The top 10 bestselling Canadian books of 2019

CBC Booksis counting down the top 10 bestselling Canadian titles of 2019,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 Radio Specials53:59CBC Books: The top 10 Canadian books of 2019

CBC Books is counting down the best Canadian books of the year, as determined by sales data from nearly 300 independent bookstores. Hosted by Ali Hassan.

10. 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by 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 Relations andWorking Effectively with Indigenous Peoples.

The Candy Palmater Show13:07How a library helped Richard Wagamese become a writer

Richard Wagamese has had a successful career as a journalist and author. His books have earned him accolades across Canada. But he may never have become a writer, were it not for the kindness of a group of librarians in St. Catharines, Ontario.

9. Embers by Richard Wagamese

Embers is a collection of meditations and reflections from beloved Ojibwe author, the late Richard Wagamese.In the book, he explores concepts like grief, joy, beauty and gratitude and reflects on how they shape our lived experience.

• Love and tributes for Ojibway storyteller Richard Wagamese

Wagamese was a novelist,short story writer and journalist. His books include Medicine Walk,Ragged Company,Him Standing, Dream Wheel,the poetry bookRunaway DreamsandmemoirsFor JoshuaandOne Native Life. Wagamese died in 2017, at the age of 61.

Ottawa Morning7:20Holocaust Survivor Max Eisen shares personal stories

Author Max Eisen on his new book about living in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War....and the random acts of kindness that helped him survive and rebuild his life.

8. By Chance Alone by Max Eisen

WhenMax Eisenwas 15 years old, he and his family were taken from their home to Auschwitz, whereEisenworked as a slave labourer. He survived the Holocaust and emigrated to Canada in 1949.Eisenhas toured the world, educating people about the horrors he survived during the Second World War. He has recorded his memories in the deeply moving memoirBy Chance Alone.

By Chance Alone won Canada Reads 2019. It was defended by science journalist Ziya Tong. It was also shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize in 2017.

• How a promise to his father inspired Holocaust survivor Max Eisen to tell his story

Eisenis a speaker and educator dedicated to Holocaust education.By Chance Aloneis his first book.

Archives15:41Margaret Atwood describes The Handmaid's Tale on CBC Radio

In conversation with Peter Gzowski, the author describes the setting of her dystopian new novel and says she had many sources of inspiration for its grim vision.

7. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Blacktells the story of 11-year-old Washington Black, a slave on a Barbados sugar plantation. His master is Englishman Christopher Wilde, who is obsessed with developing a machine that can fly. The two develop a bond, but when a man is killed, Wilde must choose between his family and saving Washington's life and the choice results in an unforgettable adventure around the world.

Washington Black won the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize. It was alsoa finalist for the 2018 Man Booker Prizeandthe2018 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

• How Esi Edugyan wrote her novel Washington Black and won her second Scotiabank Giller Prize

Esi Edugyanis a two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner. She also won the award in 2011 for her novel Half-Blood Blues. She is also the author of the 2004 novelThe Second Life of Samuel Tyneand the 2014 work of nonfictionDreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home.

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.

6. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

MichaelOndaatje'sWarlightis the lushly told story of a young man trying to understand his strange childhood. In the days following the Second World War, Nathaniel and his sister are abandoned by their parents in their London home and left in the care of two devoted men. It's a story that traces the journey of a son attempting to understand war and his family's involvement in it.

Warlightwas named one ofBarack Obama's favourite books of 2018. It wasshortlisted for 2019 Walter Scott Prize for historical fictionand made the 2018 Booker Prize longlist.

• 76 facts you might not know about Michael Ondaatje

Ondaatje is a Canadian literary icon. His novels and poetry have earned international acclaim, and he was the first Canadian ever to win the Man Booker Prize in 1992for the wartime storyThe English Patient. His other books include Anil's Ghost, The Cat's Table and In the Skin of a Lion.

5. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Talking to Strangersexplores how we interact with people we don't know, and the impact of the assumptions we bring to these conversations. As with his previous books, Malcolm Gladwelluses anecdotes and a narrative voice toexaminehow societal structures shape human behaviour, including decision-making andthe spread of ideas.

• Malcolm Gladwell on why it's so tricky detecting liars based on behaviour

Gladwellis a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of several nonfiction books, includingBlink,OutliersandThe Tipping Point.

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Released in 1985,The Handmaid's Talewas Atwood's breakthrough book on an international scale. The modern classic tells the story of a Handmaid known as Offred who is trapped in a society where her only purpose is to conceive and bear the child of a powerful man.

The Handmaid's Talewon Atwood her second Governor General's Literary Award and scored her first nomination for the Booker Prize. It has since undergone several adaptations, for film, stage, ballet, opera and most recently, TV and graphic novel.

• Margaret Atwood's 10 essential books

Atwood is one of Canada's best known and most prolific writers. She has written more than 40 books in nearly all literary forms including short stories, nonfiction, children's books and stage.

3. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

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 to The Marrow Thieves, a novel for adults called Empire of Wild, was released in 2019.

2. A Better Man by Louise Penny

In Louise Penny's latest Inspector Armand Gamachemystery novel,A Better Man,Gamachehas been reinstated as head of the homicide department in Quebec. But when the province is hit with a flooding crisis,a father begs Gamache to help find his missing daughter, a case that draws intensepublic scrutiny.

A Better Manis the 13th book in the Gamachemystery series.

• How Louise Penny keeps her Armand Gamache mystery series fresh and surprising

Penny isa former CBC broadcaster and journalist. Her other books includeStill Life,Bury Your Dead,A Trick of the LightandGlass Houses. In 2013, she was named to the Order of Canada.

1. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

The Testamentsis set 15 years after the events ofThe Handmaid's Taleand includes the "explosive testaments" of three women. The book answers questions on the inner-workings of Gilead, the oppressive dystopiawhere Offred, the novel's original narrator, was stripped of her freedoms and forced to be a handmaid for powerful men.

• Why Margaret Atwood waited more than 30 years to write The Testaments

The novelco-won the 2019 Booker Prizeandbroke Canadian sales records. It was also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and made several best books of the year lists, including CBC Books' best Canadian fiction list.

Atwood's acclaimed books includeAlias Grace,Oryx and CrakeandThe Edible Woman. She has won several awards for her work including the Governor General's Literary Award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize andthe Man Booker Prize.

• Margaret Atwood at 80: A retrospective on her life and career

On Nov. 18, 2019, Atwood turned 80. In fall 2019, a documentary was released about her life, activism and the year she wrote The Testaments.