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Here's What Louisvillians Were Reading In 2016

Red hardcover book gutter with sewn pages flipping through the air ready for browsing. The cover has a shiny, plastic texture.
Horia Andrei VARLAN
Red hardcover book gutter with sewn pages flipping through the air ready for browsing. The cover has a shiny, plastic texture.

Mystery, intrigue, drama and -- gasp! -- murder.

In 2016, Louisvillians who checked out books -- both physical and electronic -- from the free public library system were looking for thrills. And, of course, abiding some broader trends.

For the second straight year, Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" was a top title (perhaps this year because the movie version came out). And again this year, Harper's Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" hung around in the Top 10.

Here, via the Louisville Free Public Library, are the Top 10 titles checked out in print and e-edition. In parentheses next to the titles are the number of times they were checked out.

Top 10 Print Books


  1. "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins (2,901)
  2. "Rogue Lawyer" by John Grisham (2,027)
  3. "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah (1,276)
  4. "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr (1,200)
  5. "The Guilty" by David Baldacci (1,170)
  6. "Fool Me Once" by Harlan Coben (1,058)
  7. (tie) "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee and "NYPD Red 4" by James Patterson (1,038)
  8. "The Last Mile" by David Baldacci (909)
  9. "See Me" by Nicholas Sparks (875)
  10. "Tricky Twenty-Two: Stephanie Plum Series" by Janet Evanovich (850)

Top 10 eBooks


  1. “The Martian: A Novel” by Andy Weir (531)
  2. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins (447)
  3. “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes (414)
  4. “Tricky Twenty-Two: Stephanie Plum Series” by Janet Evanovich (345)
  5. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham (310)
  6. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo (303)
  7. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah (288)
  8. “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt (268)
  9. “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak (260)
  10. “Make Me: Jack Reacher Series” by Lee Child (256)

If you want to compare and contrast, here's last year's list.

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