Release date: 31 March 2025
They all have links to Sussex and all appear in your ‘100 favourite authors’ list published by our West Sussex Library Service, which this year has a packed year of events as it celebrates 100 years of being in the heart of the community.
If you are not already a member of the library, and would like to join in with the celebrations, it’s quick and easy to sign up if you live or work in the county. Visit your local library or join online.
West Sussex residents nominated their most-loved authors and Griffiths, Austen and James were the top three in a list that spans such diverse genres as fantasy, crime fiction, children’s and horror, as well as domestic noir, historical romance and humour.
Local links
Other authors with local links that make the most popular list include Richard Osman who grew up in Haywards Heath, Kate Mosse who lives in Chichester, and Philippa Gregory who lived at Pagham Harbour as a young woman which she also made the setting of her novel Dawnlands. Author Elly Griffiths lives near Brighton and Peter James was born there.
Steyning-based children’s author Julia Donaldson is also on the list, and her famous character The Gruffalo has a special place in the service’s 100 year celebrations, in the shape of a library card designed especially for the centenary.
World famous English novelist Jane Austen’s local link is to Worthing. In 1805 she stayed in Warwick Street with her mother, sister Cassandra, and a friend. She later drew on her observations of early Worthing for her final and unfinished novel Sanditon, the story of an up-and-coming seaside resort in Sussex.
Did you know?
Every week in our 36 libraries that are open Monday to Saturday there are:
- 42,000 customer visits
- 61,000 books (and other items) borrowed
- 3,000 people helped online
- 2,500 enquiries answered
- 3,000 people attending library events
- 315 hours of time given by volunteers.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Cabinet member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue said: “Our libraries certainly deliver our corporate priority of helping people and communities fulfil their potential. Our libraries help to inform, educate, and entertain our residents, as well as providing a welcoming place for people to come together.
“Reading is proven to significantly reduce feelings of loneliness, enhance empathy and increase self-esteem, as well as being a hugely enjoyable hobby.
“We have tens of thousands of books available for residents to borrow free of charge. They can search our online catalogue to reserve a title for collection from their local library or visit any of our 36 libraries to browse the shelves or pick up their reservation.
“We also have thousands of titles available for members to access for free via our eLibrary.”
View the top authors list here: 100 favourite authors - West Sussex. You can click on the name of each author which will bring up a list of their books that are available in West Sussex libraries, plus a synopsis of what each book is about.
Find out what is happening to celebrate the library service’s centenary here: arena.westsussex.gov.uk/centenary.
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