Sonoma County Library's top 10 books of 2016

Finding meaning in the midst of war and persecution, struggling to create justice in an unjust society, coping with imminent death. These are the weighty topics that engaged Sonoma County Library patrons in 2016.

Throughout the county's library system, Ta-Nehisi Coates' “Between the World and Me” topped the list. It deals with the heritage of slavery in today's America, and how that plays out in the lives of African Americans and all Americans.

It also is this year's selection for the Community Read: Sonoma County Reads program, which is sponsored by the library, Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma State University, the Sonoma County Office of Education, KRCB North Bay Public Media, Creative Sonoma and Copperfield's books.

Perennial best-selling authors John Grisham, Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly hold their rightful places in the list.

Notable is the presence of two titles relating to World War II: “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, an intricate and surprising story told extremely well; and “The Nightingale,” by Kristin Hannah, which deals with the French Resistance and the fate of Jews in France.

Aside from “Between the World and Me,” the only other nonfiction title on the list is Paul Kalanithi's “When Breath Becomes Air,” the story of Kalanithi's struggle to find meaning following a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer at 36.

“Sonoma County's reading public is clearly not afraid of difficult and controversial books, but it is also clear that we love our suspenseful books,” said David Dodd, Sonoma County Library's collections manager.

“Reading the books that deal with these topics, as well as those that allow us insight into the lives of criminals and the oppressed, is what helps create empathy and understanding. That's why we read, and that's a major role of the public library in society at large.”

Top titles and the number of times they were checked out:

1. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, 1,305

2. “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins, 1,108

3. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, 1,042

4. “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah, 881

5. “My Name is Lucy Barton” by Elizabeth Strout, 863

6. “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham, 821

7. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi, 778

8. “X” by Sue Grafton, 773

9. “The Crossing” by Michael Connelly, 699

10. “The Nest” by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, 693

View the synopsis of each book in the gallery above. Did you read any good books this year? Share in the comments.