The Hamilton Review of Books' Independently Published Bestsellers List: January 2025
Take a look at which independently published books Canadians are purchasing from independent bookstores.
February 21, 2025
Fiction
Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew, Arsenal Pulp Press
Who Will Bury You?: And Other Stories by Chido Muchemwa, Astoria (House of Anansi Press)
Reuniting With Strangers: A Novel by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio, Douglas & McIntyre
Chrysalis by Anuja Varghese, House of Anansi
Colours in Her Hands by Alice Zorn, Freehand Books
Denison Avenue by Christina Wong and Daniel Innes, ECW Press
Arabic, Between Love and War by Norah Alkharashi (Editor), Yasmine Haj (Editor), Trace Press
Scientific Marvel: Poems by Chimwemwe Undi, House of Anansi Press
Caesaria by Hanna Nordenhök, translated by Saskia Vogel, Book*hug Press
The Sky is a Sky in the Sky by Stuart Ross, Coach House Books
Nonfiction
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby (Author), Mary Louisa Plummer, University of Manitoba Press
When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance by Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, Sean Carleton, Pamela Palmater, Audra Simpson, Between the Lines
40 Days & 40 Hikes: Loving the Bruce Trail One Loop at a Time by Nicola Ross, ECW Press
Dangerous Memory: Coming of Age in the Decade of Greed by Charlie Angus, House of Anansi Press
Abolish Social Work (As We Know It) edited by Craig Fortier, Edward Hon-Sing Wong, Dr. Marie-Jolie (MJ) Rwigema, Between the Lines
What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in Our Time by Ian Williams, House of Anansi Press
The Social Safety Net: Canada in Decline Book One by Norah Loreto, Dundurn Press
The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen, Biblioasis
Catch a Fire: The Blaze and Bust of the Canadian Cannabis Industry by Ben Kaplan, Dundurn Press
What A Farmer Wants You to Know About Food by Dennis Bulani, Ultimate Yield Press
Kids
Patty Dreams by Nadia L. Hohn (Author), Sahle Robinson (Illustrator), Owlkids
Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp, Annick Press
Raven’s Ribbons by Tasha Spillett (Author), Daniel Ramirez (Illustrator), Owlkids
We Need Everyone by Michael Redhead Champagne (Author), Tiff Bartel (Illustrator), Highwater Press
Animals Brag About Their Bottoms by Maki Saito (Author), Brian Bergstrom (Translator), Greystone Kids
How I Built This List:
I am very grateful for all the bookstores who generously shared their sales data with me. The information used to create this list was drawn from the sales of Another Story Bookshop in Toronto, The City and the City Books in Hamilton, Epic Books in Hamilton, McNally Robinson Booksellers (both the Grant Park and the Forks Locations in Winnipeg), McNally Robinson Saskatoon, Shelf Life Books in Calgary and Wordsworth Books in Waterloo. We’re covering a fair amount of Canada, but I hope to add more stores over time and create a more wide-ranging list. If you are a bookstore who would like to contribute to the list please get in touch with us, we’d love to have more information.
Many of the authors on this list will be new to readers, but what I’ve done here is create a bestseller list drawn only from those books published by Canadian-owned independent presses. Most of the books in the top half of both the fiction and the nonfiction bestseller lists sold well in several of the stores on the list and many of the other titles are books that sold well in only one or two stores who shared information. Sometimes these were strongly regional titles. This January we’re starting to see the impact of Canada Reads, with some hold over from the stronger titles of 2024.
I acknowledge that this list is not at all perfect. It is only a small sampling of the data out there, but it is a fascinating look at what independently published books Canadians are purchasing from independent bookstores across a reasonable amount of Canada.
My deep thanks to the Hamilton Review of Books for publishing this Independent Bestseller List. Please, if you’re looking for something wonderful to read, visit your nearest independent bookstore and ask them what they suggest. The people who work in these stores know an amazing amount about books and will find you your next best possible read.
Noelle Allen