Our attention this week is focused on the Non-Fiction list, with three anticipated new books taking their place in the ranking.
In top spot on both the Original and the Canadian list is “The Series,” Ken Dryden’s revisiting of the 1972 Summit Series, the almost month-long series of epic hockey matches between Canada and the Soviet Union. Dryden, of course, was Canada’s goalie during the series and went on to become arguably Canada’s most-read hockey writer, with eight books to his credit. The subtitle of “The Series” encapsulates why it is an instant bestseller: “What I Remember, What It Felt Like, What It Feels Like Now.”
In the No. 3 spot this week is “Breaking History,” by America’s former First Son-in-Law Jared Kushner, in which he offers his POV on his tumultuous years in the White House.
And finally, at No. 5 on the Original Non-Fiction list and No. 2 on the Canadian list is “Making Love with the Land,” the first non-fiction outing for the gay Indigenous writer Joshua Whitehead. He is the author of “Jonny Appleseed,” the novel that won the 2021 Canada Reads. To get a feel for his prose, you can read his recent conversation with Books Editor Deborah Dundas.
The bestseller lists are compiled by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited from information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.
ORIGINAL FICTION
1. Love on the Brain, Ali Hazelwood, Berkley (1)*
2. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central (35)
3. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover, Atria (25)
4. It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria (52)
5. The Family Remains, Lisa Jewell, Atria (3)
6. Girl, Forgotten, Karin Slaughter, William Morrow (1)
7. The It Girl, Ruth Ware, Simon & Schuster (7)
8. Babel, R.F. Kuang, HarperVoyager (1)
9. Reminders of Him, Colleen Hoover, Montlake (20)
10. November 9, Colleen Hoover, Atria (16)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. The Series, Ken Dryden, McClelland & Stewart (1)
2. Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown, Random House (37)
3. Breaking History, Jared Kushner, Broadside (1)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed (86)
5. Making Love with the Land, Joshua Whitehead, Knopf Canada (1)
6. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House (118)
7. Our Voice of Fire, Brandi Morin, House of Anansi (1)
8. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster (3)
9. 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph, Indigenous Relations (22)
10. Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard, Penguin Canada (27)
CANADIAN FICTION
1. Every Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking
2. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good, HarperPerennial
3. Haven, Emma Donoghue, HarperAvenue
4. The Housekeeper, Joy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
5. Things We Do in the Dark, Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur
6. Fight Night, Miriam Toews, Vintage Canada
7. The Deal, Elle Kennedy, Bloom
8. Are You Sara?, S.C. Lalli, HarperAvenue
9. The Orphan Girl, Kurt Palka, McClelland & Stewart
10. Nosy Parker, Lesley Crewe, Nimbus
CANADIAN NON-FICTION
1. The Series, Ken Dryden, McClelland & Stewart
2. Making Love with the Land, Joshua Whitehead, Knopf Canada
3. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada
4. Our Voice of Fire, Brandi Morin, House of Anansi
5. 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph, Indigenous Relations
6. Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard, Penguin Canada
7. The Freedom Convoy, Andrew Lawton, Sutherland House
8. For the Love of Learning, Kristin Phillips, Simon & Schuster
9. The Skin We’re In, Desmond Cole, Anchor Canada
10. 22 Murders, Paul Palango, Random House Canada
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT
1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson, Ember
2. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s
3. The Inheritance Games, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Little Brown for Young Readers
4. We’ll Always Have Summer, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s
5. Solitaire, Alice Oseman, HarperCollins Children’s
6. The Hawthorne Legacy, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
7. It’s Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s
8. Girl in Pieces, Kathleen Glasgow, Ember
9. Kindergarten, Here I Come!, D.J. Steinberg, Mark Chambers, Grosset & Dunlap
10. The Bad Guys: Open Wide and Say Arrrgh! (The Bad Guys #15), Aaron Blabey, Scholastic
COOKING
1. Lunchbox, Aviva Wittenberg, Appetite by Random House
2. Half Baked Harvest Every Day, Tieghan Gerard, Clarkson Potter
3. Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior, Jane Esselstyn, Ann Crile Esselstyn, Avery
4. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving, Judy Kingry, Lauren Devine, Sarah Page, Robert Rose
5. PlantYou, Carleigh Bodrug, Will Bulsiewicz, Hachette GO
6. Feeding Littles and Beyond, Ali Maffucci, Megan McNamee, Judy Delaware, Avery
7. Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe, Meredith Erickson, Appetite by Random House
8. Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, Tieghan Gerard, Clarkson Potter
9. Layer Up!, Yolanda Gampp, Genius Cat
10. Bake, Paul Hollywood, Bloomsbury
* Number of weeks on list
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