Most popular books at the library
'I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library,' said Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). Many of us agree. In the real world, the city library is often a haven away from the stress of daily life. So what do people take out of the library? What books are the most popular? Let’s have a look at what Swedes borrowed—the list differs a bit from city to city (and town to town) and not all libraries have statistics available to the public. But the libraries in Stockholm and Lund do, and they have presented their top 5 lists of books taken out. Says Fredrik Karlsson, head of unit at Malmö City Library: "The list is interesting because it mirrors society so well. We’ve been pushing to meet up with new communities in Malmö, and already on second place in the non-fiction list is the driver’s license book in Persian.” The lists also differ on a more local level: The most popular books in Malmö, for instance, are not the same as the most popular in nearby Lund.

These are the top five fiction books on the list from Stockholm:
1. ”Gustavs grabb, berättelsen om min klassresa” by Leif G.W. Persson
2. ”Felicia försvann” by Felicia Feldt
3. ”En dåres försvarstal” by August Strindberg
4. ”Grand final i skojarbranschen” by Kerstin Ekman
5. ”Jag är Zlatan Ibrahimovic” by Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The equivalent list from Lund:
1. ”Ett kort uppehåll på vägen från Auschwitz” by Göran Rosenberg
2. ”Liknelseboken” by Per Olov Enquist
3. ”En man som heter Ove” by Fredrik Backman
4. ”Jag är Zlatan” by Zlatan Ibrahimovic
5. ”Sandmannen” by Lars Keppler

The five most popular children’s books in Stockholm libraries:
1. ”Jagger Jagger” by Frida Nilsson
2. ”Dagens katastrofer” by Cilla Jackert
3. ”En sekund i taget” by Sofia Nordin
4. "Flickan vid glastornet” by Erika Vallin
5. ”Josefin” by Maria Gripe