The top 10 bestselling Canadian books of 2020

CBC Booksis counting down the top 10 bestselling Canadian titles of 2020,using data from close to 300 independent Canadianbookstores, courtesy ofBookmanager.

You can listen to the countdown specialhosted byAli Hassanbelow orkeep scrolling to see which books made the cut!

CBC Books54:00CBC Books holiday special: The top 10 Canadian books of 2020

Ali Hassan hosts a countdown of the top 10 bestselling Canadian titles of 2020, using data from nearly 300 independent Canadian bookstores, courtesy of Bookmanager.

10. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

How to Pronounce Knifeis a collection of idiosyncratic and diverse stories. Capturing the daily lives of immigrants,Souvankham Thammavongsacaptures their hopes, disappointments, trauma and acts of defiance. From a young man painting nails in a salon, to a housewife learning English from soap-operas,How to Pronounce Knifenavigates tragedy and humour.

How to Pronounce Knifewon the2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize

• Souvankham Thammavongsa's stories explore the diversity of the immigrant experience

Thammavongsais a writer and poet.Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared inHarper's,Granta,The Paris ReviewandNOON.She has published four books of poetry, including 2019'sCluster. CBC Books named her a writer to watch in 2020.

CBC Books6:43Megan Gail Coles on her novel Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club

Megan Gail Coles talks to CBC The Homestretch host Doug Dirks about her novel Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club, which will be defended by Alayna Fender on Canada Reads 2020.

9. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Clubrevolves around a cast of flawed characters all connected to aSt. John's restaurant, The Hazel. Over the course of a snowy February day, theyare implicated in each other's hopes, dreams and pains as they try to survive harsh economic times in the province.

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Clubwasshortlisted for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prizeand it was defended on Canada Reads 2020 by Alayna Fender.

• Megan Gail Coles's debut novel is a tough-love letter to Newfoundland

Megan Gail Colesis a playwright from St. John's. She previously published the short story collectionEating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome. CBC Books named her a writer to watch in 2020.

White Coat Black Art26:30Author Emma Donoghue 'spooked' by overlapping narratives between her new novel and COVID-19

The Pull of the Stars tells the story of three women a nurse, a doctor and an activist in war-ravaged Ireland during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Emma Donoghue spoke with Dr. Brian Goldman, host of White Coat, Black Art, about the inspiration for the novel and how, despite the fact it was written well before the pandemic, it mirrors what we're currently experiencing.

8. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

The Pull of the Stars, set in a war and disease-ravaged Ireland during the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, tells the story of three women a nurse, a doctor and a volunteer helper working on the front lines of the pandemic in an understaffed maternity ward of a hospital, where expectant mothers infected with the virus are quarantined.The timely tale explores how thesewomen change each other's lives in unexpected ways, while witnessing loss and delivering new life.

The Pull of the Starswas onthe 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.

• Emma Donoghue shares her favourite books

Emma Donoghueis an Irish Canadian writer. Her books include the novelsLanding,Room,Frog Music,The Wonderand the children's bookThe Lotterys Plus One.

CBC Books7:18Cherie Dimaline on Airplay with Dave White

Cherie Dimaline discusses the reception of her YA novel, The Marrow Thieves, which is shortlisted for Canada Reads 2018.

7. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

In the dystopian world ofCherie Dimaline'saward-winningThe Marrow Thieves, climate change has ravaged the Earth and a continent-wide hunt and slaughter of Indigenous people is underway. Wanted for their bone marrow, which contains the lost ability to dream, a group of Indigenous people seek refuge in the old lands.

In 2017,The Marrow Thieveswon theGovernor General's Literary Award for Young people's literature textand theKirkus Prizefor young readers' literature. It iscurrently being adapted for television.

The Marrow Thieveswas defended byJullyBlackonCanada Reads2018.

• The message YA novelist Cherie Dimaline has for young Indigenous readers

Cherie Dimaline is a Mtis author and editor whose award-winning fiction has been published and anthologized internationally. Her first book,Red Rooms, was published in 2007. Her follow-up toThe Marrow Thieves, a novel for adults calledEmpire of Wild, was released in 2019.

Louise Penny on her unexpected road to success

8 years ago

Duration 9:13

The Canadian mystery author talks to Wendy Mesley about the twists and turns in her personal story.

6.21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Actby Bob Joseph

Based on a viral article,21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Actis the essential guide to understanding the 1876 Indian Act and its repercussions on generations of Indigenous Peoples. It also explores how the legal document'slegacy has shaped the lives of Indigenous people from 1876 until now.

• Bob Joseph says Indian Act is overdue for change

Bob Joseph isis a member of the Gwawaenuk Nation and is an initiated member of the Hamatsa Society. He is the founder of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. andis the author of several books about Indigenous history and relations, includingIndigenous RelationsandWorking Effectively with Indigenous Peoples.

The Next Chapter16:03Emily St John Mandel on The Glass Hotel

Emily St John Mandel on The Glass Hotel, her follow-up to her breakout novel Station Eleven.

5. Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson

Son of a Tricksteris a novel aboutJared,a compassionate 16-year-old,maker of famous weed cookies, the caretaker of his elderly neighbours, the son of an unreliablefather and unhinged, though loving in her way,mother. As Jared ably cares for those around him, in between getting black-out drunk, he shrugs off the magical and strange happeningsthat followhim around.

Son of a Tricksterwas on theshortlist for the 2017 ScotiabankGiller Prize. It was adapted intoa televisionseriesfor CBC, which can now be watched on CBC Gem.Son of a Tricksterwas defended byKaniehtiio Hornon Canada Reads 2020.

• Why it took Eden Robinson eight years to writeSon of a Trickster

Eden Robinsonis an award-winning author fromKitamaat, B.C. She is also the author of the novelsMonkey BeachandTrickster Drift.Son of a TricksterandTrickster Driftare the first two books of a planned Trickster trilogy. The final book in the series, Return of the Trickster, will be published in 2021.

CBC Books5:09Jesse Thistle on his memoir From the Ashes

Jesse Thistle talks to CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton about his memoir From the Ashes, which will be defended by George Canyon on Canada Reads 2020.

4. All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

All the Devils Are Hereis the latest Inspector Armand Gamache novel from bestselling mystery writerLouise Penny. Gamache is in Paris, enjoying a family trip, when his elderly godfather is attacked on the street and Gamache is convinced it's not a random attack. It turns out that his godfather knows many secrets and Gamache must figure out the web of deceit and lies before it's too late.

• Why Louise Penny had to step outside her comfort zone to write the latest Armand Gamache mystery

Thirteen years ago,Pennywasa CBC broadcaster and journalist. Now, she's an award-winning author who has sold more thanfour million books and has won armloads of prizes, thanks to her InspectorArmand Gamachemysteries. Her mysteries includeStill Life,Bury Your Dead,A Trick of the LightandGlass Houses. In 2013,Pennywas named to the Order of Canada.

The Next Chapter19:15Desmond Cole on The Skin We're In

Toronto journalist Desmond Cole talks about his bestselling debut nonfiction book, The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power.

3. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

The Glass Hotelweaves severalnarratives together as it tells a story of financial corruption, greed and a massive Ponzi scheme. Vincent is a bartender in a prestigious hotel on Vancouver Island. When the owner Jonathan Alkaitis passes Vincent his card, it becomes the beginning of their story together. Meanwhile, a hooded figure scrawls a cryptic note on a wall in the hotel, and a shipping executivefor a company called Neptune-Avramidis Leon Prevant sees the note and is shaken. Thirteenyears later, Vincent disappears from aNeptune-Avramidisship.Inspired by the Bernie Madoff financial fraud scandal, the novel isa character study of people who profit and the lives that are compromised as a result.

The Glass Hotelwasa finalist for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. It was also named one ofTime's 'must-read' books of 2020and former U.S. president Barack Obama named it one of his favourite books of 2020.

• Emily St. John Mandel has no idea where she's going... and she's okay with that

St. John Mandel is a New York-based Canadian writer. Her fourth novel,Station Eleven, was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Awardand won the 2015 Toronto Book Award.

2. From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle

Jesse Thistleis a Mtis-Cree academic specializing in Indigenous homelessness, addiction and inter-generational trauma. For Thistle, these issues are more than just subjects on the page. After a difficult childhood, Thistle spent much of his early adulthood struggling with addiction while living on the streets of Toronto. His memoir,From the Ashes,details how his issues with abandonment and addiction led to homelessness, incarceration and his eventual redemption through higher education.

From the Ashes was defended on Canada Reads 2020 by George Canyon.

• How Jesse Thistle survived addiction, homelessness and incarceration and became a bestselling author

Thistleis an assistant professor at York University and was a recipient of the Governor General's AcademicMedal in 2016.From the Ashesis his first book. CBC Books named him a writer to watch in 2020.

1. The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole

InThe Skin We're In, journalist and activist Desmond Cole looks at what it's like to live in Canada as a Black person.The Skin We're Inlooks at one year, 2017, and chronicles Coles's personal journalism, activism and experiences alongside stories that made the headlines across the country, including refugees crossing the Canada-U.S. border in the middle of winter and the death of Somali CanadianAbdirahman Abdiat the hands of the Ottawa police.

The Skin We're Inwon the 2020 Toronto Book Award.

• How Desmond Cole wrote a bestselling book about being Black in Canada

Cole is ajournalist, radio hostand activist based inToronto.His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Now Magazineandthe Walrus.The Skin We're Inis his first book.CBC Books named him a writer to watch in 2020.