WORD UNDER THE STREET

You know when you see a stranger on the subway immersed in a book and you’re just dying to know what they’re reading? Geoffrey Vendeville asked for you

Bailey Northcott, 27, executive assistant Book:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Stop: St. George Northcott was a few chapters into the first book in the Shade of Magic series, and she was impressed with Schwab’s ability to build a world from scratch — or four worlds, to be precise. The novel is set in four parallel Londons, each with its own history and attributes. Only people who are born with magic in their blood can travel between them. Northcott began reading the series on a friend’s recommendation after she was told it featured a queer character. “I’m a huge nerd and have always been interested in fantasy and sci-fi,” she says. “And I always want to find the queer relationships in them because I can relate.”

David Philpott, masters student Book:

Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King

Stop: Osgoode About to go on a family vacation, Philpott asked his mom, federal minister of Indigenous Services Jane Philpott, for book recommendations. She gave him a stack including a couple of titles by Thomas King. He finished The Inconvenient Indian, a meditation on what it means to be “Indian” in North America, in two days. “It tells you a lot about Indigenous issues in Canada without telling you what to think,” David says. Green Grass, Running Water, King’s second novel, was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for fiction. The novel centres on the adventures of four First Nations elders who escape a mental hospital. “It’s probably the most ambitious I will write,” King is quoted as saying in a Star article in 1993.

Prajna Rakshit, 31, software developer Book:

Fragments from My Diary by Maxim Gorky

Stop: Osgoode Rakshit hasn’t read Gorky’s novels or plays, but he couldn’t resist buying a copy of his diary for $5 from a used bookstore’s bargain shelf. As the title suggests, the text is organized into episodes. Some describe real characters from rural villages while others focus on famous acquaintances such as Leo Tolstoy. “You don’t feel like you’re reading a diary,” Rakshit says. “It’s so lively, the narrative, and so story like.”

Marina Burdakova, 26, graphic design student Book:

From Design Into Print: Preparing Graphics and Text for Professional Printing by Sandee Cohen

Stop: St. Clair West Burdakova went to school for hospitality before deciding to follow her passion for art and graphic design. She carries a few examples of her work with her on her phone, including a vector portrait she spent five hours drawing for her friend’s birthday. She came to Toronto two years ago, from a city of 300,000 people in central Russia, to attend design school. “I like Toronto,” she says. “I’m from a small town, so for me, Toronto is like New York.” For her production class, she’s learning about preparing graphics for printing with this textbook written by an instructor based in New York City. “I like that there are illustrations and it’s explained very well,” she says.