The 15 Books That Mattered

Some are critical smashes, some are bookstore blockbusters. Some tackle difficult subjects, some are pure entertainment. Together, these are the books that had the biggest impact in 2009.

Start the slideshow, or click one of the links below to find out why each title was selected and for further related reading.

Fiction

» The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
» February, Lisa Moore
» The Golden Mean, Annabel Lyon
» The Heart Specialist, Claire Holden Rothman
» The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley
» Old City Hall, Robert Rotenberg

Non-fiction

» Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization, Jeff Rubin
» Grass, Sky, Song: Promise and Peril in the World of Grassland Birds, Trevor Herriot
» Slow Death by Robber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health, Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, with Sarah Dopp
» Corked, Kathryn Borel, Jr.

Books for Young People

» Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas, Cary Fagan; Dusan Petricic, illus.
» Scaredy Squirrel at Night, Melanie Watt
» City Alphabet, Joanne Schwartz; Matt Beam, photog.
» Perfect Snow, Barbara Reid
» The Uninvited, Tim Wynne-Jones

Other Features

» Overlooked Books
» Covers of the year: Designer’s choice
» The year that was: Notes and distinctions from the Canadian book biz in 2009