Many CanLit writers cling to the notion that the truly Canadian life is a small-town one, even though most of us live in cities these days. Enter The Original Canadian City Dweller’s Almanac, full of the joys and oddities of city life and dedicated to “the remaining 20% (Rural Canadians: Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.)”

Instead of information on museums and libraries, it provides notes on how to save one’s neighbourhood from the grip of Starbucks, the do’s and don’ts of bar hopping, and what Chinese food to order in each city. You can read about William Lyon Mackenzie King in the same section of “Kooks” as Manwoman, an activist of sorts who’s attempting to reclaim the swastika as a religious and cultural symbol from its more famous and dire association.

One small criticism: it’s sometimes easy to forget the book is about cities besides Toronto. Toronto life is analyzed until, like Americans, we might wonder if T.O. is the only Canadian city worth talking about. And many may not be satisfied with the too-broad brush strokes used for things like the history of Canadian punk rock or graffiti, but this is a necessary shortcoming in anything but an encyclopedia. Think of this as Canadian Cities for Dummies: a brief introduction for those still unfamiliar with what Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and others have to offer.

It’s also handy for urban residents who want to impress other big city folk with their cultural prowess. Even Mayor Mel, who during his retirement announcement referred to Toronto as “the shining city on the hill,” would approve of this almanac’s ode to the big city, although he probably wouldn’t be too impressed with the profile he was given or the authors’ take on his moose public art experiment.

If you’re wondering what kind of people believe they have the street cred to pull this off, their résumés speak for themselves. Both have written extensively on culture and trends, and Niedzviecki is a former editor of Broken Pencil, a magazine on zine culture for those in the urban-know.

This has all the elements of wonderful bathroom reading: it can be picked up randomly and read in no particular order, there are no heavy issues (just a few potshots at politicians) and it’s an almanac (the most common bathroom reading in the world!). What sets it apart from most almanacs, though, is a quick wit that pokes fun at urban curiosities while celebrating their existence.