Most popular books in Canada

[ions]

RANK | PREVIOUS RANK | TITLE | AUTHOR

FICTION

1 (1) The Da Vinci Code -- Dan Brown

2 (5) The Historian -- Elizabeth Kostova

3 (3) Until I Find You -- John Irving

4 (8) A Long Way Down -- Nick Hornby

5 (2) The Undomestic Goddess -- Sophie Kinsella

6 (4) Cross Bones -- Kathy Reichs

7 (--) The Wreckage -- Michael Crummey

8 (7) Three Day Road -- Joseph Boyden

9 (9) No Country for Old Men -- Cormac McCarthy

10 (10) Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch -- Dai Sijie

NON-FICTION

1 (3) Freakonomics -- Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

2 (--) New Rules -- Bill Maher

3 (4) French Women Don't Get Fat -- Mireille Guilano

4 (6) On Bullshit -- Harry G. Frankfurt

5 (1) Blink -- Malcolm Gladwell

6 (5) The World is Flat -- Thomas L. Friedman

7 (2) The Collapse of Globalism -- John Ralston Saul

8 (--) The Secret Man -- Bob Woodward

9 (7) Bury the Chains -- Adam Hochschild

10 (8) 1776 -- David McCullough

Source

Sorry I couldn't be bothered to italicize all the titles.

 

[novella]

Help me out here, ions. I'm not Canadian. What, if any, Canadian characteristics do the lists exhibit? Maybe there aren't any? Just wondering.

 

[ions]

I can't speak about the Canadian content of any of these books because I haven't read any of them. I can tell you that Kathy Reichs, Michael Crummey, Joseph Boyden are Canadian. Not positive about Kathy, her site says she divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal but not where she was born. Most Canadians have the opinion that Canadian arts are lacking and we seem to buy into imports before something native. Really the list is nothing more than what's selling here in Canada. Nothing in the non-fiction section appears to be Canadian. Maybe Canadians care less about things and people in Canada than they do about the arts in Canada?

 

[Kookamoor]

Not sure what that list really says about Canada as I'm not familiar enough with the bestseller lists in other countries to comment. I *do* know that when I look at the music bestseller lists that Canadian content is much higher than, say, Australian content is in the Australian charts. It's also interesting that Canadians have much different taste to their southern neighbours. American charts appear to be dominated by rap and R&B, while the Canadian charts appear a little more diverse with some rock and pop in addition to the R&B as well as blues/jazz featuring in the album sales.

 

[ions]

We have the CRTC(Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) to thank for the Canadian content on the music charts. They force stations to play a certain percentage of Canadian content thus consumers hear it and buy it.

Edit: And Canada is a Rock country!

 

[mehastings]

Not sure what that list really says about Canada as I'm not familiar enough with the bestseller lists in other countries to comment. I *do* know that when I look at the music bestseller lists that Canadian content is much higher than, say, Australian content is in the Australian charts. It's also interesting that Canadians have much different taste to their southern neighbours. American charts appear to be dominated by rap and R&B, while the Canadian charts appear a little more diverse with some rock and pop in addition to the R&B as well as blues/jazz featuring in the album sales.

I think it pretty much says that Canadians are reading the same books at Americans. The best seller lists here have a lot of the same books on them. You are very right about the musical tastes. Americans listen to too much R&B/Rap and ignore many talented artists in less popular genres.

 

[ions]

I think it pretty much says that Canadians are reading the same books at Americans. The best seller lists here have a lot of the same books on them.

I wouldn't be surprised if most Canadians referenced the NYT Bestsellers list to choose reading material.

 

[Rigana]

I always thought that the Canadian bestseller list would look it bit different - not so much like the US bestseller list, thinking about how much great music comes form Canada.
Anyway, I like that Dai Sijie is on the list. There aren't many non-anglo authors who are succesful outside their own countries. The development to buying more imports is the same in Germany, though, but here these imports come from all over the world: a lot of French and Spanish literature is featured along with American/British and German literature. But the top ranks are all reserved for Dan Brown and Joanne K. Rowling, of course.
It is also clearly noticeable that books presented by TV shows like "Das literarische Quartett" some years ago and now a show called "Lesen!" bring a lot of unknown and often unusual books to the bestseller lists. I wonder, if this can be noticed in Canada or the US, too? I heard Oprah mentioned a lot..

 

[ions]

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink is on today's episode of Richler Ink. Interesting ideas.

 

[lies]

There aren't many non-anglo authors who are succesful outside their own countries. The development to buying more imports is the same in Germany, though, but here these imports come from all over the world: a lot of French and Spanish literature is featured along with American/British and German literature. But the top ranks are all reserved for Dan Brown and Joanne K. Rowling, of course.

Now I'm curious as to what's in the bestseller lists here in Belgium. Sadly I can't find anything.

 

[Kookamoor]

We have the CRTC(Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) to thank for the Canadian content on the music charts. They force stations to play a certain percentage of Canadian content thus consumers hear it and buy it.

We have a similar Australian content thing in Oz, and yet we still have a surprisingly small amount of local music. I'm not sure if this percentage is as high as the Canadian content, though.

While looking for the Australian bestseller list, I found this story. A movement for increasing Australian content on people's To Be Read lists?

 

[jenn]

I wouldn't be surprised if most Canadians referenced the NYT Bestsellers list to choose reading material.

i usually read the globe and mail's list, but i don't know how it compares to nyt's, or cbc's for that matter. i will look at the reader on saturday.

 

[ions]

CBC used Macleans magazine. Doesn't state what timespan this list covers. Where's Potter? I remember the weekend the book was released there was talk of all sorts of sales records. It broke records yet didn't make a bestsellers list?

 

[Rigana]

Maybe there's a special list for children's fiction, where it is covered.

 

[ions]

Maybe there's a special list for children's fiction, where it is covered.

Maybe. Seems kinda silly considering the wide audience the books have and the 'adult' covers.

OK, I found Macleans list on their site. Closely note the last updated date at the bottom of the list. Finding this I can't logically give either list any credence.

Macleans Books

BESTSELLERS
Fiction
1. RUNAWAY
Alice Munro (14)

2. A COMPLICATED KINDNESS
Miriam Toews (28)

3. THE DA VINCI CODE
Dan Brown (78)

4. THE DA VINCI CODE: SPECIAL ILLUSTRATED EDITION
Dan Brown (6)

5. THE LINE OF BEAUTY
Alan Hollinghurst (1)

6. THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA
Philip Roth (4)

7. ALL THAT MATTERS
Wayson Choy (12)

8. STATE OF FEAR
Michael Crichton (1)

9. RUMPOLE AND THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS
John Mortimer (5)

10. THE FINAL UNFINISHED VOYAGE OF JACK AUBREY
Patrick O'Brian (4)

Non-Fiction
1. EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES
Lynne Truss (34)

2. CHRONICLES, VOLUME ONE
Bob Dylan (10)

3. HERE BE DRAGONS
Peter C. Newman (7)

4. TO RULE THE WAVES
Arthur Herman (9)

5. WILL IN THE WORLD
Stephen Greenblatt (2)

6. ARMAGEDDON
Max Hastings (1)

7. THE DICTATORS
Richard Overy (1)

8. THE MUSEUM CALLED CANADA
Charlotte Gray (10)

9. PRISONERS OF THE NORTH
Pierre Berton (3)

10. TREE
David Suzuki and Wayne Grady (7)

(*) Weeks on list
Updated: January 10, 2005

 

[ions]

Well here is Chapter's, Canada's big book retailer, think Barnes and Noble up north, bestselling list. Mix of fiction/nonfiction.

I certainly like the bestseller of this list better than the bestseller on the list the CBC released. Harry Potter has at least made this list.