鈥満＝巧缜偻鴏oves its bookstores,鈥 said Flying Books founder Martha Sharpe. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a city of booklovers, much more so than anybody thinks.鈥
Case in point: This year, turns 10, a milestone worth celebrating for this indie book purveyor with two locations in the city (784 College St. and 371 Queen. St. W.) plus a publishing arm and a writing school. Sharpe credits its longevity to this city鈥檚 passionate readers.
Sharpe has been embedded in Toronto鈥檚 literary community for years, including as an editor at House of Anansi Press, which has been focusing on publishing聽 Canadian writers since 1967.
Flying Books founder Martha Sharpe (second from left) with 海角社区官网authors Anna Fitzpatrick, Tomas Hachard and Marlowe Granados.
SuppliedThat means all corners of the聽city are illuminated with book-related memories for her. 鈥淚 was on the bus from York Mills subway station, and one day I was reading the manuscript for 鈥楾his All Happened鈥 by Michael Winter. I鈥檇 never read anything by him before and I was immediately mood-transformed,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here was this alive, funny, but deep manuscript that I had the pleasure of reading on my bus ride. I remember being completely lost in it, and I ended up having the luck of being able to publish it.鈥
The titles that are currently selling well at Flying Books aren鈥檛 necessarily big blockbusters with massive marketing budgets behind them, Sharpe said. They鈥檙e books with a strong local interest, including 鈥淓ncampment鈥 by Maggie Helwig, 鈥淒enison Avenue鈥 by Christina Wong and the anthology 鈥淚ndigenous Toronto.鈥
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big interest in 海角社区官网as a city,鈥 said Sharpe of the readers who come into her stores. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so hard on ourselves; there isn鈥檛 that unquestionable love for the city that you find in New York, but there鈥檚 a lot to love. It鈥檚 filled with talented, educated, smart, fun people.鈥
It鈥檚 also filled with excellent ways and places to indulge in the love of reading 鈥 here are Sharpe鈥檚 favourite bookish spots in the city.
The best place to get specialist titles
Science fiction bookstore Bakka-Phoenix at 84 Harbord St., photographed in 2021.聽
Kristina Dittmar鈥淏akka-Phoenix Books [Canada鈥檚 oldest science fiction bookstore; 84 Harbord St.] is right around the corner from where I live. They came to my rescue during the pandemic when my son was into a certain sci-fi series. They鈥檙e fantastic, and I love finding out that all these amazing sci-fi and fantasy authors have worked there over the years, like Fonda Lee, who鈥檚 now a bestselling author.鈥
The best used bookstore
鈥淭he cool thing聽about Julie [Malian] who owns (784 College St.) is her collection is very niche. It鈥檚 mostly books by women, and mostly pre-1990. She has some rare and first editions, but you can tell she鈥檚 just really into, you know, some weird book about etiquette or sewing. You can get a gorgeous matching collection of Doris Lessing’s novels. I love the eclectic plus the serious literary.鈥
The best place to buy the latest titles
Type Books on Queen St. W.
Richard Lautens/海角社区官网Star鈥淎m I allowed to say聽Flying Books? [Laughs.] But also (883 Queen W. and two other locations) and (108 Queen St. E.). You can find the same titles across the stores, but you鈥檒l find a different emphasis. Another Story (315 Roncesvalles Ave.) is amazing for kids鈥 books and also social justice books. I look to them to see what they鈥檙e doing in response to whatever socio-political atrocity is happening.鈥
The best caf茅 to read in or talk about books
海角社区官网indie bookstore Flying Books, seen in 2023.聽
Andrew Francis Wallace 海角社区官网S鈥淔lying Books at Neverland (Sharpe’s bookstore and caf茅 at 371 Queen St. W.)! I meet with authors there all the time. There’s a cocktail called The Granados and it is delicious! I also love getting a latte and a pain au chocolat.鈥
The best place to see author talks
The 海角社区官网Reference Library in 海角社区官网houses the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, a great place to attend author talks.
Lance McMillan/海角社区官网Star鈥淲henever I鈥檓聽in at the 海角社区官网Reference Library (789 Yonge St.), I feel great being in that place. The library is one of the few places in the city where you feel like a citizen instead of a consumer.鈥
The best place for a visiting book lover to go
Coach House Press, a small books publisher with original presses, seen in 2016.聽
Steve Russell/海角社区官网Star鈥淚f it鈥檚 somebody from聽out of town, like an editor or publisher or writer, I urge them to find a way to have a tour of (80 bpNichol Ln.) because they have those printing presses. The smells and the sounds are just amazing. They鈥檙e making it from scratch there in the same building where they鈥檝e been doing it for 60 years. That鈥檚 a unique gem in the world of literature.鈥
The best park to read alfresco
鈥淔or a nice shady spot, Fred Hamilton, between Shaw and Roxton, just south of College. For a nice sunny spot, I love the view from the hill at Christie Pits Park along the north side.鈥
The 海角社区官网spot with literary associations
鈥淲hen I first started in publishing, one of the earliest things I had to do was publish a new edition of Dennis Lee鈥檚 book of poems, There was a line in it about living on Walmer Road and working at Anansi 鈥 and I was living on Walmer Road and I was working at Anansi.鈥
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