Having a lend: Brisbane’s most borrowed books of 2025 revealed

Bibliophiles in Brisbane turned a lot of pages in 2025, with more than 5.9 million books borrowed from the city’s libraries.

Authors including Brisbane’s Trent Dalton and self-help guru Mel Robbins were among the most popular with readers last year, according to library data released from Brisbane City Council.

Local reader and library fanatic Elena Koay said she read up to 30 books last year, with her top pick being Emma Carey’s autobiography The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a story that highlights her experience surviving a skydiving accident when her chute failed to open.

Brisbane readers Elena Koay and Mahad Ali shared what titles were their favourites of 2025.Credit: Brittney Deguara

“I come here [to the library] way too often … I sometimes stay for the AC [air conditioning],” she said.

Another reader, Mahad Ali, said his top picks included the late Matthew Perry’s autobiography Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Things, with more autobiographies on Ali’s radar for 2026.

Koay and Ali were among the 5 million people who visited Brisbane City Council’s 33 libraries and mobile libraries in 2025.

The most popular title out of the 5.9 million physical items borrowed last year was crime-fiction book We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. The book was borrowed more than 2300 times.

Other top books in the adult fiction category included In Too Deep by Richard Osman, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton and Nightshade by Michael Connelly.

In the non-fiction category top picks included The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, Wifedom by Anna Funder, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi and Geraldine Brooks’ Memorial Days.

Young readers were also active, with junior fictions including Anh Do’s WeirDO and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy ranking highly.

Council libraries also recorded a surge in e-books and audiobooks, with 2.1 million borrowed in 2025.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council libraries were some of the most loved places in the city.

“[The libraries are] helping kids discover reading, supporting lifelong learning and providing welcoming spaces to connect and unwind,” he said.

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