What do this week’s bestseller lists tell us about books and the book-buying habits of fellow Canadians?
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”); J.D. Robb (“Framed in Death”); Rebecca Ross (“Wild Reverence”). A couple of policiers and a fantasy novel. You can go for the grit or leave it behind ….
Non-fiction sees books new to it, too: “Sister Wife” by Christine Brown Woolley; “21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government” by Bob Joseph; and “All the Way to the River” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know next to nothing about Indigenous 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.
Is it time to visit your local bookstore in search of something new?
I’ll likely visit mine.
1. The Hallmarked Man, Robert Galbraith, Mulholland (1)*
2. Katabasis , RF Kuang, Harper Voyager (2)
3. Framed in Death, J.D. Robb, St. Martin’s Press (1)
4. She Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena, Doubleday Canada (6)
5. The Edge, David Baldacci, Grand Central (3)
6. Broken Country, Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster (23)
7. My Friends, Fredrik Backman, Simon & Schuster (19)
8. Wild Reverence, Rebecca Ross, Saturday Books (1)
9. Don’t Let Him In, Lisa Jewell, Atria (10)
10. Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Doubleday Canada (14)
1. Sister Wife, Christine Brown Woolley, Gallery (1)
2. Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy, Simon & Schuster (2)
3. A 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. Rock Star, Jennifer Jones, Collins (3)
6. The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Scribner (41)
7. The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, Penguin (62)
8. All the Way to the River, Elizabeth Gilbert, Riverhead (1)
9. An Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre, Random House Canada (4)
10. The Old Farmer’s Almanac (2026 Canadian edition), Old Farmer’s Almanac (4)
1. She 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. Ship of Dreams, Donna Jones Alward, One More Chapter
6. One Golden Summer, Carley Fortune, Viking
7. Every Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking
8. Finding Flora, Elinor Florence, Simon & Schuster
9. Jenny Cooper Has a Secret, Joy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
10. People Watching, Hannah Bonam-Young, Dell
1. A Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada
2. 21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government, Bob Joseph, Page Two
3. Rock Star, Jennifer Jones, Collins
4. Value(s), Mark Carney, Signal
5. An 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. One Day, Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This, Omar El Akkad, McClelland & Stewart
9. 52 Ways to Reconcile, David A. Robertson, McClelland & Stewart
10. A Steady Brightness of Being, Sara Sinclair, Stephanie Sinclair, Penguin Canada
1. Fearful, Lauren Roberts, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween, Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry, Clarion
3. Big 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. Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins, Scholastic
7. Falling Like Leaves, Misty Wilson, Margaret K. McElderry Books
8. Powerless, Lauren Roberts, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
9. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins: a Graphic Novel (Dog Man #13), Dav Pilkey, Graphix
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle, Penguin Young Readers Group
1. Unbreakable, Vonda Wright, Rodale
2. It Doesn’t Have to Hurt, Sanjay Gupta, Simon & 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, Simon & Schuster
8. The New Menopause, Mary Claire Haver, Rodale
9. Super Gut, William Davis, Collins
10. Come As You Are (Updated), Emily Nagoski, Simon & Schuster
The bestseller lists are compiled by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited from information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.