When Gurdeep Ahluwalia left CP24 back in 2013 to work at TSN, a prominent sad face displayed across the city’s collective emoticon. His reporting and time on the anchor desk were most appreciated. Well, good news: as of July 20, he’s back, on CP24 Breakfast, after being named news anchor at the station.

“As a born and bred Torontonian, I look forward to waking up with viewers across the GTA who rely on CP24 for the latest breaking news, weather and traffic, along with plenty of conversation and laughs to get the day started,” he says.

Here, Ahluwalia lists the books that matter most to him, including a few that would make pretty great reads for the cottage.

Thunder and Lightning, Phil Esposito

C’mon, had to throw one sports book in there! A really interesting insight into the life of a hockey player in the 1970s. The politics, the hustle, the sex, the regrets and the game, Esposito seems to give a pretty honest look behind the curtains.

Blink, Malcolm Gladwell

Maybe my all-time favourite. I read this book at a time I was really wrestling with trusting my gut and raw instincts versus overthinking and overanalyzing things. The words inside made me feel validated. And that’s how I’ve lived my life ever since. Trust your gut. Go. It rarely steers you wrong.

Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer

This book put me in a really peaceful headspace. With the nature of my job, things get pretty hectic, and I live my life multitasking and consuming a lot of information every single day. It taught me to slow down, take stock of my life, the people and things in it, and, I’d like to say, I now do a better job of living in the moment.

Scary Close, Donald Miller

A really eye-opening read about letting go of social crutches, getting out of your comfort zone and essentially just “dropping the act” in search of a meaningful connection and true intimacy. Still working on this one because it’s easier said than done, but the book was a big step in the right direction.

Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

I love books that make you look at the world you (think) you know so well in a completely different way. There may not be anyone better at doing this than Malcolm Gladwell.