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The Orenda was the most-reviewed Canadian book of 2013

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden, designed by Lisa Jager (Hamish Hamilton Canada)One of the interesting sidenotes to come out of this morning’s CWILA report was its list of the top reviewed books in Canada.

Joseph Boyden’s The Orenda was by far the most popular book of 2013, with 21 reviews counted. Boyden’s historical novel beat MaddAddam, the final book in Margaret Atwood’s speculative-fiction trilogy, and Lynn Coady’s Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning story collection, Hellgoing.

What the list also shows is that there is a handful of women-authored books getting reviewers’ attention. According to the report, of books with 10 or more reviews, 50 per cent were written by Canadian women.

Here’s the list of the top-13 reviewed books:

  • The Orenda, Joseph Boyden (21)
  • MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood (12)
  • Hellgoing, Lynn Coady (15)
  • The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton (11)
  • Blood: The Stuff of Life, Lawrence Hill (11)
  • Joyland, Stephen King (11)
  • The Moonshine War, Elmore Leonard (11)
  • Caught, Lisa Moore (11)
  • Life after Life, Kate Atkinson (10)
  • My Life among the Apes, Cary Fagan (10)
  • David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell (10)
  • The Water Rat of Wanchai, Ian Hamilton (10)
  • How the Light Gets In, Louise Penny (10)