Nana Yanful
Criminal defence
Yanful Law
Recommended read
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“In charting a woman’s journey from Nigeria to America, the book touches on race, identity and class, and tells a sweet story of teenage love. Adichie describes everything beautifully. I can hear, smell, taste everything on the page.”
What she’s reading next
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Where she’ll be reading it
“I’m looking forward to reading in High Park. And on a beach in Jamaica wouldn’t be the worst way to read through my pile.”
Favourite Toronto bookstore
A Different Booklist on Bathurst St.
“It’s a great place to find feminist and progressive books by Canadian, African and Caribbean authors. Plus, they host book launches and community events.”
Alex Colangelo
Knowledge management
Freelance research
Recommended read
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
“Art theft and other crimes, plus interesting characters and plot twists make this one quite a page-turner despite being more than 700 pages.”
What he’s reading next
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
Where he’ll be reading it
“I’ll be spending some time on my condo’s rooftop patio with a good book. At least when it’s too warm out for the hot tub.”
Favourite Toronto bookstore
D&E Lake Ltd. on King St. E.
“A hidden gem with four floors of stacked shelves and heaving piles of books, maps and other interesting items. The owner is quick to recommend a dozen books you absolutely must read on whatever subject you’re interested in. Allot a few hours per visit.”
Meghan Scott
Crown prosecution
Ministry of the Attorney General
Recommended read
Room by Emma Donoghue
“It moved me to tears, and features a mother’s love for her baby. I’m a sucker for a mother-child love story.”
What she’s reading next
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Where she’ll be reading it
“I’m prosecuting a homicide in May and June, so there’ll be no reading anything but law for the next little while. I will be spending the summer on a much-anticipated vacation. I’ll be in Toronto with my kids for July, and in Paris with the whole family in August. I will have lots of time for reading: on my porch, at the local Starbucks, in a Paris living room . . . I can’t wait.”
Favourite Toronto bookstore
Indigo at the Manulife Centre
“My ideal afternoon is a movie at the Varsity and then Indigo. The kids love it too.”
Gregory Ko
Litigation
LL.M. candidate
Recommended read
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
“He captures the strange and aching beauty of loneliness and regret. It’s about three women struggling with their unconventionality and fear of a life without meaning. Depressing as it sounds, it’s beautifully written and captures a certain unvarnished truth.”
What he’s reading next
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
Where he’ll be reading it
“I’m taking four months to travel to San Francisco, New York and Berlin. I’ll be in coffee shops, parks and sitting by lakes with a good read in tow.”
Favourite Toronto bookstore
Balfour Books and She Said Boom, both on College St.
“Both are along my weekend brunch corridor. Since they’re small shops, they go out of their way to curate a nice mix of books.”
Jessica Prince
Litigation
Polley Faith LLP
Recommended read
The Trial by Franz Kafka
“While running around Old City Hall, trying to get some bail paperwork finalized, another lawyer called the experience ‘Kafkaesque.’ I resolved then to finally read this book. In describing a trial where the crime is unknown, Kafka captures the futility you can feel when coming up against a big bureaucracy. I’m also a sucker for a good dystopia.”
What she’s reading next
The Morning After: The 1995 Quebec Referendum and the Day that Almost Was by Chantal Hébert with Jean Lapierre
Where she’ll be reading it
“I just moved into a place with a big, sunny back patio. I can’t wait to spend some quality time out there with a good book and a beer.”
Favourite Toronto bookstore
BMV Books in the Annex
“I love a good deal.”
This story is from our Summer 2015 issue.
Photography by Jacklyn Atlas