When Q&Q spoke to independent booksellers across Canada to get their fiction picks of the year, it became apparent that while seasoned favourites like Ian McEwan and J.K. Rowling dominate the list, local titles are favourites in all regions.
Simone Lee, co-owner of Pages on Kensington in Calgary, attributes the popularity of Will Ferguson’s 419 to hometown pride. “He’s a local celebrity,” she says.
Click on the thumbnails below to discover Canadian booksellers’ top picks for fiction.
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- U.K. author Rachel Joyce's debut novel, a story about physical and emotional endurance, made the Man Booker Prize longlist, and is currently a bestseller at Bookmark in Halifax and Ben McNally Books in Toronto.
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Doubleday Canada)
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- According to booksellers, Junot DÃaz's <i>This Is How You Lose Her</i> has become a fast favourite among Canadian readers since its release in September.<br /> <br /> David Worsley, manager of Words Worth Books in Waterloo, Ontario, says the book was a surprise hit: "Hardcover short-story collections aren't always popular at Words Worth."
- This is How You Lose Her by Junot DÃaz (Riverhead/Penguin)
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- According to Blue Heron Books owner Shelley MacBeth, <i>The Headmaster's Wager</i> is currently a best-selling title at the bookstore, located in Uxbridge, Ontario.<br /> <br /> "I did many events with Vincent Lam this fall," says MacBeth, explaining the book's success.
- The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam (Doubleday Canada)
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- Ian McEwan's latest novel is currently a favourite at Ben McNally Books in Toronto, Munro's Books in Victoria, and Bookmark in Halifax.<br /> <br /> Not my personal favourite of the esteemed author," says Bookmark manager Michael Hamm. "But a well-crafted and compelling novel nonetheless.
- Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan (Knopf Canada)
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- Zadie Smith's experimental novel is currently a favourite at Bookmark in Halifax, Ben McNally Books in Toronto, and Pages on Kensington in Calgary.
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- Calgary's Pages on Kensington is "an event-driven bookstore," according to co-owner Simone Lee. One of the most successful and best-attended events to date was the launch of Bradley Somer's novel <i>Imperfections</i>, which follows a male model who finds himself reduced to a torso, with no arms or legs, in the trunk of a car.
- Imperfections by Bradley Somer (Nightwood Editions)
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- I would say that the phenomenon of the year is erotica, a section we gave almost no attention to until this year," says Chris Hall, operations manager at McNally Robinson. "Erotica is the biggest generator of attention and new readers." <br /> <br /> <i>Fifty Shades</i> is also the bestselling fiction novel at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ontario, and Munro's Books in Victoria.
- Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (Vintage)
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- The fact that J.K. Rowling's first post“Harry Potter release is a bestselling novel came as no surprise to Michael Hamm, manager of Halifax's Bookmark. <br /> <br /> "With or without critical acclaim, her cache of readers catapulted her to the top," he says.
- Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Little, Brown/Hachette)
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