Long waiting lists for popular library books | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Thrillers 61 Hours and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo have got residents hooked, with 724 people in the city waiting to borrow copies from their local library.

Lee Child's 61 Hours heads the list of the current top 10 most requested books at city libraries, with 379 requests.

In second place with 345 is Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - the first in a trilogy featuring investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer-hacker Lisbeth Salander.

Larsson's two other instalments, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest and The Girl Who Played with Fire also feature on the list, coming in at third and sixth place.

Released in 2008, the popularity of Larsson's first novel has continued to gain momentum, along with 61 Hours, which was released last month.

St Albans resident Tim Glubb waited about six weeks to get his hands on a library copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and said it was worth waiting for.

"It's an excellent read. A little difficult to get into but well worth reading," he said.

He has also finished the second book, and is number 38 on the waiting list for The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.

City council libraries and information manager Carolyn Robertson said queues for books were constantly monitored and staff aimed to get a requested copy to readers within four months.

The top 10 list helped staff gauge which titles were most sought after.

The number of requests placed on titles has increased over the last two years, said Mrs Robertson.

A Swedish journalist, Larsson died of a heart attack after delivering the series to his publisher and did not live to see the novels become a success. His books have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.