The bestselling books in Canada for the week ending Dec. 21, 2022

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The books designed for gift-giving are everywhere on the list this week — but with several notable surprises. These are well-loved books that bounce back into bestsellerdom with reliable frequency.

On the Non-Fiction list, there’s “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants,” by American ethno-botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, which was the top-selling book last year but has been off our lists since early autumn. Now it’s back (at No. 6), because it, like “12 Rules of Life” (at No. 7), by Jordan B. Peterson, and “Atlas of the Heart,” by Brené Brown, are tailor-made for the holiday marketplace.

Last week, I noted that “Our Missing Hearts,” Celeste Ng’s well-received dystopian novel, was back because it has found itself on so many year-end lists touting best books of 2022. This week it’s No. 5, up from No. 8. It’s joined by another best-of-the-year novel, the brilliant “Demon Copperhead,” by Barbara Kingsolver, at No. 10, which spent one week on the list when it came out in October. It’s good to see these fine books getting a second life.

Other surprises: On this week’s rotating Mystery list, “The Secret History,” Donna Tartt’s 1992 masterpiece, at No. 9. It’s odd to find this classic ranked alongside recent works by Louise Penny, John Grisham and Stephen King, first because most readers would categorize it primarily as literary fiction, second because whodunnit is no secret — we know from page 1, which makes it an outlier on this list. Also on the Mystery list is Alex Michaelides “The Silent Patient,” at No. 7, which was published in 2019 but is one of those books that enjoys steady sales.

— 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 Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria (9)*

2. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur (3)

3. It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria (68)

4. The Boys from Biloxi, John Grisham, Doubleday (9)

5. Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng, Viking (3)

6. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner (15)

7. The Sleeping Car Porter, Suzette Mayr, Coach House (5)

8. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central (51)

9. Desert Star, Michael Connelly, Little Brown (6)

10. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper (2)

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

1. Guinness World Records 2023, Guinness World Records (16)

2. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry, Flatiron (7)

3. Surrender, Bono, Doubleday Canada (7)

4. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster (18)

5. The Queen, Andrew Morton, Grand Central (3)

6. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed (93)

7. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada (127)

8. Playing the Long Game, Christine Sinclair, Stephen Brunt, Random House Canada (7)

9. Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown, Random House (41)

10. True Reconciliation, Jody Wilson-Raybould, McClelland & Stewart (5)

CANADIAN FICTION

1. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur

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

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

4. Fayne, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Knopf Canada

5. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good, Harper Perennial

6. The Last Chairlift, John Irving, Knopf Canada

7. Look Both Ways, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow

8. The Apollo Murders, Chris Hadfield, Vintage Canada

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

10. The Maid, Nita Prose, Viking

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

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

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

6. Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer, Anchor Canada

7. Ducks, Kate Beaton, Drawn & Quarterly

8. Hockey Hall of Fame True Stories, Eric Zweig, Firefly

9. Hockey Moms, Theresa Bailey, Terry Marcotte, Collins

10. The Series, Ken Dryden, McClelland & Stewart

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT

1. Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (Cat Kid Comic Club #4), Dav Pilkey, Scholastic

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

3. The Sour Grape, Jory John, Pete Oswald, HarperCollins

4. The Bad Guys in the Others?! (Bad Guys #16), Aaron Blabey, Scholastic Paperbacks

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

6. I Spy Christmas, Jean Marzollo, Walter Wick, Cartwheel

7. Moon Rising, Tui T. Sutherland, Graphix

8. The Cool Bean Presents: As Cool As It Gets, Jory John, Pete Oswald, HarperCollins

9. The Christmas Pig, J.K. Rowling, Jim Field, Scholastic

10. Five Survive, Holly Jackson, Delacorte

MYSTERY

1. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny, Minotaur

2. The Boys from Biloxi, John Grisham, Doubleday

3. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner

4. Steal, James Patterson, Howard Roughan, Grand Central

5. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central

6. A Gambling Man, David Baldacci, Grand Central

7. The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides, Celadon

8. No Plan B, Lee Child, Andrew Child, Delacorte

9. The Secret History, Donna Tartt, Vintage

10. A Heart Full of Headstones, Ian Rankin, Orion

* Number of weeks on list

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