Toronto Star bestsellers: Canadians Louise Penny and David Chilton top the fiction and non-fiction lists

If you subscribe to stereotypes about Canadians, then it seems fitting that books about hockey and maple syrup populate the Canadian non-fiction list this week.

James Duthie‘s “Certified Beauties” and Rick Westhead‘s “We Breed Lions” have been regulars there for a while. The former is a collection of stories about hockey that Duthie has gathered in his time as the host of TSN’s coverage of the sport; the latter is an examination of the darkest, ugliest aspects of hockey culture, spurred by this summer’s sexual assault trial of five world junior players, who were all acquitted.

This week, Duthie’s previous book of shinny tales, “Beauties: Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories,” joined them on the Canadian non-fiction list.

And then there’s “Maple Syrup: A Short History of Canada’s Sweetest Obsession” by Peter Kuitenbrouwer, which explores the history of the maple syrup industry in this country, including its Indigenous roots.

As it happens, Canadians lead both the original fiction and non-fiction lists this week, as well as the Canadian lists.

Louise Penny‘s “The Black Wolf,” her latest Chief Inspector Gamache mystery, has been firmly ensconced in the original fiction rankings since late October while David Chilton‘s “The Wealthy Barber” has been topping original non-fiction since late November.

Chilton has fully rewritten his 1989 personal finance hit to address the challenges faced by younger readers, telling The Canadian Press, “It’s never been easy to save, but it’s harder now. It’s not just real estate prices, it’s the cost of everything.”

ORIGINAL FICTION

1.The Black Wolf, Louise Penny, Minotaur (7)*

2.The Widow, John Grisham, Doubleday (7)

3.The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown, Doubleday (13)

4.Always Remember, Charlie Mackesy, Penguin (8)

5. Alchemised, SenLinYu, Del Ray (10)

6. Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy, Flatiron (4)

7.Final Orbit, Chris Hadfield, Random House Canada (7)

8. My Friends, Fredrik Backman, Simon & Schuster (22)

9. Brimstone, Callie Hart, Forever (3)

10.Twice, Mitch Albom, Harper (6)

ORIGINAL NON-FICTION

1.The Wealthy Barber, David Chilton, Financial Awareness (3)

2.Book of Lives, Margaret Atwood, McClelland & Stewart (5)

3.Guinness World Records 2026, Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records (11)

4.The Smiling Land, Alan Doyle, Doubleday Canada (5)

5.Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Knopf (7)

6.Certified Beauties, James Duthie, Collins (7)

7.Sorry, Not Sorry, Mark Critch, Viking (2)

8. Notes on Being a Man, Scott Galloway, Simon & Schuster (2)

9. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2026 Canadian Edition, Old Farmer’s Almanac (7)

10. 1929, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Viking (6)

CANADIAN FICTION

1.The Black Wolf, Louise Penny, Minotaur

2.Final Orbit, Chris Hadfield, Random House Canada

3.Pick a Colour, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Knopf Canada

4.Queen Esther, John Irving, Knopf Canada

5.Finding Flora, Elinor Florence, Simon & Schuster

6.Heated Rivalry, Rachel Reid, Carina

7.The Spirit of Scatarie, Lesley Crewe, Vagrant

8. The Bond That Burns (deluxe limited edition), Briar Boleyn, Mira

9. Flesh, David Szalay, McClelland & Stewart

10.On Wings of Blood (deluxe limited edition), Briar Boleyn, Mira

CANADIAN NON-FICTION

1.The Wealthy Barber, David Chilton, Financial Awareness

2.Book of Lives, Margaret Atwood, McClelland & Stewart

3.The Smiling Land, Alan Doyle, Doubleday Canada

4.Certified Beauties, James Duthie, Collins

5.Sorry, Not Sorry, Mark Critch, Viking

6. Vanished Beyond the Map, Adam Shoalts, Allen Lane

7.We Breed Lions, Rick Westhead, Random House Canada

8. John Candy, Paul Myers, House of Anansi

9. Maple Syrup, Peter Kuitenbrouwer, Doubleday Canada

10. Beauties, James Duthie, HarperCollins Canada

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT

1.Big Jim Believes (Dog Man #14), Dav Pilkey, Graphix

2.Partypooper (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #20), Jeff Kinney, Amulet

3.Darkstalker (Wings of Fire: Legends), Tui T. Sutherland, Jake Parker, Graphix

4.Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins, Scholastic

5.Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry, Clarion

6. Crowntide (Lightlark Saga #4), Alex Aster, Amulet

7.The Humble Pie, Jory John, Pete Oswald, HarperCollins

8. Sounds Like Christmas, Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko, Scholastic Canada

9.How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (full colour edition), Dr. Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers

10. Jessi Ramsey, Pet-Sitter (Baby-sitters Club #18), Ellen T. Crenshaw, Ann M. Martin, Graphix

BUSINESS AND PERSONAL FINANCE

1. Atomic Habits, James Clear, Avery

2. The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel, Harriman House

3. The Art of Spending Money, Morgan Housel, Portfolio

4. Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Plata

5. Start With Why, Simon Sinek, Portfolio

6. Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara, Optimism

7. Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay

8. Radical Candor (updated edition), Kim Scott, St. Martin’s

9. Think Again, Adam Grant, Penguin

10. Apple in China, Patrick McGee, Scribner

*Weeks on list

The bestseller lists are compiled by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited from information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.