People Around Here #[nn]

Dave Lapp wears every hat on this quietly compelling slice-of-life collection from Conundrum Press, and the cover makes a strong case for his range. The green-bordered page lays out a city streetscape up top — a parked car, storefronts, pedestrians — before dropping into a grid of vignettes where ordinary Torontonians trade lines about vegetarian pizza gods, old friends, pork bone soup, narrow lives, and unexpected compliments. It's a warm, wry snapshot of urban humanity, and "Royal Thai Garden" sounds like exactly the kind of story this 2012 release was made for.