The bestselling books in Canada for the week ending Nov. 16, 2022

The term Giller Effect was coined in the early days of the Scotiabank Giller Prize to describe the sharp increase in sales that the five shortlisted books enjoy.

But in its 28th year, does the prize still stimulate book sales?

Well, yes, for the winner, at any rate. This year that was “The Sleeping Car Porter,” by Suzette Mayr, who not only took home the $100,000 purse last week but saw her novel rise to No. 1 on the Canadian bestseller list (and No. 8 on the Original list), up from No. 19 before the gala evening.

Only one of the other shortlisted books, “We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies,” by Tsering Yangzam Lama, has been sprinkled with bestselling Giller glitter. It shows up on this week’s Canadian list, at No. 13. Interestingly, after the shortlist was announced on Sept. 27, only “We Measure” showed up on the list the following week, at No. 14 on the Canadian list.

In Non-Fiction, a notable newcomer to the list this week is “True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change,” by Canada’s former justice minister and Indigenous activist Jody Wilson-Raybould. Her memoir, “Indian in the Cabinet,” enjoyed a long run on the bestseller lists since its release last fall (it was recently republished in paperback).

— 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 (4)*

2. Desert Star, Michael Connelly, Little Brown (1)

3. It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria (63)

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

5. A Heart Full of Headstones, Ian Rankin, Orion (2)

6. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner (10)

7. No Plan B, Lee Child, Andrew Child, Delacorte (3)

8. The Sleeping Car Porter, Suzette Mayr, Coach House (1)

9. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central (46)

10. Healing Through Words, Rupi Kaur, Simon & Schuster (3)

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

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

2. Guinness World Records 2023, Guinness World Records (11)

3. True Reconciliation, Jody Wilson-Raybould, McClelland & Stewart (1)

4. Surrender, Bono, Doubleday Canada (2)

5. All Roads Home, Bryan Trottier, Stephen Brunt, McClelland & Stewart (3)

6. Playing the Long Game, Christine Sinclair, Stephen Brunt, Random House Canada (2)

7. The Escape Artist, Jonathan Freedland, Harper (4)

8. Mussolini’s Daughter, Caroline Moorehead, Random House Canada (2)

9. Prisoners of the Castle, Ben Macintyre, Signal (1)

10. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster (13)

CANADIAN FICTION

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

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

3. Look Both Ways, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow

4. Snowflakes and Starlight, Debbie Macomber, JoAnn Ross, Jennifer Snow, MIRA

5. The Last Chairlift, John Irving, Knopf Canada

6. The End of Her, Shari Lapena, Seal

7. All I Want for Christmas, Maggie Knox, Viking

8. The Apollo Murders, Chris Hadfield, Vintage Canada

9. Fayne, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Knopf Canada

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

CANADIAN NON-FICTION

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

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

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

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

5. Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer, Anchor Canada

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

7. Ducks, Kate Beaton, Drawn & Quarterly

8. Battle of the Atlantic, Ted Barris, Patrick Crean Editions

9. Namwayut: We Are All One, Chief Robert Joseph, Page Two

10. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT

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

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

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

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

5. Jessi’s Secret Language (The Babysitter’s Club #12), Ann M. Martin, Chan Chau, Scholastic

6. Jolly Jingle Christmas, Becky Wilson, Samantha Meredith, Parragon

7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling, Jim Kay, Neil Packer, Bloomsbury Children’s Books

9. Dig It! Dump It! Build It! , Tommy Doyle, Parragon

10. Unicornado, Dana Simpson, Andrews McMeel

MYSTERY

1. The Boys from Biloxi, John Grisham, Doubleday

2. Fairy Tale, Stephen King, Scribner

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

4. The Paris Detective, James Patterson, Richard DiLallo, Grand Central

5. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central

6. Look Both Ways, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow

7. Triple Cross, James Patterson, Little Brown

8. The Noise, James Patterson, J.D. Barker, Grand Central

9. Long Shadows, David Baldacci, Grand Central

10. The End of Her, Shari Lapena, Seal

* Number of weeks on list

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