From true-life tales of a struggling royal to a fictional story of someone battling isolation – prisoners had a busy year of reading at HMP Grampian.
We asked Aberdeenshire Council, which runs the prison library, what inmates were reading in 2024 – and the results perhaps an insight into what makes prisoners tick.
By far the most popular page-turner throughout the year was Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare.
It tells the story of the prince’s upbringing as he grieved for his mother, Diana of Prince of Wales, after she was killed in a tragic car crash in Paris.
The book also details Harry’s time in the armed forces on deployment in Afghanistan, as well as his relationship with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles.
Spare was most popular and third most popular book borrowed from the prison library in 2024, as there are two slightly different versions available to be borrowed.
Stories of isolation
In second spot was Gail Honeyman’s 2017 novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
It tells the story of a social misfit with a traumatic past who meets a singer.
The book deals with themes of isolation and loneliness with the protagonist going on a journey of self-discovery.
The fourth most popular book was RJ Palacio’s children’s novel Wonder, which tells the story of an American boy who is bullied for having a severe facial deformity.
However, the protagonist is praised for standing up to the bullies and wins an award and the support of his peers.
Next is Matt Haig’s 2020 Sliding Doors-style novel The Midnight Library – the fictional tale of a woman given a chance to live parts of her life again.
Sixth on the list is Rebecca Jarros’s fantasy novel Iron Flame – the follow up to her hit book Fourth Wing.
Wimpy Kid series popular
Featuring dragons, a rebel army and a war of the ages, the series gained popularity in 2023 when the first two instalments were released within months of each other.
But there was no doubt which writer HMP Grampian inmates loved the most in 2024.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney had no less than three titles on the top-10 most-borrowed list.
The first of these was The Meltdown – in seventh place. It is the 13th book in the Wimpy Kid series.
Next came The Third Wheel, followed by Dog Days.
Many of the books in this series deal with the themes of loneliness and isolation.
But they also deal with overcoming introvertive instincts to seek adventure out in the world.
Completing the top 10 was Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight – a novel that was later made into a multi-part film series about a girl who befriends a werewolf and a vampire.
No more gangs or drug moguls
The top 10 list is a departure from the subject matter that featured on the same list in 2020.
Back then, prisoners were hooked on tales of Britain’s biggest armed robberies and Mexican drug lord El Chapo.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “The SPS actively encourages those in our care to engage in activities that develop reading and literacy skills and welcome any interest shown by offenders in accessing library services.
“Our library provisions are as varied as libraries in the wider community, reflecting a wide range of interests among those in our care.”
Prisoners have also been keeping themselves busy this year with a new running club – and one inmate told us he would “probably be dead” without it.
Book fans loved The Cage
Along with revealing details of what prisoners were reading last year, Aberdeenshire Council also told us what visitors to the county’s other 32 libraries were borrowing most.
Fiction was the clear winner, with only one title being non-fiction.
That was Rory Stewart’s memoir Politics on the Edge, focusing on his time as a Conservative MP,
The most popular book for Aberdeenshire readers last year was The Cage by Quintin Jardine.
It is the Scottish author’s latest of 35 books, following the success of 2022’s hit Open Season.
The only other Scottish author making the list was north-east-based Stuart MacBride for his 2023 crime thriller The Dead of Winter – which begins with a detective picking up a prisoner from HMP Grampian.
Vikings and dragons
Despite the increasing popularity of streaming services, you can still borrow DVDs from many Aberdeenshire libraries.
The most frequently borrowed DVD in 2024 was zombie apocalypse TV series The Last of Us, followed by Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
In third place was American Gods and then Vikings seasons one and two made up the next two places.
BBC hit gangster series Peaky Blinders came next, followed by Prey, a film from the sci-fi Predator series released in 2022.
Completing the list were The Boys, American Gods season two and Vikings season three.
The figures, provided under freedom of information law, show parents are making use of libraries in Aberdeenshire for their children.
Many children’s titles – both books and DVDs – feature on the most-borrowed list.
Kids loved titles by David Walliams, illustrator Alison Murray and cartoonist Dav Pikley, among others.