Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto

I've been trying to be good about getting through my never-ending-stack of books, and this is something that I picked up last spring, so I wanted to make sure that I finally got through it.  As someone who is an outsider to Toronto (though I've lived here now for the better part of a decade) I'm always amazed by just how large this city is and how many pockets there are, communities, areas that I'm sure I'll never even know about.  And as a filmmaker who wants to make films about the places he lives in, I try my best to get to know the city better.  Well, there is no better starting point than a book like this.
Shawn Micallef has put together a book that is an amazing portrait of a city.  It's very specific to his point of view, and I think that's for the best.  I know that when I got to sections of the book which featured areas that I know quite well I sometimes found myself saying, "Well, why didn't he mention this, or that, or this...." but then the book would be ten times the length and none the better for it.
You could see it as a travel guide, but it's so much more than that.  Shawn's editorial comments are the most welcome part of the book outside of the historical and present facts.  I have to say that I'm not a big architecture geek and so I skimmed here and there when the book got heavy into that stuff, but anyone that is would find this book absolutely fascinating.
I think that anyone who lives in this city, likes to spend time in it, and wants a starting off point to a stronger relationship with it owes it to themselves to pick this book up.  It's the kind of book that you can read from front to back like I did, or just jump to the walking tour that interests you most.  Check it out and support a local writer at the same time!
Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto