The bestselling books in Canada for 2022

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There are two big takeaways from the Star’s rankings of 2022’s bestselling books. The first is that social media — TikTok, I’m looking at you — has upturned the publishing business in connecting readers to books. The second, closely related, is that there is a generational gender gap that has fundamentally changed which books sell best. Expressed more plainly: young women bought a monumental number of romance novels this year.

Love stories by Colleen Hoover (CoHo to her legion of followers) dominate the Original Fiction list. She wrote the top six novels on our 2022 year-end list (plus she wrote the 13th-ranked book, “Regretting You”). And Hoover isn’t alone: Also doing well in the burgeoning romance category is Ali Hazelwood (“The Love Hypothesis” at No. 7), Emily Henry (“Book Lovers” at No. 10 and “People We Meet on Vacation” at No. 18) and Canadian Carley Fortune (“Every Summer After” at No. 16).

By contrast, traditional novels dominated our 2021 list, with Kate Quinn’s “The Rose Code,” a Second World War tale of code-breaking women, in the top spot. Other novels that appealed to a mainstream audience included Brit Bennett’s landmark “The Vanishing Half” and Jeanine Cummins’ controversial “American Dirt,” books about race that have virtually disappeared from this year’s list. A year ago, there was just one book on the list by Colleen Hoover, “It Ends With Us” in the No. 5 spot (this year that same book is ranked No. 1; its prequel is ranked No. 2).

We also see the trend (is it more than a fleeting fancy, perchance?) in non-fiction. Hoover’s non-fiction counterpart may well be Brianna Wiest, a 30-year-old American whose specialty is philosophical musings aimed at being a better you. Her “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think” and “The Mountain Is You” ranked among the top non-fiction books sold this year in the Self-Help category.

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think, Brianna Wiest, Thought Catalog

Other reflections on the year in books:

  • A preoccupation on the Non-Fiction list continues to be personal stories, with Matthew Perry (“Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing”), Jennette McCurdy (“I’m Glad My Mom Died”), Bono (“Surrender”), Maxwell Smart (“The Boy in the Woods”), Simu Liu (“We Were Dreamers”), Sarah Polley (“Run Towards the Danger”) and Viola Davis (“Finding Me”) all landing in the top 20 with their memoirs.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry, Flatiron
  • Women of all ages continue to dominate the top 20 Original Fiction list, with Stephen King and John Grisham (he has two books on the list) the sole male outliers; it’s the same situation on the Canadian Fiction list, with Linwood Barclay, Rick Mofina and John Irving the only men present and accounted for.

  • Three novels by Canadians — Michelle Good, Carley Fortune and Heather Marshall — appear on the Original Fiction rankings. Last year there were five novels represented, two by Louise Penny. On the Original Non-Fiction list, 10 Canadians are represented, up from nine last year (eight men and two women)
  • Ten out of the 40 books written by Canadians were by and about racialized people, a 25 per cent figure that has held fairly steady over the past couple of years. These include enduring titles like 2018’s “21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act,” by Bob Joseph, and “Embers,” the late Richard Wagamese’s 2016 book of meditations. There’s 2020’s “Five Little Indians,” by Michelle Good, which took off after it was nominated for three awards in one day and later won CBC’s 2022 Canada Reads competition. There’s also this year’s Giller Prize-winning “The Sleeping Car Porter,” by Suzette Mayr, and a memoir by the first Asian Marvel superhero: “We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story,” a memoir by Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu.
Five Little Indians, by Michelle Good, HarperCollins, 304 pages, $22.99
  • In Children and Young Adult books, series continue to dominate: “Cat Kid Comic Club,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Baby-Sitters Club” books each have entries on the top 10. Other bestselling kids’ books include Jenny Han’s trilogy of summer romances and the first of the “Heartstopper” stories by Alice Oseman (four were released this summer), which also sold well.
Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (Cat Kid Comic Club #3), Dav Pilkey, Graphix
  • And finally, back in 2020, there were three books about Donald Trump on our year-end list. He was a publishing industry unto himself. This year he missed the list by just one spot. Maggie Haberman’s “Confidence Man” ranked No. 21 on the year. Will he demand a recount?

Sarah Murdoch

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. It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria

2. It Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria

3. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central

4. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover, Atria

5. Reminders of Him, Colleen Hoover, Montlake

6. November 9, Colleen Hoover, Atria

7. The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood, Berkley

8. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley, William Morrow

9. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good, Harper Perennial

10. Book Lovers, Emily Henry, Berkley

11. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner

12. The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn, William Morrow

13. Regretting You, Colleen Hoover, Montlake

14. The It Girl, Ruth Ware, Simon & Schuster

15. The Boys from Biloxi, John Grisham, Doubleday

16. Every Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking

17. House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury

18. People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry, Berkley

19. The Judge’s List, John Grisham, Anchor

20. Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall, Simon & Schuster

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience, by Brene Brown, Penguin Random House

1. Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown, Random House

2. Guinness World Records 2023, Guinness World Records

3. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry, Flatiron

4. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed

5. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada

6. Freezing Order, Bill Browder, Simon & Schuster

7. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster

8. The Betrayal of Anne Frank, Rosemary Sullivan, HarperCollins Canada

9. Surrender, Bono, Doubleday Canada

10. 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph, Indigenous Relations

11. The Palace Papers, Tina Brown, Doubleday Canada

12. The Real Anthony Fauci, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Skyhorse

13. The Boy in the Woods, Maxwell Smart, HarperCollins Canada

14. 22 Murders, Paul Palango, Random House Canada

15. We Were Dreamers, Simu Liu, HarperCollins Canada

16. The Storyteller, Dave Grohl, Dey Street

17. Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley, Hamish Hamilton

18. Finding Me, Viola Davis, HarperOne

19. The Freedom Convoy, Andrew Lawton, Sutherland House

20. The Series, Ken Dryden, McClelland & Stewart

CANADIAN FICTION

1. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good, Harper Perennial

2. The Maid, Nita Prose, Viking

3. Every Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking

4. Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall, Simon & Schuster

5. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur

6. Healing Through Words, Rupi Kaur, Simon & Schuster

7. Scarborough, Catherine Hernandez, Arsenal Pulp

8. State of Terror, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Louise Perry, Simon & Schuster

9. Watch Out for Her, Samantha M. Bailey, Simon & Schuster

10. Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel, HarperCollins Canada

11. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, McClelland & Stewart

12. Take Your Breath Away, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow

13. The Sleeping Car Porter, Suzette Mayr, Coach House

14. Things We Do in the Dark, Jennifer Hillier, Minotaur

15. The Deal, Elle Kennedy, Bloom

16. Bluebird, Genevieve Graham, Simon & Schuster

17. Her Last Goodbye, Rick Mofina, MIRA

18. The Last Chairlift, John Irving, Knopf Canada

19. Fayne, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Knopf Canada

20. The Strangers, Katherena Vermette, Hamish Hamilton

CANADIAN NON-FICTION

1. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry, Flatiron

2. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada

3. The Betrayal of Anne Frank, Rosemary Sullivan, HarperCollins Canada

4. 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph, Indigenous Relations

5. The Boy in the Woods, Maxwell Smart, HarperCollins Canada

6. 22 Murders, Paul Palango, Random House Canada

7. We Were Dreamers, Simu Liu, HarperCollins Canada

8. Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley, Hamish Hamilton

9. The Freedom Convoy, Andrew Lawton, Sutherland House

10. The Series, Ken Dryden, McClelland & Stewart

11. Ducks, Kate Beaton, Drawn & Quarterly

12. A Little Bit Broken, Roz Weston, Doubleday Canada

13. Beyond Order, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada

14. Playing the Long Game, Christine Sinclair, Random House Canada

15. Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard, Allen Lane

16. From the Ashes, Jesse Thistle, Simon & Schuster

17. All Roads Home, Bryan Trottier, Stephen Brunt, McClelland & Stewart

18. 72: The Series that Changed Hockey Forever, Scott Morrison, Simon & Schuster

19. Embers, Richard Wagamese, Douglas and McIntyre

20. True Reconciliation, Jody Wilson-Raybould, McClelland & Stewart

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT

1. Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (Cat Kid Comic Club #3), Dav Pilkey, Graphix

2. Diper Överlöde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #17), Jeff Kinney, Amulet

3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson, Ember

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s

5. Heartstopper #1, Alice Oseman, Graphix

6. It’s Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s

7 The Inheritance Games, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown for Young Readers

8. Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (Cat Kid Comic Club #4), Dav Pilkey, Graphix

9. We’ll Always Have Summer, Jenny Han, Simon & Schuster Children’s

10. Good-Bye Stacey, Good-Bye (Baby-Sitters Club #7, adapted edition), Ann M. Martin, Gabriela Epstein, Graphix

COOKING

Half Baked Harvest Every Day, Tieghan Gerard, Clarkson Potter

1. Half Baked Harvest Every Day, Tieghan Gerard, Clarkson Potter

2. Go-To Dinners, Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter

3. One, Jamie Oliver, HarperCollins

4. PlantYou, Carleigh Bodrug, Will Buisiewicz, Hachette GO

5. More Mandy’s, Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe, Meredith Erickson, Appetite by Random House

6. Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, Tieghan Gerard, Clarkson Potter

7. Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe, Meredith Erickson, Appetite by Random House

8. Joshua Weissman: an Unapologetic Cookbook, Joshua Weissman, Alpha

9. From Crook to Cook, Snoop Dogg, Chronicle

10. Don’t Worry, Just Cook, Bonnie Stern, Anna Rupert, Appetite by Random House

HEALTH AND FITNESS

The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk, Penguin

1. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk, Penguin

2. The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté, Daniel Maté, Knopf Canada

3. What Happened to You?, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Perry, Flatiron

4. When the Body Says No, Gabor Maté, Vintage

RELATED STORIES

5. Life Force, Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, Robert Hariri, Simon & Schuster

6. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, Workman

7. Come as You Are (revised and updated), Emily Nagoski, Simon & Schuster

8. Super Gut, William Davis, Collins

9. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Julie Smith, HarperOne

10. The Obesity Code, Jason Fung, Timothy Noakes, Greystone

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

1. 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think, Brianna Wiest, Thought Catalog

2. The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama, Crown

3. The Mountain Is You, Brianna Wiest, Thought Catalog

4. The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene, Joost Elffers, Penguin

5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark Manson, Harper

6. How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie, Pocket

7. Think Like a Monk, Jay Shetty, Simon & Schuster

8. Attached, Amir Levine, Rachel Heller, TarcherPerigee

9. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills, Amber-Allen

10. The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer, New Harbinger

BUSINESS AND PERSONAL FINANCE

Atomic Habits, James Clear, Avery

1. Atomic Habits, James Clear, Avery

2. The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel, Harriman House

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Plata

4. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, Ray Dalio, Avid Reader

5. The Intelligent Investor (Rev. Ed.), Benjamin Graham, Harper Business

6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey, Sean Covey, Jim Collins, Simon & Schuster

7. Dare to Lead, Brené Brown, Random House

8. Start With Why, Simon Sinek, Portfolio

9. The Coaching Habit, Michael Stanier Bungay, Page Two

10. Traction, Gino Wickman, BenBella

MYSTERY

Verity, by Colleen Hoover, Grand Central, 336 pages, $22.99

1. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central

2. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley, William Morrow

3. The Maid, Nita Prose, Viking

4. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner

5. The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides, Celadon

6. The It Girl, Ruth Ware, Simon & Schuster

7. The Boys from Biloxi, John Grisham, Doubleday

8. The Judge’s List, John Grisham, Anchor

9. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur

10. The Family Remains, Lisa Jewell, Atria

* Number of weeks on list

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