Travelodge has revealed the books that were left behind most frequently in its Scottish hotels in 2022.
The largest budget chain in Scotland has shared its Books Left Behind Index report, which highlights the most common books that its approximately 20 million annual customers have left behind following their stay at one of its 41 Scottish hotels over the last 12 months.
According to Travelodge, there has been a significant rise in the number of customers leaving behind paperback books since the end of the Covid-19 lockdown. The most popular types of books left behind across Scotland Travelodge hotels include novels that are or have been adapted into a movie or TV series.
The number one most popular book left behind in 2022 was The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, which is the sequel to his popular 2020 novel The Thursday Murder Club—which also appears at number six. The latter is currently in the process of being adapted into a Hollywood film by Steven Spielberg's production company.
Following behind in second place on the list is It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, which has sold more than one million copies worldwide. Like The Thursday Murder Club, it is being adapted into a film, with actress
Blake Livelyset to star.
Rounding out the top five are A Game Of Thrones: Fire and Blood by George RR Martin, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Dr Julie Smith. The former has been adapted into the hit HBO series House of the Dragon, while a film based on Where The Crawdads Sing became a box office hit in 2022.
Other books to appear on the list include The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr, and Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie.
In response to the large number of books being left in Travelodge hotels during the last 12 months, the hotel chain conducted an independent book study with 2,000 adults to find out the nation’s reading habits. Key findings from the study revealed that 72 per cent of Scots enjoy reading a book and 52 per cent of these readers enjoy reading a paperback book.
Additionally, nearly 29 per cent of Scottish adults reported that they will read two books each month, whilst 21 per cent of Scottish book worms reported that they will read on average four books each month and 22 per cent of adults reported that they read one book each month. The study also revealed that Scots favourite types of books to read are: crime, fiction, thriller, mystery and romance.
The top 20 books left behind in Travelodge hotels across Scotland during 2022
- The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman
- It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover
- A Game Of Thrones: Fire and Blood, George RR Martin
- Where The Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
- Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before, Dr Julie Smith
- The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman
- The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
- Bridgerton: The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn
- The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
- Harry Potter & The Philosophers Stone, JK Rowling
- And Away, Bob Mortimer
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Judith Kerr
- Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
- Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
- Atomic Habits, James Clear
- Paddington: The Original Story, Michael Bond
- The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, Charlie Mackesy
- The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
- Queen of our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, Robert Hardman
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
