In late December, we asked the Vancouver Public Library to tell us which books were the most frequently borrowed in 2010. Among the titles that topped the city's charts were all three books in the popular Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, and two books from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. The rest of the list included a Sue Grafton mystery, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and two Canadian titles: Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood and B.C. writer Annabel Lyon's The Golden Mean.

Outside, the Olympics transformed the city into something between a college keg party and Disneyland's "It's a Small World" ride, bike lanes (and road rage) expanded in the downtown core, and Justin Bieber took the west coast by storm. Inside, safe amongst the VPL's tall, sturdy, stacks, Vancouver readers were absorbed in stories of love struck teenage vampires, sexy Swedish computer hackers, and cryptic puzzles in the topsy-turvy tradition of The Da Vinci Code.

In a year that also included a devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the international scandal of Wikileaks, Vancouverites were looking for escapist entertainment and a little Gladwell-approved guidance.

This led us to start thinking about what the most popular books were in other parts of the province, and what they might reveal about the concerns and interests of B.C.'s farther-flung communities. We asked librarians from all over British Columbia to help us compile the most-borrowed book data from last year for their communities.

Save for a few blockbuster favourites, we're happy to report that the lists are all quite different. There's plenty of local talent, literary prize-winners, and even some manga. Read on to find out what books were the most popular of 2010 in towns and cities across British Columbia.

Fort Nelson, where Garfield's a fave

At Fort Nelson Public Library, we contacted librarian Joan Davidson to get an idea of the most popular books in northern British Columbia. In a town with only about 5,000 full-time residents, the library has an astounding 40,000 books on its shelves. With all those options available, here's what Fort Nelson readers were most interested in last year.

• 1. Stanley Advanced Plumbing: Pro Tips and Simple Steps edited by Ken Sidey
• 2. The 8th Garfield Treasury by Jim Davis
• 3. Split Image by Robert Parker
• 4. The First Rule by Robert Crais
• 5. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
• 6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• 7. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The following titles were tied for number of circulations:

• Big Girl by Danielle Steel
• Dead in Dixie by Charlaine Harris
• House Rules by Jodi Picould
• Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
• The Wild Zone by Joy Fielding
• Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Cranbrook is Steele country

Near the Alberta border, at Cranbrook Public Library, chief librarian Ursula Brigl assisted us -- as she does with her library's many visitors -- in finding these titles. Included in the top ten most-borrowed items is a UK television series, Blue Murder.

• 1. Big Girl by Danielle Steele
• 2. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
• 3. Shattered by Karen Robards
• 4. The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark
• 5. Caught by Harlan Coben
• 6. Blue Murder (DVD)
• 7. The Black Cat: A Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes
• 8. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
• 9. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan C. Bradley
• 10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

On Vancouver Island, the libraries are all linked together as branches of the Vancouver Island Regional Library. The Tyee spoke with Michael deLeur at the Port Alberni branch, who helped us compile the information below. There are two DVDs on this list of the Island's most-requested catalogue items, as well as the recent Giller Prize recipient, Johanna Skibsrud's The Sentimentalists.

• 1. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
• 2. Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
• 3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• 4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (DVD)
• 5. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
• 6. The Confession by John Grisham
• 7. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
• 8. The Sentimentalists: A Novel by Johanna Skibsrud
• 9. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton
• 10. Inception (DVD)

Hazelton, wolves and vampires

At Hazelton Public Library, about 1,200 kilometres to the northwest of the Lower Mainland, librarian Ruth Cooper gave us her expert opinion on which books were the most frequently borrowed in 2010. Stieg Larsson tops the charts again, but the rest of the list -- some of which was picked by a local book club -- shows excellent diversity, including fiction, autobiography, and manga.

• 1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• 2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• 3. The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge
• 4. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• 5. City Wolves by Doris Heffron
• 6. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
• 7. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
• 8. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
• 9. Ernest by Cathryn Rayner (a children's easy reader)
• 10. Bleach by Tie Kubo (juvenile manga series)

Sechelt, lair of dragons

In Sechelt, assistant librarian and head of technical services Rose Toenders went above and beyond The Tyee's request and provided not only the top ten books with local readers, but also compiled the top ten book club selections from last year. "We have a lot of book clubs here in Sechelt," said Toenders, and the library makes sure to stock extra copies of the books on their reading lists.

Sechelt Library's Top Ten

• 1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• 2. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton
• 3. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
• 4. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
• 5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
• 6. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
• 7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
• 8. Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
• 9. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
• 10. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Local Book Clubs' Top Ten

• 1. The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon
• 2. The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre
• 3. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• 4. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
• 5. The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
• 6. Brutal Telling by Louise Penney
• 7. Reading By Lightning by Joan Thomas
• 8. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
• 9. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
• 10. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

So it wasn't just Vancouver. In 2010, readers all over the province were enamoured with Stieg Larsson's trilogy and Stephenie Meyer's adolescent bloodsuckers. Outside of the Lower Mainland, though, other books were also in high demand. Award winning authors like Lawrence Hill, Linden MacIntyre, and Anne Michaels were matched in popularity by graphic novels and Garfield. Canadian authors and small time presses were represented alongside John Grisham, Ken Follett, and Danielle Steele. Informative reads (a plumbing manual and a pop-neurology book) were as frequently borrowed as some blockbuster novels.

Clearly, British Columbians have a wide range of interests. Fortunately, according to a recent article in The National Post, book lovers won't be lacking in new reading materials in the coming year.

What books did you enjoy last year, and what are you looking forward to reading in 2011?