The BC Bestseller List is compiled using sales data from more than 70 independent bookstores in BC, which is provided to the ABPBC by TBM BookManager. The list represents sales of BC published books released within the calendar year.
No. 1
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from A Secret World
by Peter Wohlleben
Greystone Books | 9781771642484
In this international bestseller, forester, and author Peter Wohlleben draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families; tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. With their newfound understanding of the delightfully complex life of trees, readers will never be able to look at a walk in the woods the same way again.
BC Bestseller for 46 consecutive weeks
No. 2
Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations
by Richard Wagamese
Douglas & McIntyre | 9781771621335
In this carefully curated selection of everyday reflections, Richard Wagamese finds lessons in both the mundane and sublime as he muses on the universe, drawing inspiration from working in the bush–sawing and cutting and stacking wood for winter as well as the smudge ceremony to bring him closer to the Creator. Embers is perhaps Richard Wagamese’s most personal volume to date. Honest, evocative and articulate, he explores the various manifestations of grief, joy, recovery, beauty, gratitude, physicality and spirituality–concepts many find hard to express. But for Wagamese, spirituality is multifaceted. Within these pages, readers will find hard-won and concrete wisdom on how to feel the joy in the everyday things. Wagamese does not seek to be a teacher or guru, but these observations made along his own journey to become, as he says, “a spiritual bad-ass,” make inspiring reading.
BC Bestseller for 40 consecutive weeks
No. 3
On Island: Life Among the Coast Dwellers
by Pat Carney
TouchWood Editions | 9781771512107
In this story collection, Pat Carney follows the rhythms of day-to-day life in coastal BC. Featuring a revolving cast of characters—the newly retired couple, the church warden, the musician, the small-town girl with big city dreams—Carney’s keen observations of the personalities and dramas of coastal life are instantly recognizable to readers who are familiar with life in a small community. With her narrative of dock fights, pet shows, family feuds, logging camps and the ever-present tension between islanders and property-owning “off-islanders,” Carney’s witty and perceptive voice describes how the islanders weather the storms of coastal life.
BC Bestseller for 20 consecutive weeks
No. 4
Hello Humpback!
by Roy Henry Vickers & Robert Budd, illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers
Harbour Publishing | 9781550177992
With bright and bold illustrations of the wild and magical West Coast by celebrated artist Roy Henry Vickers, this sturdy board book will delight babies and toddlers as they begin to experience and recognize the sights and sounds of the natural world. Hello Humpback!, a “first words” book, introduces iconic West Coast animals, from hungry sea otters to hopping orcas, and is sure to become an instant classic.
BC Bestseller for 25 consecutive weeks
No. 5
British Columbia from Scratch: Recipes for Every Season
by Denise Marchessault and Caroline West
Whitecap Books | 9781770502345
A celebration of British Columbia through a cook’s palate and a photographer’s lens, this cookbook highlights the province’s diverse edible landscape, from the Pacific Ocean’s seafood to Okanagan fruit. The seasonal layout pairs an eclectic collection of made-from-scratch recipes with evocative images, paying tribute to wholesome unprocessed foods and the skilled farmers who grow them.
BC Bestseller for 6 consecutive weeks
No. 6
Harry: A Wilderness Dog Saga
by Chris Czajkowski
Harbour Publishing | 9781550178098
Living alone in the remote wilderness, Chris Czajkowski has given her dogs a rich life, although not without its difficulties. Often residing in areas accessible only by float plane, the dogs have encountered grizzlies and cougars, slept in the snow, hiked with packs of food and equipment, and occasionally gotten themselves into scrapes, such as becoming lost in the wild or falling through ice into a freezing river. The gregarious and lovable Harry gives his account of their years together at Nuk Tessli and Ginty Creek. Together, they trace Chris’s off-the-grid life from a dog’s-eye view as she established an ecotourism business, built cabins by hand and scratched out a living for herself and the pack.
BC Bestseller for 1 consecutive week
No. 7
The Promise of Paradise: Utopian Communities in British Columbia
by Andrew Scott
Harbour Publishing | 9781550177718
The West has long attracted visionaries and schemers from around the world. And no other region in North America can outstrip British Columbia for the number of utopian or intentional settlement attempts in the past 150 years. Andrew Scott delves into the dramatic stories of these fascinating, but often doomed, communities. With careful research and engaging first-person accounts, Scott sifts through the wreckage of the utopia-seekers’ dreams and delves into the practices and philosophies of contemporary intentional communities. This book is a compendium of astounding misadventures as well as an intriguing analysis of what moves people to search for paradise.
BC Bestseller for 3 consecutive weeks
No. 8
Beckoned by the Sea: Women at Work on the Cascadia Coast
by Sylvia Taylor
Heritage House Publishing | 9781772031805
Beckoned by the Sea celebrates coastal women from northern BC to northern California who work on or with the sea. The twenty-four women featured in this inspiring and fascinating book represent a variety of industries—from conservation, commercial fishing, and marine biology to safety and rescue, tourism, and the arts.
BC Bestseller for 2 consecutive weeks
No. 9
The Queen of the North Disaster: The Captain’s Story
by Colin Henthorne
Harbour Publishing | 9781550177619
Few recent events in British Columbia have seized the public mind like the 2006 sinking of the BC Ferries passenger vessel Queen of the North. Across Canada, it was one of the top news stories of the year. In BC it has attained the status of nautical legend. On the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, Captain Colin Henthorne recalls with accuracy and detail that ill-fated voyage and all its terrible repercussions. The Queen of the North Disaster: The Captain’s Story dispels rumours about what really happened that night, revealing a fascinating inside look at a modern marine disaster.
BC Bestseller for 6 consecutive weeks
No. 10
Chilcotin Chronicles: Stories of Adventure and Intrigue from British Columbia’s Central Interior
by Sage Birchwater
Caitlin Press | 9781987915334
Set in the wild and untamed country of central British Columbia’s Chilcotin Plateau, Chilcotin Chronicles is about men and women caught in its interface of cultures and changing landscape. Indigenous inhabitants and white newcomers brought together by the fur brigades, then later by the gold rush, forged a path together that was uncharted and unpredictable. Birchwater discovers that their stories, seemingly disconnected, are intrinsically linked together to create a human ecosystem with very deep roots. The lives of these early inhabitants give substance to the landscape and meaning to the people who live there today.
BC Bestseller for 16 consecutive weeks
No. 11
Some Useful Wild Plants: A Foraging Guide to Food and Medicine from Nature (Revised Edition)
by Dan Jason
Harbour Publishing | 9781550177916
With over forty years since its original printing, and over 30,000 copies sold, this bestselling guide still remains a trusted and much-consulted reference for those interested in identifying, foraging and growing wild plants for food and medicine. Now Some Useful Wild Plants is back in print for a new generation of foragers and herbalists.
BC Bestseller for 5 consecutive weeks
No. 12
Pacific Reef & Shore: A Photo Guide to Northwest Marine Life from Alaska to Northern California
by Rick M Harbo
Harbour Publishing | 9781550177862
Still compact and the perfect size for travelling, Pacific Reef & Shore has been updated with new species, up-to-date scientific information and many brilliant photographs of the more than 300 common plants and animals found in the intertidal zone off the coast of North America–from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to Point Conception, California. Each entry includes a description summary with information on size and habitat, and a photo for species verification, giving readers an overview of local sea life without weighing them down as they explore the shore.
BC Bestseller for 1 consecutive week
No. 13
Dirty Windshields: The Best and the Worst of the Smugglers Tour Diaries
by Grant Lawrence
Douglas & McIntyre | 9781771621489
Dirty Windshields is the long-awaited memoir from CBC host and award-winning author Grant Lawrence, baring all the salacious and hilarious details from his touring days as the lead singer of Vancouver-based rock and roll band The Smugglers.
BC Bestseller for 2 consecutive weeks
No. 14
Victoria’s Most Haunted: Ghost Stories from BC’s Historic Capital City
by Ian Gibbs
Touchwood Editions | 9781771512138
Beautiful, charming Victoria is world renowned for its seaside attractions, flourishing gardens, and breathtaking ocean views. But looming behind its picture-perfect façade is a city shrouded in mystery, with restless, disembodied beings that whisper ghastly tales of mystery, violence, and horror. Known as British Columbia’s most haunted city, Victoria is teeming with a plethora of spirits. Get to know the city’s best-known hauntings along with some you may have not have heard before.
BC Bestseller for 1 consecutive week
No. 15
Wolf Island
by Ian McAllister & Nicholas Read
Orca Book Publishers | 9781459812642
The Great Bear Rainforest is a majestic place full of tall trees, huge bears and endless schools of salmon. Award-winning photographer and author Ian McAllister’s luminous photographs illustrate the story of a lone wolf who swims to one of the small islands that dot the rainforest’s coast. The island provides him with everything he needs—deer, salmon, fresh water—everything, that is, but a mate. When a female wolf arrives on the island’s rocky shores, she and he start a family and introduce their pups to the island’s bounty.
BC Bestseller for 1 consecutive week