This year’s most popular title from ACT libraries’ 1.4 million borrowed items was Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

Local author Chris Hammer claimed the second spot with The Valley, a gripping mystery set in a remote mountain community.

Nagi Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats Tonight took the top spot for non-fiction.

Mystery and detective fiction also held strong, with page-turners from Dervla McTiernan and Richard Osman among the most borrowed. Meanwhile, young adult readers flocked to Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping and Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Top five titles across all formats (including audio)

1. Orbital – Samantha Harvey
   2. The Valley – Chris Hammer
   3. In Too Deep – Lee Child
   4. The Unquiet Grave – Dervla McTiernan
   5. RecipeTin Eats Tonight – Nagi Maehashi

Top 5 reads for 2025 by genre

Top Five Adult Fiction
1. Orbital – Samantha Harvey
2. The Valley – Chris Hammer
3. The Unquiet Grave – Dervla McTiernan
4. In Too Deep – Lee Child
5. Lyrebird – Jane Caro

Top Five Young Adult Fiction & Graphic Novels
1. Sunrise on the Reaping – Suzanne Collins
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas

Top Five Books by ACT Authors
1. The Valley – Chris Hammer
2. Smoke – Michael Brissenden 
3. Legacy – Chris Hammer
4. The Seven – Chris Hammer
5. The Deed – Susannah Begbie

Top Five Non-Fiction
1. RecipeTin Eats Tonight – Nagi Maehashi
2. The Season – Helen Garner
3. Memorial days – Geraldine Brooks
4. The Let Them Theory – Mel Robbins
5. The Salt Path – Raynor Winn

Top Five Junior Fiction & Graphic Novels series
1. Dog Man Series – Dav Pilkey
2. Ninja Kid Series – Anh Do
3. Wings of Fire Series – Tui Sutherland
4. Wolf Girl Series – Anh Do
5. Treehouse Series – Andy Griffiths