Here are the bestselling Canadian fiction, nonfiction and children’s books from Oct. 11-18.

Bestseller lists are compiled by Bookmanager using weekly sales stats from more than 260 Canadian independent stores.

Canadian fictionA book cover with colourful nails. A headshot of a woman with black hair in front of a purple background.Pick a Colour is a book by Souvankham Thammavongsa. (Knopf Canada, Steph Martyniuk)

Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa is the #1 Canadian fiction book this week.

Pick A Colour tells the story of the day in the life of Ning, a retired boxer who works at a nail salon. Ning paints and polishes customers’ nails, falling into the routine and rhythms. But despite her anonymous exterior, she’s an intellectual, a deep thinker and is haunted by the roads not taken. 

Pick A Colour is a finalist for the 2025 Giller Prize.

See the full Canadian fiction list below:

Pick A Colour by Souvankham ThammavongsaThe Paris Express by Emma DonoghueThe Marionette by Terry FallisWe Love You, Bunny by Mona AwadFinal Orbit by Chris HadfieldThe Spirit of Scatarie by Lesley CreweBunny by Mona AwadThe Life Cycle of a Common Octopus by Emma KnightSnap by Susin NielsenThe Grey Wolf by Louise PennyCanadian nonfictionA photo composite that features a man in a canoe on the left and a book cover with snowy mountains on it, on the right. Vanished Beyond the Map is a book by Adam Shoalts. (Allen Lane, Penguin Canada)

Vanished Beyond the Map by Adam Shoalts is the #1 Canadian nonfiction book this week.

In Vanished Beyond the Map, Shoalts retraces the footsteps of explorer Hubert Darrell, who mysteriously disappeared in November 1910 in the remote wilds of the Northwest Territories. Once considered the most capable and resilient explorer of his time, Darrell left behind a trail of letters, journals and hand-drawn maps.

Using these clues, Shoalts sets out to uncover what really happened — and where Darrell may have gone.

See the full Canadian nonfiction list below:

Vanished Beyond the Map by Adam ShoaltsElbows Up! edited by Elamin AbdelmahmoudA Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam ToewsOne Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El AkkadLessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart ReynoldsEnshittification by Cory Doctorow21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government by Bob JosephValue(s) by Mark CarneyAt a Loss for Words by Carol OffAgainst the Grain by Terry O’ReillyCanadian kidsThe front cover of Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe, showing an illustration of a child walking in the rain with a ghost behind them. Aggie and the Ghost is a picture book by Matthew Forsythe. (Simon & Schuster)

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe is the #1 Canadian kids book this week.  

In Aggie and the Ghost, when Aggie moves house, she’s excited to live on her own. But soon she discovers the place is haunted, and sets out to manage the situation with a list of rules including “No haunting after dark.” Trouble is, the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules.

See the full kids list below:

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew ForsytheYou Were Made for This World, edited by Stephanie Sinclair and Sara SinclairT is for Terry by Denise Dias, illustrated by Noémie Gionet LandryThe Inquisitive Raven by Richard Wagamese, illustrated by Bridget GeorgeCarson Crosses Canadaby Linda Bailey, illustrated by Kass ReichThe Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise by Riel Nason, illustrated by Byron EggenschwilerTogether by Elise GravelThe Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael MartchenkoThe New Girl by Cassandra CalinVampire Jam Sandwich by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Nici Gregory