What do this week’s bestseller lists tell us about books and the book-buying habits of fellowÌýCanadians?
I’m filling in for the editor who normally prepares these lists. She knows a lot. I do not. Although I am extremely well read in some areas (classic literature, such as Henry James) I am almost completely ignorant in others (Canadian books). I’m an outsider. It’s a dreadful handicap here.
Looking at books this week in Canada through this lens, I see there are a number of new works, which probably means it’s publishing season. Original fiction welcomes titles by Robert Galbraith, otherwise known as J.K. Rowling, (“The Hallmarked Man”);ÌýJ.D. Robb (“Framed in Death”);ÌýRebeccaÌýRoss (“Wild Reverence”). A couple of policiers and a fantasy novel. You can go for the grit or leave it behindÌý….Ìý
Non-fiction sees books new to it, too: “Sister Wife” byÌýChristine Brown Woolley; “21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government” byÌýBob Joseph; and “All the Way to the River” byÌýElizabeth Gilbert. I know next to nothing aboutÌýIndigenous self-government, and I probably should. Hmm. A journey away from polygamy? Well, it won’t be dull. And a book by the author of “Eat Pray Love,” about love and loss, addiction and recovery, grief and liberation. Clearly, that will have mass appeal.Ìý
Is it time to visit your local bookstore in search of something new?
I’ll likely visit mine.
ORIGINAL FICTION
1. The Hallmarked Man, Robert Galbraith,ÌýMulholland (1)*
2. Katabasis , RF Kuang, Harper Voyager (2)
3. Framed in Death, J.D. Robb, St. Martin’s Press (1)
4.ÌýShe Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena, Doubleday Canada (6)
5. The Edge, David Baldacci, Grand Central (3)
6.ÌýBroken Country, Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster (23)
7.ÌýMy Friends,ÌýFredrik Backman, Simon & Schuster (19)
8. Wild Reverence, RebeccaÌýRoss, Saturday Books (1)
9.ÌýDon’t Let Him In, Lisa Jewell, Atria (10)
10.ÌýAtmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Doubleday Canada (14)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. Sister Wife, Christine Brown Woolley, Gallery (1)
2.ÌýMother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy, Simon & Schuster (2)
3.ÌýA Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada (2)
4. 21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government, Bob Joseph, Page Two (1)
5.ÌýRock Star, Jennifer Jones, Collins (3)
6.ÌýThe Serviceberry,ÌýRobin Wall Kimmerer, Scribner (41)
7.ÌýThe Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, Penguin (62)
8. All the Way to the River, Elizabeth Gilbert, Riverhead (1)
9.ÌýAn Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre, Random House Canada (4)
10.ÌýThe Old Farmer’s Almanac (2026 Canadian edition), Old Farmer’s Almanac (4)
CANADIAN FICTION
1.ÌýShe Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena, Doubleday Canada
2. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, McClelland & Stewart
3. The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny, Minotaur Books
4. On Wings of Blood (Deluxe Edition), Briar Boleyn, MIRA
5.ÌýShip of Dreams, Donna Jones Alward, One More Chapter
6.ÌýOne Golden Summer, Carley Fortune, Viking
7.ÌýEvery Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking
8.ÌýFinding Flora, Elinor Florence, Simon & Schuster
9.ÌýJenny Cooper Has a Secret, Joy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
10.ÌýPeople Watching, Hannah Bonam-Young, Dell
CANADIAN NON-FICTION
1.ÌýA Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada
2.Ìý21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government, Bob Joseph, Page Two
3.ÌýRock Star, Jennifer Jones, Collins
4.ÌýValue(s),ÌýMark Carney, Signal
5.ÌýAn Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre, Random House Canada
6. Decolonization and Me, Phyllis Webstad; Kristy McLeod, Medicine Wheel Education
7. Kihiani , Susan Aglukark; Andrea Warner, HarperCollins Canada
8.ÌýOne Day, Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This,ÌýOmar El Akkad, McClelland & Stewart
9.Ìý52 Ways to Reconcile, David A. Robertson,ÌýMcClelland & Stewart
10.ÌýA Steady Brightness of Being, Sara Sinclair, Stephanie Sinclair, Penguin CanadaÌý
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT
1.ÌýFearful, Lauren Roberts, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween, Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry, Clarion
3.ÌýBig Nate: No Harm Done!, Lincoln Peirce, Andrews McMeel
4. Hansel and Gretel, Stephen King; Maurice Sendak, HarperCollins
5. Minecraft 5-Minute Stories, Christy Webster; Alan Batson, Random House Books for Young Readers
6.ÌýSunrise on the Reaping,ÌýSuzanne Collins, Scholastic
7.ÌýFalling Like Leaves, Misty Wilson, Margaret K. McElderry Books
8. Powerless, Lauren Roberts,ÌýSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
9. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins: a Graphic Novel (Dog Man #13), Dav Pilkey, Graphix
10.ÌýThe Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle, Penguin Young Readers Group
HEALTH AND FITNESS
1. Unbreakable, Vonda Wright, Rodale
2. It Doesn’t Have to Hurt, Sanjay Gupta,ÌýSimon & Schuster
3. When the Body Says No, Gabor Maté, Vintage Canada
4. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, Workman
5. The Menopause Manifesto, Jen Gunter, Random House Canada
6. How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend, Rachel Barr, DK
7. Super Agers, Eric Topol,ÌýSimon & Schuster
8. The New Menopause, Mary Claire Haver, Rodale
9. Super Gut, William Davis, Collins
10.ÌýCome As You Are (Updated), Emily Nagoski,ÌýSimon & Schuster
*Weeks on list
The bestseller lists are compiled by º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍø Limited from information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.
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