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my books, my place

Actor Sergio Di Zio reads on the set of "Flashpoint" in Toronto.

One of the most unexpected benefits of being on an action-packed, international hit TV series are the books I get to read at work. Our super-hard-working crew at Flashpoint averages 14-hour days and we, Toronto's fictional Strategic Response Unit, have to be there for most of them. But once our uniforms are on and our lines down, we face limited options in the limbo land of "hurry up and wait."

We can play endless rounds of Angry Birds, we can circle the craft table for calories we haven't yet earned, we can fret neurotic with our agents on our cellphones - or we can read. And I've found books to be the most soothing, undemanding and inspiring of on-set companions. The reads have been eclectic over four years, but that variety, just like a working actor's CV, is one of the best parts.

I've just begun Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. His books, be they novels or essays, are always great reads. They are transfused with an infectious wonder and love for both language and the world. His heroes - accessible, smart and funny - often come out of his stories having learned the hardest life-lessons. Though you can count on truly heartbreaking moments in all his books, Chabon's boyish exhilaration for life experience never wanes. You look up from his pages looking for the adventure in the everyday. Very perfect, for a set like this one.

Sergio Di Zio plays Mike "Spike" Scarlatti on CTV's Flashpoint. He will be tweeting his reading suggestions under the handle @elisasboy72 this summer.

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