The major book event in Canada this week is the first full week of sales for Ducks: Two Years in the Old Sands, a graphic memoir that’s causing buzz everywhere. Cape Breton cartoonist Kate Beaton looks back on the cultural shift she experienced when she left her close-knit community in Nova Scotia to work as one of the few women in a remote Alberta patch. Ducks is ranked #4 on the original nonfiction list and #1 on the Canadian list.
We tend to think the appeal of the US shock jock and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones rests entirely with America’s alt-right. But Canadians are buying Jones’ new book The Great Reset. It ranks 9th on the original non-fiction list.
The Canadian Fiction List welcomes two new books by Cree authors. A Minor Chorus is a debut novel Billy Ray Belcourt, already established as a poet and memoirist. “A Minor Chorus”, nominated for the 2022 Giller Prize, is at No. 5. “The Theory of Crows” is over David A Robertson, whose previous books include a memoir and a mid-range fantasy series. It joins the list at number 6.
– Sarah Murdoch
The bestseller lists are compiled by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited from information provided by BNC SalesData, BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service.
ORIGINAL FICTION
1. FairytaleStephen King, scribe (2)*
2. It ends with usColleen Hoover, atriums (55)
3. truthColleen Hoover, Grand Central (38)
4. Carrie Soto is backTaylor Jenkins Reid, Doubleday Canada (3)
5. Ugly loveColleen Hoover, atriums (28)
6. Memories of HimColleen Hoover, Montlake (23)
7. The family staysLisa Jewell, Courtyards (6)
8. The American roommate experimentElena Armas, Courtyards (2)
9. Pledge of AllegianceVince Flynn, Kyle Mills, Atria/Emily Bestler (1)
10. Nona the NinthTamsyn Muir, Tor.com (1)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. I’m glad my mother diedJennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster (5)
2. Guinness World Records 2023Guinness World Records (3)
3. What if? 2Randall Munroe, Riverhead (1)
4. DucksKate Beaton, Drawn & Quarterly (1)
5. The daughter of AuschwitzTova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant, Hannoverplatz (2)
6. Namwayut: We are all oneChief Robert Joseph, Page Two (2)
7. The seriesKen Dryden, McClelland & Stewart (4)
8. Braid sweet grassRobin Wall Kimmerer, Spurge (89)
9. The big rebootAlex Jones, Hot Books (1)
10. Prisoners of the CastleBen Macintyre, Signal (1)
Canadian fiction
1. Five Little IndiansMichelle Gut, Harper Perennial
2. The Witches of Moonshyne ManorBianca Marais, MIRA
3. Every summer thereafterCarley Fortune, Vikings
4. PortEmma Donoghue, Harper Avenue
5. A small choirBilly Ray Belcourt, Hamish Hamilton
6. The crow theoryDavid A Robertson, Harper Perennial
7. The market thievesCherie Dimaline, Cormorant
8. The housekeeperJoy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
9. Looking for JaneHeather Marshall, Simon & Schuster
10. The dealElle Kennedy, Bloom
Canadian non-fiction book
1. DucksKate Beaton, Drawn & Quarterly
2. Namwayut: We are all oneChief Robert Joseph, page two
3. The seriesKen Dryden, McClelland & Stewart
4. 12 rules of lifeJordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada
5. Laugh with the tricksterTomson Highway, home of Anansi
6. SideJosh O’Kane, Random House
7. 21 Things You Might Not Know About Indian LawBob Joseph, Indigenous Relations
8. Valley of the Bird’s TailAndrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson, HarperCollins Canada
9. From the AshesJesse Thistle, Simon & Schuster
10. Life Saver and Body SnatcherTim Cook, Allen Lane
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
1. The Babysitters Club: Jessi’s secret languageAnn M. Martin, Chan Chau, Graphix
2. The Last GambitJennifer Lynn Barnes, Little Brown Books for Young Readers
3. Guarding the Invisible DragonsTracey West, Matt Loveridge, Scholastic
4. A Good Girl’s Guide to MurderHolly Jackson, Ember
5. If I were Saint NickThe Cat in the Hat, Random House Books for Young Readers
6. With our orange heartsPhyllis Webstad, Emily Kewageshig, Medicine Wheel
7. The School of Good and Evil: Film BindingSoman Chainani, HarperCollins
8. The Last Children of Earth and the Forbidden FortressMax Brallier, Douglas Holgate, Viking Books for Young Readers
9. The bad guys in Open Wide and Say Arrrgh!, Aaron Blabey, Scholastic Paperbacks
10. Pumpkin Patch Halloween!Patty Michaels, Spotlight on Simon
SELF IMPROVEMENT
1. The 48 Laws of PowerRobert Greene, Joost Elfers, Penguin
2. You are the mountainBrianna Wiest, thought catalogue
3. 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You ThinkBrianna Wiest, thought catalogue
4. How to win friends and influence peopleDale Carnegie, bag
5. Set boundaries, find peaceNedra Glover Tawwab, TarcherPerigee
6. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck Mark Manson, Harper
7. The unbound soulMichael A. Singer, New Harbinger
8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleStephen R Covey, Sean Covey, Jim Collins, Simon & Schuster
9. Good vibes, good lifeVex King, Hay House UK
10. All signs point to ParisNatasha Sizlo, Sailor
* Number of weeks on the list
