By the Austin Daily Herald and Tracy Mumford

Austin Page Turners selections continue to lead the way for books checked out at the Austin Public Library.

In 2016, Austin readers checked out 72,260 adult fiction and nonfiction books. The top two books checked out both came from 2016 Page Turners author Allen Eskens. “The Life We Bury,” the 2016 Austin citywide read selection, was the most checked out fiction book of 2016, followed by Eskens’ followup “The Guise of Another.”

The Austin Page Turners select a book for a citywide read each year, and the author appears at the library each spring. Page Turners books have been mainstays among Austin’s most checked out fiction reads in recent years. “Vacationland” by Sarah Stonich was No. 3 in 2015, “The Cartographer of No Man’s Land” by P.S. Duffy was No. 1 in 2014, “Safe from the Sea” by Peter Geye was No. 1 in 2013, and “Deadly Reunion” by Ron Handberg was No. 2 in 2012.

Austin native Ann Hope Jahren’s “Lab Girl” was also a hot commodity in 2016, as she was the second most checked out nonfiction book in Austin behind the “Minnesota Driver’s Manual.”

Across the state, several signs show Minnesota loves its libraries: The state’s library systems have more than 3.8 million registered users, out of a population of roughly 5.5 million.

Combined, the libraries make more than 52 million loans of books, e-books, DVDs and other items in a year.

So what was at the top of the lending list in 2016?

Libraries from around the state shared their most popular items of 2016. Each library keeps records in a different manner — some mix genres, some separate out children’s books — but taken together, it provides a fascinating portrait of what Minnesotans are reading.

An overwhelming trend jumps out: Minnesota loves its mysteries and thrillers, especially those with local connections. “The Girl on the Train” appears to be the most checked-out book for adults across the whole state, and Minnesota writers John Sandford and William Kent Krueger make frequent appearances on the lists.

—Tracy Mumford is a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio, can be found at www.mpr.org and locally at 90.1 FM.

Here’s what Minnesota’s reading

Austin Public Library

Fiction

1. “The Life We Bury” by Allen Eskens

2. “The Guise of Another” by Allen Eskens

3. “See Me” by Nicholas Sparks

4. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

5. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

6. “Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

7. “Murder House” by James Patterson

8. “15th Affair” by James Patterson

9. “Good Night Mr. Wodehouse” by Faith Sullivan

10. “Last Mile” by David Baldacci

Nonfiction

1. “Minnesota Drivers Manual” (English #1 and Spanish #3)

2. “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren

3. “Conquering the Odds: The Journey of a Shepherd Girl” by Habibo Haji

4. “Guinness Book of World Records”

5. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi

6. “Boys in the boat: Nine American and Their Epic Quest for God at the 1936 Olympics” by Daniel Brown

7. “A Pictoral History of Austin Minnesota” by Brad Fenison and the Mower County Historical Society

8. “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up” by Marie Kondo

9. “Whole 30: The 30 Day guide to Total Health and Food Freedom” by Melissa Hartwig

10. “Thirty Rooms to Hide in: Insanity, Addiction, and Rock N Roll in the Shadow of the Mayo Clinic” by Luke Sullivan

Hennepin County Library

The Hennepin County Library system includes 41 libraries that serve 1.2 million county residents.

Fiction

1. “Manitou Canyon” by William Kent Krueger

2. “Night School” by Lee Child

3. “Escape Clause” by John Sandford

4. “The Whistler” by John Grisham

5. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

6. “Commonwealth” by Ann Patchett

7. “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman

8. “Order to Kill” by Vince Flynn

9. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

10. “The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by Michael Connelly

11. “The Sixth Idea” by P.J. Tracy

12. “Home” by Harlan Coben

13. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

14. “Living Color” by Jodi Picoult

15. “Truly Madly Guilty” by Liane Moriarty

16. “Private Sydney” by James Patterson

17. “The Girls” by Emma Cline

18. “Bullseye” by James Patterson

19. “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead

20. “A Great Reckoning” by Louise Penny

21. “The Woman in Cabin Ten” by Ruth Ware

22. “The Last Mile” by David Baldacci

23. “LaRose” by Louise Erdrich

24. “The Games” by James Patterson

25. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah

Nonfiction

1. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany

Yes, it’s strange to see “Harry Potter” on the nonfiction list. No, this doesn’t mean that Hogwarts is real. Library of Congress categorization puts plays in the nonfiction category, and this latest from Rowling was a scripted sequel to her mega-franchise.

2. “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance

3. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi

4. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

5. “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel Brown

6. “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo” by Amy Schumer

7. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

8. “Strangers in Their Own Load” by Arlie Russell Hochschild

9. “The Magnolia Story” by Chip Gaines

10. “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande

11. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo

12. “Hero of the Empire” by Candice Millard

13. “Killing the Rising Sun” by Bill O’Reilly

14. “Filthy Rich” by James Patterson

15. “White Trash” by Nancy Isenberg

16. “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer

17. “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” by Ree Drummond

18. “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow

19. “American Heiress” by Jeffrey Toobin

20. “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond

21. “The Light of the World” by Elizabeth Alexander

22. “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben

23. “Quiet” by Susan Cain

24. “It’s Okay to Laugh” by Nora McInerny Purmort

25. “A Good Time for the Truth,” edited by Sun Yung Shin

St. Paul Public Library

The St. Paul Public Library system has more than 10 branches around the city.

Fiction

1. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

2. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

3. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

4. “My Name Is Lucy Barton” by Elizabeth Strout

5. “Fates and Furies” by Lauren Groff

6. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah

7. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham

8. “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee

9. “LaRose” by Louise Erdrich

10. “Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

Nonfiction

1. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

2. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi

3. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo

4. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (see above)

5. “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande

6. “The Road to Little Dribbling” by Bill Bryson

7. “H Is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald

8. “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren

9. “The Witches” by Stacy Schiff

10. “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown

Rochester Public Library

Fiction

1. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

2. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

3. “See Me” by Nicolas Sparks

4. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham

5. “The Survivor” by Vince Flynn

6. “The Martian” by Andy Weir

7. “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee

8. “Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

9. “Make Me” by Lee Child

10. “The Nest” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Nonfiction

1. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi

2. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo

3. “Spark Joy” by Marie Kondo

4. The Minnesota drivers manual

5. “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande

6. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

7. “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel Brown

8. “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough

9. “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance

10. “Thirty Rooms to Hide In: Insanity, Addiction, and Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Shadow of the Mayo Clinic” by Luke Sullivan

Stillwater Public Library

The Stillwater Public Library is part of the Washington County Library system. The list below is limited to Stillwater’s circulation, where readers obviously have a taste for travel.

1. “Dead Wake” by Erik Larson

2. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

3. “Fodor’s Italy”

4. “Rick Steve’s Spain”

5. “Make Me” by Lee Child

6. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

7. “Our Souls at Night” by Kent Haruf

8. “Fodor’s Florida”

9. “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed

10. “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger

Kitchigami Regional Library

The Kitchigami Regional Library system has nine branches spread across five northern Minnesota counties. Their records for physical books are not available for 2016; below is a list of the most popular ebooks. For northern Minnesota residents who borrow e-books from the library, thrillers reign supreme.

e-Books

1. “Find Her” by Lisa Gardner

2. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

3. “15th Affair” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

4. “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman

5. “The Last Mile” by David Baldacci

6. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham

7. “Million Dollar Baby” by Lisa Jackson

8. “The Bitter Season” by Tami Hoag

9. “Blue” by Danielle Steel

10. “Fool Me Once” by Harlan Coben

Duluth Public Library

1. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

2. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

3. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney

4. “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel Brown

5. “Goodbye to the Dead” by Brian Freeman

6. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah

7. “Guinness World Records”

8. “Hillsider: Snapshots of a Curious Political Journey” by Don Ness

9. “Garfield” books by Jim Davis

10. “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman

Winona Public Library

The most popular book overall at Winona Public Library in 2016 was “Pokemon Adventures.” (No one could escape Pokemon fever.. Pokemon aside, below is a list of the most popular books for adults, minus tax instructions.

1. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

2. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

3. “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes

4. “Yotsuba” by Kiyohiko Azuma

5. “See Me” by Nicholas Sparks

6. “Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

7. “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee

8. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

9. “Cross Justice” by James Patterson

10. “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande

Lake Agassiz Regional Library

The Lake Agassiz Regional Library system serves residents in seven northwest Minnesota counties, with 13 branch libraries. Readers in the area clearly love thrillers: The only two books in the top 20 that aren’t thrillers or mysteries are a pair of dramas set against the backdrop of World War II.

1. “15th Affair” by James Patterson

2. “Alert” by Michael Ledwidge and James Patterson

3. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

4. “Bitter Season” by Tami Hoag

5. “Cross Justice” by James Patterson

6. “Crossing” by Michael Connelly

7. “Extreme Prey” by John Sandford

8. “Fool Me Once” by Harlan Coben

9. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

10. “Guilty” by David Baldacci

11. “Last Mile” by David Baldacci

12. “Make Me” by Lee Child

13. “Murder House” by James Patterson

14. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah

15. “Off the Grid” by C.J. Box

16. “Private Paris” by James Patterson

17. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham

18. “See Me” by Nicholas Sparks

19. “Tricky Twenty-Two” by Janet Evanovich

20. “X” by Sue Grafton