BESTSELLERS
THE BESTSELLER LISTS ARE COMPILED BY TORONTO STAR NEWSPAPERS LTD. FROM INFORMATION PROVIDED BY BOOKNET, CANADA’S NATIONAL SALES TRACKING SERVICE. BNC SALESDATA.
* WEEKS ON THE BESTSELLER LIST
ORIGINAL FICTION 1. It Ends with Us,
Colleen Hoover, Atria (39)*
2. Book Lovers, Emily Henry, Berkley (4)
3. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover, Atria (12)
4. Nightwork, Nora Roberts, St. Martin’s (1)
5. November 9, Colleen Hoover, Atria (3)
6. The Summer Place, Jennifer Weiner, Atria (3)
7. Take Your Breath Away, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow (2)
8. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Grand Central (21)
9. The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn, William Morrow (10)
10. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley, William Morrow (14)
ORIGINAL NON-FICTION
1. The Boy in the Woods, Maxwell Smart, HarperCollins (5)
2. Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown, Random House (24)
3. We Were Dreamers, Simu Liu, HarperCollins Canada (3)
4. Freezing Order, Bill Browder, Simon & Schuster (8)
5. The Palace Papers, Tina Brown, Doubleday Canada (6)
6. 1972: The Series that Changed Hockey Forever, Scott Morrison, Simon & Schuster (4)
7. Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed (73)
8. Finding Me, Viola Davis, HarperOne (4)
9. Son of Elsewhere, Elamin
Abdelmahmoud, McClelland & Stewart (2)
10. The Whisper of the Night Wing, Adam Shoalts, Penguin Canada (1)
CANADIAN FICTION
1. Take Your Breath Away, Linwood Barclay, William Morrow
2. Watch Out for Her, Samantha M. Bailey, Simon & Schuster
3. Every Summer After, Carley Fortune, Viking
4. Bloomsbury Girls, Natalie Jenner, St. Martin’s
5. All the Seas of the World, Guy Gavriel Kay, Viking
6. The Embroidered Book, Kate Heartfield, Harper Voyager
7. The Madness of Crowds, Louise Penny, Minotaur
8. Five Little Indians, Michelle Good, Harper Perennial
9. Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall, Simon & Schuster
10. Never Coming Home, Hannah
Mary McKinnon, MIRA
CANADIAN NON-FICTION
1. The Boy in the Woods, Maxwell Smart, HarperCollins Canada
2. We Were Dreamers, Simu Liu, HarperCollins Canada
3. 1972: The Series that Changed Hockey Forever, Scott Morrison, Simon & Schuster
4. Son of Elsewhere, Elamin Abdelmahmoud, McClelland & Stewart
5. The Whisper on the Night Wind, Adam Shoalts, Penguin Canada
6. 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph, Indigenous Relations
7. 22 Murders, Paul Palango, Random House Canada
8. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan B. Peterson, Random House Canada
9. Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley, Hamish Hamilton
10. From Showing Off to Showing Up, Nancy Regan, Nimbus
Q My oil painting was purchased around 1960 in southern Ontario by my grandmother — an antique dealer in Burlington, Ont. She was told by the sellers that this young girl was a doctor’s daughter from Toronto and that the artist was R.C. Todd. I had the painting restored in 1997 by a conservator who worked at the National Art Gallery. It was cleaned, consolidated and revarnished with a canvas backing. This work cost $535. The conservator was unable to find an artist’s signature. In good light you can see tree leaves in the background and a hill. The frame is made of bird’s eye maple and is 98 centimetres high and 79 cm wide (31 x 38.5 inches).
Suzanne, Ottawa
A Robert Clow Todd (1809-1866) had some standing while in his native Britain, being employed by members of high society to paint carriages and coats of arms. He arrived in Quebec in 1834 and added carving and gilding to his repertoire. Todd’s known subject matter includes portraits, horses and carriages and some winter scenes in the style of Cornelius Krieghoff. He moved to Toronto around 1854 where he spent the rest of his life. I see every reason to believe the verbal provenance and you have rightly taken it seriously and looked for supporting evidence. Well done! You might pursue a costume expert to refine its date. The frame itself is worth $300, but should stay with the painting. The little girl in the painting was blessed with patience and this portrait has great appeal. You have preserved a piece that is worth $1,500 today.