Not all the Top 10 lists Kelowna graces are entirely flattering, but one released today one bodes very well for the residents of this fine Okanagan city.
In the spirit of all things Canada 150, Amazon.ca today announced its fifth annual list of Canadian Cities that Love to Read. Looking at cities from coast-to-coast, the list was compiled using data from Amazon.ca – for both print and Kindle e-book editions – from May 2016 to May 2017 on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.
This year, the Top 20 Canadian Cities that Love to Read are:
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Kingston, Ontario
- Kelowna, British Columbia
- Calgary, Alberta
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Langley, British Columbia
- Regina, Saskatchewan
- Edmonton, Alberta
- Oakville, Ontario
- Guelph, Ontario
- Barrie, Ontario
- London, Ontario
- Kitchener, Ontario
- Thornhill, Ontario
- Burlington, Ontario
- Oshawa, Ontario
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Cambridge, Ontario
- Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Richmond Hill, Ontario
Taking a closer look at the data Amazon.ca also revealed:
The Year of the Underdog: Just when Vancouver and Calgary were getting comfortable in the top two spots —where they have been sitting for three consecutive years —Saskatoon moved from third to first place and new cities filled the podium with Kingston placing second and Kelowna third.
New Cities on the Block: This year sparked a love for reading among new Canadian cities as 12 who were not on last year’s list made their way into the rankings, including Oakville and Richmond Hill.
Love of Reading and Romance: Love was in full bloom in the cities of Kingston, Oshawa and Barrie, who were the top three cities to purchase the most romance books.
Aspiring Chefs of Cambridge: While Vancouver triumphed over the other cities in four of the eight categories, the southern Ontario city of Cambridge purchased the most cookbooks, flexing its culinary curiosity.
Vancouver Has a Spine: Vancouver may have slipped from first to fifth place overall, but residents beat every other city in the print books format, proving Vancouverites love the traditional method of reading.