2022 Friends of HCL Reading Survey Results

Illustration of Black woman reading a book

How many books are you planning to read in 2022?

Results for survey question: How many books are you planning to read in 2022? 1 through 5:1%, 6 through10: 3%, 11 through 20: 15%, 21 through 30: 18%, 31 through 50: 25%, 51+: 38%
Illustration of hands holding an open book on a purple and pink background

Is there a genre you’d like to read more of this year?

Results for survey question: Is there a genre you’d like to read more of this year? Fiction: 48%, Nonfiction: 39%, History: 27%, Mystery: 23%, Biography: 23%, Poetry: 13%, Young Adult Fiction: 8%, Essays: 7%, Fantasy: 5%, Romance: 4%
Illustration of diverse group of people reading books in paper, audio and electronic formats

How do you like to read your books?

Results for survey question: How do you like to read your books? Paper books: 84%, E-books: 39%, Audiobooks: 27%
Illustration of a woman selecting a book from a bookshelf

Where do you most often find your books?

Survey results for question: Where do you most often find your books? The library: 71%, Online purchase: 13%, Local bookstore: 13%, Borrowing from friends/family: 3%
Illustration of a couple watching TV

What is your favorite movie or TV show based on a book?

Survey results for question: What is your favorite movie or TV show based on a book? Top seven include: Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, All Creatures Great and Small, Harry Potter, Outlander, Lord of the Rings, Agatha Christie mysteries
A woman with gray hair and red glasses reading a book

What is the best book you read in 2021?

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (11) The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (11) Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (10) The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (10) A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (9) Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (7) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Illustration of an adult reading to a child

What inspires you to read?

Survey results for question: What inspires you to read?: To learn, To understand people different from me, To escape to different worlds/situations, Entertainment, A lifelong love of reading
Illustration of a person reading a book and holding cup of coffee on a blue background

How do you make time for reading in your life?

Reading has been as much a part of my daily life as eating or sleeping; it's something I've always done since I was a child. There's rarely a day that I don't read. Reading nourishes my soul and my spirit; it sustains me.

Bobbi P.

Prioritization. I cut out things that give me less satisfaction than reading, primarily television and social media.

Bob W.

I listen to audiobooks in the car. I spend most of Saturday/Shabbat afternoon with a book. And, I always read before I go to sleep.

Elizabeth D.
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.