Toronto residents are well-used to seeing their city fill in for other places around the world in television and film, but when it comes to books, it seems Hogtown has no need — or want — to disguise itself.
As home to many of the world's best literary figures, including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and, occasionally, John Irving, it's no surprise Toronto has figured into the pages of some of the most beloved books of modern times.
Of course, for many Canadians this literary love affair started when they were kids, with authors like Robert Munsch and Dennis Lee featuring everything from TTC streetcars to Casa Loma in their child-centric works.
Though the joke in literary circles may be that Canadian books are based solely on rural tales of emotional turmoil and harsh winters, we think there's plenty of room for urban life in the landscape, too.
So today on March 6, 2015, Toronto's 181st birthday, we wanted to celebrate some of those amazing books set in this fair city.