To call Thomas King one of Canada’s more prolific and decorated writers is no stretch.
King, who is of Cherokee and Greek descent, has written novels, children’s books, short stories, poetry, radio and TV scripts, and non-fiction; and been honoured with a Governor General’s Award, an RBC Taylor Prize, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, the Order of Canada, and was the first Indigenous person to deliver the Massey Lectures.
His latest novel, “Aliens on the Moon,” is set in a small Ontario town full of idiosyncratic characters whose lives are upended when extraterrestrials land on the moon with a plan to save Earth.
The book landed at No. 9 on the original fiction list and No. 5 on the Canadian list.
Another book from Indigenous authors joins the original non-fiction list at No. 4 and the Canadian non-fiction list at No. 2.
“A Steady Brightness of Being,” edited by sisters Sara and Stephanie Sinclair, is described by publisher Penguin Random House as a ”first-of-its-kind anthology (that) tackles complex questions of our times to provide a rich tapestry of Indigenous life, past, present and future.”
Its many contributors include authors Billy-Ray Belcourt, David A. Robertson, katherena vermette ²¹²Ô»åÌýWaubgeshig Rice; artist Kent Monkman (and his alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle); actor Tamara Podemski; and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, to name some.Ìý ÌýÌý
ORIGINAL FICTION
1. Katabasis, R.F. Kuang, Harper Voyager (1)*
2.ÌýJenny Cooper Has a Secret, Joy Fielding, Doubleday Canada (1)
3.ÌýShe Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena, Doubleday Canada (5)
4.ÌýMy Friends,ÌýFredrik Backman, Simon & Schuster (18)
5. For Richer for Poorer, Danielle Steel, Delacorte (2)
6. The Edge, David Baldacci, Grand Central (2)
7.ÌýBroken Country, Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster (22)
8.ÌýAtmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Doubleday Canada (13)
9. Aliens on the Moon, Thomas King, HarperCollins Canada (1)
10.ÌýOne Golden Summer, Carley Fortune, Viking (17)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. A Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada (1)
2.ÌýRock Star, Jennifer Jones, Collins (2)
3.ÌýThe Old Farmer’s Almanac (2026 Canadian edition), Old Farmer’s Almanac (3)
4. A Steady Brightness of Being, Sara Sinclair, Stephanie Sinclair, Penguin Canada (1)
5.ÌýThe Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, Penguin (61)
6.ÌýAn Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre, Random House Canada (3)
7.ÌýOne Day, Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This,ÌýOmar El Akkad, McClelland & Stewart (26)
8.ÌýThe Serviceberry,ÌýRobin Wall Kimmerer, Scribner (40)
9.ÌýBraiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed (160)
10. Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy, Simon & Schuster (1)
CANADIAN FICTION
1.ÌýThe Grey Wolf, Louise Penny, Minotaur
2.ÌýOn Wings of Blood (deluxe edition), Briar Boleyn, Mira
3.ÌýJenny Cooper Has a Secret, Joy Fielding, Doubleday Canada
4.ÌýShe Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena, Doubleday Canada
5.ÌýAliens on the Moon, Thomas King, HarperCollins Canada
6.ÌýOne Golden Summer, Carley Fortune, Viking
7.ÌýThe Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, McClelland & Stewart
8.ÌýEvery Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking
9. Ship of Dreams, Donna Jones Alward, One More Chapter
10. You’ve Changed, Ian Williams, Random House Canada
CANADIAN NON-FICTION
1. A Truce That Is Not Peace, Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada
2.ÌýA Steady Brightness of Being, Sara Sinclair, Stephanie Sinclair, Penguin CanadaÌý
3.ÌýAn Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre, Random House Canada
4.ÌýValue(s),ÌýMark Carney, Signal
5.ÌýOne Day, Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This,ÌýOmar El Akkad, McClelland & StewartÌý
6. The Cree Word for Love, Tracey Lindberg, George Littlechild, Harper Avenue
7.Ìý52 Ways to Reconcile, David A. Robertson,ÌýMcClelland & Stewart
8. Lessons From Cats for Surviving Fascism, Stewart Reynolds, Grand Central
9. Valley of the Birdtail, Andrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson, HarperCollins Canada
10.ÌýChildren Like Us, Brittany Penner, Doubleday Canada
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT
1.ÌýThe Night Before Kindergarten, Natasha Wing, Julie Durrell, Penguin Young Readers Group
2.ÌýLove You Forever, Robert Munsch, Sheila McGraw, Firefly
3.ÌýOh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss, Random House Books for Young Readers
4. First Day Jitters, Julie Danneberg, Charlesbridge
5. Fearful, Lauren Roberts, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
6.ÌýT Is for Terry, Denise Dias, Noémie Gionet Landry, Scholastic
7.ÌýThe Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, Dav Pilkey, Graphix
8. Big Nate: No Harm Done!, Lincoln Peirce, Andrews McMeel
9. The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise, Riel Nason, Byron Eggenschwiler, Tundra
10. StormClan’s Folly (Warriors Super Edition #18), Erin Hunter, HarperCollins
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
1. The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins, Sawyer Robbins, Hay House
2. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk, Penguin
3. The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté, Daniel Maté, Vintage Canada
4. The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene, Joost Elffers, Penguin
5.ÌýThe Mountain Is You, Brianna Wiest, Thought Catalog
6. Scattered Minds,ÌýGabor Maté,ÌýVintage Canada
7. Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Plata
8. Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl, Beacon
9. Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill, TarcherPerigeeÌý
10. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills, Tarcher
*Weeks on list
The bestseller lists are compiled by É«É«À² Star Newspapers Limited from information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.
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