Toronto has a rich history of diverse authors, whose celebrated works - both fiction & nonfiction - are showcased in an array of bookstores throughout the city. What better way to explore new neighbourhoods via bike or ebike than to trace the locales of some stellar reads at an independent bookshop. Cycling from west to east:
ANOTHER STORY BOOKSHOP - 315 Roncesvalles Ave
Open for over 25 years, Another Story is always up for the cause, promoting social justice, politically charged voices with a different view-point.
Roncey Pick: André Alexis's “Fifteen Dogs” (Winner of the prestigious Giller Prize and Canada Reads) is set in the environs around High Park featuring a pack of dogs who are given the “gift” of human consciousness as a philosophical experiment.
MONKEY’S PAW - 1067 Bloor Street West
Monkey’s Paw is an enchanting place for uncommon books, unusual finds and paper artifacts.
Bibliomat
It is also home to the Bibliomat: “the first device of its kind, allowing curious bibliophiles to sample the excitement and mystery of antiquarian book hunting with a single $5 token.” The Biblio-Mat was designed and constructed for the Monkey's Paw by animator Craig Small. Watch a video on how it works.
Bloorcourt Pick: “Christie Pits” created by Jamie Michaels & Doug Fedrau is a bold retelling of the true story of young Jewish & Italian immigrants who faced hate head on during the historic riots at the baseball diamond in Christie Pits.
TYPE BOOKS - 883 Queen Street St. West, 427 Spadina Road, 2887 Dundas St West
Although the flagship store is on Queen West, with whimsical window-displays & a small art gallery, Type Books has two other locations in The Junction & Forest Hill. Type also operates a non-profit literacy outreach program, called Word-Play, which encourages a love of reading among children.
Roving Toronto Pick: Catherine Bush’s “Minus Time” traces the complicated explorations of a young student, anxious to find her own identity & home in the city’s margins, away from the toney North Toronto streets of her privileged childhood.
A DIFFERENT BOOKLIST - 779 Bathurst Street
Not just a bookstore, A Different Booklist is a community hub dedicated to emerging & established writers from Canada’s cultural mosaic. It is a perfect spot for special talks, readings & book launches.
Borderless Toronto Pick: “Subdivided: City Building in an Age of Hyper-Diversity” is a collection of essays taken from a varied source of contributors writing about their experiences of diversity living in Toronto, edited by Jay Pitter & John Lorinc.
SWIPE - 401 Richmond Street West (B04)
Swipe spotlights contemporary books on graphic design, advertising, architecture & urbanism, in tandem with well-curated objects & gifts for adults and children.
Entertainment District Pick: The Architecture of Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna, Bloomberg is a gorgeous coffee-table book about KPMB, the internationally recognised architecture firm, whose Toronto offices are a block away from Swipe. The National Ballet School, Koerner Hall, and The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art are just a few of their TO marquee projects.
SPACING STORE - 401 Richmond Street West (B02)
This super-cool meeting place - an extension of Spacing Urbanism Magazine - houses Toronto-centric products, including books, housewares, clothing, and accessories.
Cycling Pick: Yvonne Bambrick’s must-have bestseller, Urban Cycling Survival Guide, is full of tips & insider info for fun / safe cycling in every season.
MABEL’S FABLES - 662 Mount Pleasant Road
Source: instagram.com/mabelsfablesbookstore/
One of the most-beloved children’s bookstores in the city, Mabel’s Fables is a midtown gem. They host book clubs for teens and kids throughout the year.
Mount Pleasant Pick: Indigenous Toronto - Stories That Carry This Place is an anthology from Indigenous writers, elders, scholars and artists who reveal this unique “Meeting Place” before European settlers arrived.
BEN MCNALLY BOOKSTORE - 400 King East
Ben McNally’s BooKstore, once labeled Toronto’s most beautiful, has recently scaled down into more modest digs at King Street East in Corktown. Ben and his children, who run the joint, are some of the most knowledgeable in the city.
Corktown Pick: Commonwealth Writers’ Prize & Giller Award-winning novelist Austin Clarke’s “More” is a challenging, yet beautifully woven novel of a mother in search of her lost son, set in the juxtaposed worlds of Moss Park and Rosedale.
BOOK CITY - 1950 Queen East, 348 Danforth Avenue, 2354 Bloor West, 1430 Yonge Street
Leading the charge for indie bookshops in Toronto, this family-owned & operated business opened its first store in the Annex in 1976. Now, with four locations spread around the city - including The Beach - you are never too far a bike ride to browse through their eclectic collection. Or, make it a real cycling tour and visit all four!
East Toronto Pick: David Chariandy’s Brother is the complex story of two brothers from Scarborough in the 1990s that ventures deep into Rouge Park. This epic is perfect to retrace via ebike. Watch for the filmic adaptation of “Brother”, directed by Clement Virgo, set to premiere at TIFF in September, 2022.
This is only the beginning!
Here are some more Toronto-based books to inspire you to create your own book biking tour.
Post your favourites at #TorontoBooksByBike #TorontoReads