Book: Deep Listening Author: Oscar Trimboli Genre: Non-Fiction / Business Year of Release: 2017 Read 132-page paperback edition in February 2020
Book Description:
In this short, small booklet, world-renowned expert Oscar Trimboli takes on a path down the art of deep listening. By turning our attention away from just speaking, and making a meaningful attempt to listen deeply to those around us, we can action profound change, and see improvement in our work and in our lives.
Book Review:
Deep Listening was a powerful experience for me, as someone who is trying to do a better job in a workplace where there seems to always be numerous meetings every day. If people, including myself, did a better job at listening, maybe these meetings would be more effective?
I really appreciated Trimboli’s focus on deep listening, and his descriptions of the concepts and why they are important. This booklet provides a high level overview of Trimboli’s concepts and explains why deep listening is important, how one can achieve a state of deep listening, and what happens when it occurs.
Although the booklet was successful as an introduction to these concepts, I would have wanted more content in the book that built on the themes. For example, some specific case studies or examples of how to use the concepts being spoken about would have been great. Although it was a very quick read, and the highlights at the end of each small chapter were great as items to remember and apply, more detail would have made this better.
That being said, there is no doubt Trimboli knows his stuff, and that the theory of deep listening has real promise. The other reference material he lists for his blog, facebook site, and podcast are definitely worth checking out as well.
Book: The Cold Dish Author: Craig Johnson Genre: Mystery Year of Release: 2005 Read 354-page paperback edition in February 2020
Book Description:
Walt Longmire is the long-time sheriff of quiet, desolate Absaroka County, Wyoming. The quiet, which is giving him time to work through the grief of his wife Martha’s passing several years before, is broken when a young man turns up murdered. Cody Pritchard is not only a murder victim but was the primary attacker of a sexual assault on a young girl from the nearby First Nation community. This means Walt has numerous suspects who had something against Pritchard, who got off with a slap on the wrist.
Now Walt needs to work with his staff of deputies, and his best friend Henry Standing Bear, to try and find the killer. There is also a sign that the killer would like nothing better than to serve up more revenge against the other three other men who were part of the sexual assault.
Book Review:
This first volume of the Sheriff Longmire mystery series was a great introduction to some fascinating characters, a great protagonist, and some amazing countryside.
You can tell right from the start of the book that author Craig Johnson is from Wyoming and has experience there. The description of the landscapes and weather of Wyoming is absolutely breathtaking, and really one of the great things about this novel. Like many westerns, this one does not disappoint when describing the outdoors. Johnson really succeeds in making the reader feel like they are in Wyoming and what it is like, with his descriptions and how they create emotions in the characters.
In addition, the novel is clearly setting up a series with the characters, and is thus sometimes overly long in some of the description of various elements and characters. However, we can expect it is because it is a setup for return appearances in future books, and it’s understandable.
That being said, the main characters that are introduced here are funny and create interest for the reader. Longmire himself is a complicated protagonist, a caring Sheriff who wants to make his county a safer place, but also one dealing with profound sense of loss and grief. His key deputy Vic Moretti is a little bit of the stereotypical foul-mouthed female police officer, but at the same time there is something about her that is different, and we know we will learn more. Two other deputies, Ferg and Turk, are stereotypically bumbling idiots at times, although again one wonders if those stereotypes will be shed in future books. Thus, there are some issues with one-dimensional characters at times, but there is some promise in the story that it won’t be like that in future outings.
Walt’s friendship with Henry Standing Bear is also an interesting part of this novel, and Henry is definitely one of the more compelling characters in the novel, with a fascinating backstory and great impact in the plot and in Walt’s story.
Another key character that deserves praise is Ruby, the hilarious office manager and dispatcher. She is like Walt’s mother, and at the same time she has a wicked sense of humour about her. Definitely a complex character that is enjoyable to read.
The plot itself is a great one, with lots of suspects and with murder victims and potential murder victims who do not have a lot of sympathy in the eyes of the reader for what they did in their recent past. That being said, it is Walt’s job to protect them, and investigate murders and hold the killer to account. We see Walt’s integrity as he goes about that duty seriously.
At times, the plot does feel a little slow moving, surprising for a mystery of this type. That being said, it is the first of a series, and with all the introductions of people and place, that may have been the reason for a slower plot. It definitely has some interesting characters, and some great complexities with the relationships between townsfolk and American Indians who live in the nearby Indian Reservation. (And the writing feels real in terms of how different people get along with the American Indians, both racist white people and the more thoughtful people like Walt for example.)
With all these elements taken together, this is definitely a promising first outing for the series.
Book: The Testaments Author: Margaret Atwood Genre: Dystopian Fiction Year of Release: 2019 Read 421-page hardcover edition in February 2020
Book Description:
In the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, we learn more about the world of Gilead, 15 years after the events of Margaret Atwood’s first novel from 1985.
This novel takes us into the minds of three narrators: Aunt Lydia, who is a powerful figure at the Ardua Hall; a young girl Agnes Jemima, the daughter of Commander Kyle; and Daisy, several years younger than Agnes, who is living in Canada, north of Gilead.
As the novel progresses, we see the storylines of the three central characters begin to weave together, and we also see how all of them may have a strong part to play in the effort to putting the brakes on the cruel, misogynistic systems within Gilead, which have led to much death and suffering.
Book Review:
This novel was long-waited by many fans of The Handmaid’s Tale. With the launch of the television series, the rise of President Trump in 2016 in the United States, and the rise of other far-right groups in Europe that are often misogynistic and anti-immigration, this was a timely release for this sequel. It may have been a long wait, but it was well worth it, as this novel is truly fantastic.
Atwood has done a wonderful job at making some references to her characters from The Handmaid’s Tale, but also introducing new main characters to focus the plot of this story on. The narration of the book is executed flawlessly, with each character getting their voice in rotation as the sections and chapters of the book move forward. The main characters of the book are fascinating, with Aunt Lydia, a young woman from Gilead, and a young woman from Canada, all with very different perspectives to share with the reader.
As the plot unfolds, the intensity and suspense increases, and the last third of the book in particular is a fast-paced read, with the reader wanting to find out what happens next for our three main characters and how it will impact Gilead more widely.
The novel has some great morals and lessons, particularly in this time we are living. That being said, the tone is never preachy. Atwood has built upon her world of Gilead with an incredible follow-up tale, and has expanded the creative canvass with more detail and characters.
Book: French Exit Author: Patrick deWitt Genre: Fiction Year of Release: 2018 Read 245-page hardcover edition in January 2020
Book Description:
This novel by award-winning Canadian author Patrick deWitt follows the once-wealthy Frances Price and her adult son Malcolm, who decide to move from New York to Paris when they are informed their lavish lifestyle will need to change as they have officially gone bankrupt.
They bring their cat, Small Frank, along with them, who Frances is convinced houses the spirit of her dead husband Frank, who she had an intense and difficult relationship with.
Frances is a difficult woman with few friends, but everyone in the upper class wants to be attached to her for the glamour that comes with her name. Malcolm can’t seem to determine where his life direction should be heading, and he maintains the complex relationship with his mother while he figures it out.
When they both decide to move from New York to Paris, absurdity reigns supreme, and a variety of diverse, intriguing people enter into their immediate circle.
Book Review:
If one has read previous novels by deWitt, like The Sisters Brothers and Undermajordomo Minor, it is very easy to see this is a deWitt novel. The style and prose are definitely Patrick deWitt, which means the novel is funny, sarcastic, and thoughtful.
deWitt does a great job at writing about unique characters, and using off-beat humour to do it. He has explored characters and stories effectively in different genres, and in this one he is successful at introducing some very odd and amusing people for us to read about.
One of the downsides of this particular book is that the plot takes a backseat to the character development and comedy. Although that is okay insofar as it is funny to read about these people, there is a lack of plot and it does make the reader wonder just what the point of all this is.
That being said, there are some hilarious one-liners from the characters, as well as some great scenes that create truly laugh-out-loud moments.
A great example is Frances and Malcolm’s back and forth, such as here where they are referring to another woman:
“Frances said, ‘The fucked witch and Small Frank were connected.’
‘Let’s not call her that,’ said Malcolm.”
French Exit, Patrick deWitt, Pages 125-126, hardcover edition
There are many examples where they just go back and forth, and you just have to laugh at them. At times, the dialogue and situations get too odd and strange to the point of ridiculous, but then deWitt is writing absurdity here, so it makes sense.
In addition to the comedy, some of deWitt’s descriptions are also thought-provoking. For example, he spends three pages describing the comings and goings of diverse groups of people in a park in Paris over a 24-hour period, and it is both thoughtful and spot-on.
Although there is a lack of strong plot here which sometimes is frustrating, and although at times things go over the top, on the whole this is a funny read by an author who is skilled at humour from a variety of angles.
Book: Elevation Author: Stephen King Genre: Thriller Year of Release: 2018 Read 146-page paperback edition in January 2020
Book Description:
In the small town of Castle Rock, Maine, Scott Carey is going through something extremely strange. He gets together with his friend and retired doctor, Bob Ellis, to reveal that he is losing weight consistently every single day, yet he looks the same on the outside, and is not changing any of his patterns.
He isn’t sure what will happen when his weight eventually becomes zero. In the meantime, he doesn’t want to become a science experiment in a lab, so he goes on living in his small town.
He also decides to try and make friends with his new neighbours, a lesbian couple who own the new restaurant in town. When his attempts at friendship are rebuffed, he starts to discover some of the homophobia that goes on in small town USA.
Scott sees the town evolve along with his strange affliction, as he counts down to zero.
Book Review:
On the whole, mastermind author Stephen King has done a wonderful job writing a short, fast-paced novel that has a fun, unique plot and interesting characters. The story is so quick and short that it can be easily digested in one sitting, and in fact it is so compulsively readable, you don’t want to put it down until it’s finished.
Main character Scott Carey is a very likeable character, your typical “nice guy” that you couldn’t have an argument with. The two female partners who live next door are also fun to get to know, and see how they differ from each other. One should point out that all of the characters are not really complex or nuanced, and can be one-dimensional at times. Part of this is likely because this story is short, and told almost as a fable. That may be part of the explanation for the lack of complexity and development of the characters.
The story is enjoyable to read, as we watch the conflicts and resolutions between main, supporting, and other characters. One downside to the book is that, as in many other stories, we see the white, heterosexual male character “saving the day” for the minority characters – in this case, the lesbian couple who is dealing with homophobia in this small town. A more refreshing, modern, new approach might be seeing them use their power to solve the issues, with the involvement and assistance of Scott. The story as told is still very LGBTQ* supportive, but an adjustment as to who “fully saves the day” might have been nice.
That being said though, this story is a fun and quick read, and definitely highlights Stephen King’s ability to write in a way that readers enjoy and keep coming back to.
In this Pixar animated movie, Miguel dreams of being a musician when he grows up. However, his parents and grandmother forbid this idea, reminding him constantly that working in the family shoe making and repair business in his home town of Santa Cecelia, Mexico, is his destiny.
However, as the Day of the Dead approaches, Miguel learns something surprising about a member of his family from the past, who is not spoken about often. It leads to Miguel embarking on an exciting adventure to try and learn more about his background, and explore the possibility of being a musician after all.
Movie Review:
This was an absolutely fantasic movie. Pixar is known for making great films, but in this case they have really found success by using the talent they have with animation, colour, and vibrancy in their process, and combining with fresh new writing that hasn’t really been seen before.
Embracing Mexican culture, and focusing the story around the Day of the Dead, created a truly original movie. Screenwriters Adrian Molina and Matthew Aldrich have written a fast-paced and enjoyable experience. The themes of the movie are powerfully written about and explored, accessible for all ages. Rather than shy away from talking about death, life, family expectations, and understanding your culture, the screenwriters have succeeded in discussing them head-on and ensuring all ages can appreciate them.
The cast (which is thankfully not white-washed) does an excellent job, with the great voice talents of Gael Garcia Bernal, Anthony Gonzales, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, and Ana Ofelia Murgula.
The music in Coco is also enjoyable, and adds to the overall liveliness of the film. When you leave a movie experience singing the songs back in your head after, you know the music has been spot on. This is what happened after watching Coco.
In summary, this is a fantastic and thoughtful movie for all ages, and one definitely worth seeing.
Book Review – Einstein: His Life and Universe – Walter Isaacson
Facts:
Book: Einstein: His Life and Universe Author: Walter Isaacson Genre: Non-Fiction / Biography Year of Release: 2007 Read 551-page paperback edition in December 2019
Book Description:
In this biography from renowned professor, writer, and researcher Walter Isaacson, we learn of the life and career of Albert Einstein. The famed mathematician and physicist, responsible for discoveries early in his career, we learn about why his non-conformist and rebellious attitude helped spur on his creativity in his early career. We also see how his focus on work and study impacted his complicated family life.
Book Review:
Following up on other successful works, Isaacson has done another great service to history, by providing readers with a detailed biography of Albert Einstein, the famed discoverer of E=MC2 and the popular, wise, affable professor. Isaacson has done a great job researching everything about Einstein’s life and career, and provides a fulsome, complex picture of the man, both in and outside of his work. Isaacson’s writing style is approachable and enjoyable, making the reader want to move on to the next chapter, even during weighty and complicated topics. That being said, it must be said that some topics and areas of the book were more difficult to fully understand than others, particularly for non-science minded readers. Still, there was lots to learn in the book, both about Einstein and about wider topics.
Isaacson does a nice job balancing the topics among Einstein’s career, family life, interactions with friends, and how Einstein reacted to and impacted the world and political events around him. There were elements of Einstein’s character that were interesting to read about and see how he used his philosophy of science in other areas of life and the world around him. For example, Einstein was very committed to internationalism as opposed to nationalism, leading him to move from country to country, working in Universities where the nation’s policies and the organization’s policies were the right fit for him. He was quick to move away, get other positions, or even renounce citizenships when he felt countries or locations no longer met his philosophies.
Isaacson also does a great job in this biography with showing how Einstein’s childhood impacted his adulthood, and how his attitudes changed over the years, as life experiences occurred. For example, Nazi Germany and World War II had a direct impact on Einstein’s views towards being a Jewish German citizen, and his views as a strong anti-war person, which moderated when Allies fought against Hitler. Einstein also had a strong creative method fighting against conformity and standard beliefs in the scientific community early in his career, but this approach changed to a more traditional approach later in his career.
This is a fantastic biography that teaches much of Einstein, and gives us some lessons to apply to our own lives. Although Isaacson’s Da Vinci biography is more accessible than this more scientific book on Einstein, it is still an excellent read.
The Washington Post is about to offer some shares publicly, and the owner and publisher Katharine Graham is balancing that, her regular duties at the paper, and her personal and social life.
However, she is forced into making a difficult decision when the newspapers in New York and Washington receive secret documents that prove the White House and US Government was secretly hiding the truth of how bad the Vietnam War was going from the American people for successive Presidencies.
Despite having friends in the military, and despite the risk of what it might do to the paper, given they are sure to be fought by the government, Graham must take on a leadership role, and fight to share the truth with the American people, no matter where it leads.
Movie Review:
This was a great movie that tells an important story in American journalism history. The movie covers that important theme of sharing news with the people, and how that is more important then covering up secrets for those in power.
At the same time, it also covers other interesting and critical themes as well through the story. Graham’s difficulty overcoming sexism as a woman in a position of power is explored in detail. Meryl Streep does a fantastic job demonstrating the strength of character Graham had to demonstrate in her role, and also what a powerful figure she was for her family.
The film did sometimes feel a little bit long, with some sections running very long and it feeling like not a lot was happening. The film reminded me of another recent newspaper movie, “Spotlight”, which is a different story but a better film.
That being said, this is a great film that is thought-provoking and educational.
MatthewSean Reviews 