Amazon.ca Reveals the Most Well-Read Cities in Canada

Calgary, Alberta climbs to the top taking the No. 1 spot as Most Well-Read City in Canada

SEATTLE, June 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Amazon.ca introduced its second annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in Canada. After compiling sales data of all Amazon.ca book sales in print and Kindle formats from May 2013 to May 2014, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents, the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities in Canada are:

1. Calgary, Alberta 2. Vancouver, British Columbia        3. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 4. Regina, Saskatchewan 5. Edmonton, Alberta 6. London, Ontario 7. Toronto, Ontario 8. Winnipeg, Manitoba 9. Ottawa, Ontario 10. Kitchener, Ontario

11. Burnaby, British Columbia 12. Mississauga, Ontario 13. Gatineau, Quebec 14. Windsor, Ontario 15. Richmond, British Columbia 16. Markham, Ontario 17. Surrey, British Columbia 18. Brampton, Ontario 19. Halifax, Nova Scotia 20. Hamilton, Ontario

In taking a closer look at the data, Amazon.ca also found:

• A New No. 1: Moving up a spot from last year, Calgary earns this year's top spot for Well-Read City. Genres popular among Calgarians include Sci-Fi and Self-Help books.
• Digital versus Print Books: Vancouverites purchased the most print books, while Calgarians ordered the most Kindle books. The top Kindle book purchased by Calgarians was Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (Atria) and the top print book purchased by Vancouverites was Soul Healing Miracles: Ancient and New Sacred Wisdom, Knowledge, and Practical Techniques for Healing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Bodies by Zhi Gang Sha (BenBella Books). 
• Saskatonians Continue Showing Canadian Pride: Number one again, Saskatonians purchased the most novels written by Canadian authors. This year, Saskatoon locals' favourite Canadian novel was Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (Douglas & Mcintyre).
• Young Readers Span the Nation: Whether young or young at heart, Canadians are buying children's books. The most popular children's title among the top 20 cities was The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Book by Eric Carle (Philomel).
• Foodie Nation Head West: Locals in Vancouver, Calgary and Saskatoon are spending ample time in the kitchen cooking and baking after topping the list for ordering the most cookbooks. The most popular cookbook in Vancouver and Calgary was The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out by Angela Liddon (Penguin Canada) and The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker (Robert Rose) in Saskatoon.
• From Coast-to-Coast, Canadians have the Travel Bug: Residents in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa are getting their travel on and making sure they are prepared before they reach their next destination. These locals purchased the most travel-related books, ranging from The Great Canadian Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences by Robin Esrock (Dundurn Press) in Vancouver and Ottawa to Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies by Alan Kane (Rocky Mountain Books) in Calgary.

"On the heels of announcing the winner of the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, it's great to see Canadians' love of reading from coast-to-coast," said Alexandre Gagnon, country manager for Amazon.ca. "Whether it's a sci-fi thriller or a love story, this year's data shows a nation of passionate readers with a hunger for a variety of genres." 

For more information, visit www.amazon.ca/books and www.amazon.ca/kindlebooks.

About Amazon.com
Amazon opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by three principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, and long-term thinking.  Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

SOURCE: Amazon.ca

Mercedes Smith, [email protected], 416 586-1929