023?

There is always something to learn, even about things we are experts in.

The world is undergoing rapid change and many things that I was taught were wrong.

History is filled with leaps forward and backward. And repeats itself.

Be kind.

A collection of outstretched arms hold books of different colors.

How many books do you hope to read in 2024?

A bookcase with various amounts of books on each shelf to represent a bar graph. 1-10 4% 11-20 15% 21-30 15% 31-40 13% 41-50 14% 51+ 39%
Three readers open books. In one, butterflies fly out.

Where do you frequently discover your next read?

Varying sized circles correspond with the results. Library displays 1% Review journals 7% Other 10% Online articles 12% Just browsing! 13% Personal recommendations 14% A combination 26%
A shelf sits on the wall with various trinkets, books and plants.

Where do you pick up your books most often?

A librarian shelves books beside a bar graph illustrating the results. At the library 74% Online purchase 14% Local bookstore 11% Friend or family 1%
A person in a wheelchair selects a book at a library.

Do you have a memorable library experience you’d like to share?

The grand opening of Central Library, with employees clapping for the public as the doors opened … it was a remarkable testimony to the community for making the funding happen and the staff, who go above and beyond every day.

When I was out of a job, the library resources helped me search for a new one.

As a teenager it was a safe place to get books on subjects I had an interest in but would have not been accepted by my parents. You realize as an adult how important that is.

Every time I enter Hosmer I feel welcomed. I love that space and I believe my heart rate slows and my endorphin levels rise when I’m there.

Thank you Friend!

Thank you for your interest in our Friends reading survey!

To find your next favorite read, visit our library’s website today.