As the holiday season winds down, Canadian readers have cast their votes at the cash registers of independent bookstores across the nation. The weekly bestseller list for the period ending December 27 reveals a compelling mix of new releases, celebrated fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction that captivated the country's literary appetite.
New Releases Capture Reader Attention
The top spot for new releases went to Oliver Burkeman's "Meditations for Mortals", leading a diverse pack of fresh titles. The list showcases a wide range of genres, from Sumiko Arai's manga-inspired "The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All: Volume 3" to the festive mystery "The Christmas Stocking Murders" by Denzil Meyrick. Children's literature also made a strong showing with titles like "Let’s Go Home, Baby T. Rex" by Carolina Buzio and the interactive "Pop-Up Peekaboo! Tree" by Amy Grimes, indicating a robust market for family reading during the holidays.
Fiction and Non-Fiction Standouts
In the fiction category, Louise Penny's latest novel, "The Black Wolf," claimed the number one position, continuing her dominance in the Canadian literary landscape. She was followed by acclaimed authors including Souvankham Thammavongsa, David Szalay, and Ian McEwan. The list reflects a strong preference for established literary voices as the year concludes.
The non-fiction list was powerfully led by a memoir from a Canadian icon. Margaret Atwood's "Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts" secured the top position, demonstrating her enduring appeal. Other notable entries include Charlie Mackesy's sequel "Always Remember", a biography of comedy legend John Candy by Paul Myers, and Cory Doctorow's critical analysis of modern technology, "Enshittification." The list underscores Canadians' interest in memoir, social commentary, and homegrown stories.
A Snapshot of Canadian Literary Tastes
This authoritative list is compiled by Bookmanager using sales data from over 250 independent Canadian bookstores, offering a unique and meaningful snapshot of what readers are actually buying outside of large chain retailers. The presence of authors like Robin Wall Kimmerer, Alan Doyle, Mark Critch, and Adam Shoalts on the non-fiction list highlights a distinct appetite for stories with strong Canadian connections and perspectives on nature, culture, and history.
The data, collected for the week ending December 27, 2025, captures the tail end of the crucial holiday shopping period for bookstores. The variety across genres—from graphic novels and children's pop-up books to literary fiction and investigative non-fiction—paints a picture of a vibrant and diverse reading culture in Canada, with independent booksellers serving as a critical barometer for the nation's literary pulse.
