September — aka the annual book deluge — is underway, with several new and noteworthy books hitting bestseller lists this week.
In the Original Fiction list, Taylor Jenkins ReidThe latest, “Carrie Soto Is Back,” comes in at No. 1. It’s a stand-alone book, though it occupies the same literary universe as her Famous Women Quartet’s previous three books, which include “The Seven ‘Evelyn Hugo’ (2017), ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ (2019) and ‘Malibu Rising’ (2021).
The other notable newcomer to the list is “The Ink Black Heart”, a new Cormoran Strike mystery from Robert Galbraiththe non-Harry Potter pen name of J.K.. Rowling. The novel concerns the murder of a cartoonist whose YouTube cartoon Ink Black Heart has been followed online for being transphobic, racist and ableist, which in some ways mirrors Rowling’s own experience. The arrival of “The Ink Black Heart” hasn’t been met with silence on Twitter, of course: there are those who believe she’s a TERF (trans-exclusive radical feminist) and urge others to avoid the book, and others tweeting outlandish praise for the 1,272-page crime epic. It debuted this week at No. 3.
On the list of Canadian novels, we have the Toronto writer Bianca Marais‘ third novel, ‘The Witches of Moonshyne Manor’, in third place, and the thriller ‘Are You Sara?’, by the Vancouver writer SC Lalli (she wrote three novels like Sonya Lalli), at number 6.
The biggest new book on the original nonfiction list this week is “Valley of the Birdtail,” at No. 7, which examines issues of race and reconciliation by focusing on a valley in Manitoba. On the west side of the Birdtail River is the Waywayseecappo Indian Reservation; on the east side is the town of Rossburn, a predominantly white community originally settled by Ukrainian immigrants. It is co-authored by two lawyers, Andrew Stobo Sniderman of Montreal, and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii), member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. (Interesting: four of the 10 books currently on the original nonfiction list deal with Indigenous issues.)
—Sarah Murdoch
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. Carrie Soto is backTaylor Jenkins Reid, Doubleday Canada (1)
2. TruthColleen Hoover, Grand Central (36)
3. The Inky HeartRobert Galbraith, Mulholland (1)
4. Love in the BrainAli Hazelwood, Berkeley (2)
5. It Ends With UsColleen Hoover, Atria (53)
6. Ugly LoveColleen Hoover, earbuds (26)
7. The Family StaysLisa Jewell, earbuds (4)
8. Forgotten GirlKarin Slaughter, William Morrow (2)
9. November 9Colleen Hoover, earbuds (17)
10. Reminders of HimColleen Hoover, Montlake (21)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. The seriesKen Dryden, McClelland and Stewart (2)
2. Guinness World Records 2023Guinness World Records (1)
3. Atlas of the HeartBrene Brown, Random House (38)
4. Sweetgrass BraidingRobin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed (87)
5. 12 rules for lifeJordan B. Peterson, Random House (119)
6. 21 things you might not know about the Indian ActBob Joseph, Indigenous Relations (23)
7. Bird’s Tail ValleyAndrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson, HarperCollins Canada (1)
8. All signs point to ParisNatasha Sizlo, Sailor (1)
9. Make love to the earthJoshua Whitehead, Knopf Canada (2)
10. Restraint orderBill Browder, Simon & Schuster (21)
CANADIAN FICTION
1. Every summer afterCarley FortuneViking
2. Five little IndiansMichelle Good, Harper Perenne
3. Witches of Moonshyne ManorBianca Marais, Mira
4. HavenEmma Donoghue, HarperAvenue
5. HousekeeperJoy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
6. Are you Sara?SC Lalli, HarperAvenue
7. The CaseElle Kennedy, Bloom
8. Finding JaneHeather Marshall, Simon & Schuster
9. The Marrow ThievesCherie Dimaline, Cormorant
10. Things We Do In The DarkJennifer Hillier, Minotaur
CANADIAN NON-FICTION
1. The seriesKen Dryden, McClelland & Stewart
2. 12 rules for lifeJordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada
3. 21 things you might not know about the Indian ActBob Joseph, Indigenous Relations
4. Bird’s Tail ValleyAndrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson, HarperCollins Canada
5. Make love to the earthJoshua Whitehead, Knopf Canada
6. Freedom ConvoyAndrew Lawton, Sutherland House
7. Find the mother treeSuzanne Simard, Penguin Canada
8. The Art of Adam YoungAdam Young, Breakwater
9. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on EarthChris Hadfield, Vintage Canada
10. For the Love of LearningKristin Phillips, Simon & Schuster
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT
1. The final betJennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
2. A Good Girl’s Guide to KillingHolly Jackson, Ember
3. The Babysitters Club: Jessi’s Secret LanguageAnn M. Martin, Chan Chau, Graphix
4. Legacy GamesJennifer Lynn Barnes, Little Brown for Young Readers
5. The Summer I Became PrettyJenny Han, Simon & Schuster Kids
6. HopeMonique Gray Smith, Gabrielle Grimard, Orca
7. We will always have summerJenny Han, Simon & Schuster Kids
8. Amari and the Big GameB. B. Alston, Balzer and Bray
9. The Hawthorne LegacyJennifer Lynn Barnes, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
10. Nothing More To SayKaren M. McManus, Delacorte
MYSTERY
1. The judge’s listJohn Grisham, anchor
2. TruthColleen Hoover, Grand Central
3. The Inky HeartRobert Galbraith, Mulholland
4. The family staysLisa Jewell, earbuds
5. Forgotten GirlKarin Slaughter, William Morrow
6. The It GirlRuth Ware, Simon & Schuster
7. The Next CrashLisa Gardner, dwarf
8. The silent patientAlex Michaelides, Celadon
9. Rising TideAnn Cleeves, Macmillan
10. Billy SummersStephen King, Gallery
* Number of weeks on the list
