jimtroeltsch
Vancouver Public Library
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jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Oct 10, 2023
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Sep 30, 2023
Comment:
Quite a haunting collection of stories. Bradbury is casting a light on all the terrible things that human beings have it in their nature to do.
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Sep 25, 2023
Comment:
The plot in this book feels inevitable, from the first few pages, you see where it's going. But that doesn't make it not worth reading.
It's a study examining the interactions between choice and circumstance.
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Aug 25, 2023
Comment:
A funny book; a sad book, in a great way. I could have taken or left the whole hot dog history and descriptions of dogs eaten bits of the book (although often very entertaining), I was more excited to read her perspective on the world, because she is from a different generation than me. It made me hopeful for the time when young millennials and gen Z take over the world.A funny book; a sad book, in a great way. I could have taken or left the whole hot dog history and descriptions of dogs eaten bits of the book (although often very entertaining), I was more excited to read her perspective on the world, because she…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Jul 16, 2023
Comment:
Child survivors offer a very different but no less profound perspective on the holocaust when compared with memoirs from those who survived as adults. I’m thankful that Doduck shared her story and that it included her successes and challenges long after the war, along with her unique coping methods.
There is one weird bit in this book where she seems to draw a line from advocating for children’s rights in the previous century to “ills we see in the current day,” like lack of respect for elders and not being able to distinguish right from wrong. I fail to see how advocating for children’s right to life and protection made generations that followed hers less disciplined.Child survivors offer a very different but no less profound perspective on the holocaust when compared with memoirs from those who survived as adults. I’m thankful that Doduck shared her story and that it included her successes and challenges long…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Jul 02, 2023
Comment:
Interesting to read a science fiction novel where all the characters and the world in the novel itself are obsessed with art, music and poetry. These are fantastic stories. A couple of them made me sit back and actually try to figure out what made them so spectacular. The priest’s and scholar’s tales will stay with me forever.Interesting to read a science fiction novel where all the characters and the world in the novel itself are obsessed with art, music and poetry. These are fantastic stories. A couple of them made me sit back and actually try to figure out what made…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Apr 21, 2023
Comment:
More horny fantasy; fun times! The creepiness of the red lady and the climax at the Battle of Blackwater make it worth sitting through all the boring Bran chapters. The standout character in this one has to be Davos.
It's a quick read despite its length; I'll probably carry on with this series. It's a lot of fun.More horny fantasy; fun times! The creepiness of the red lady and the climax at the Battle of Blackwater make it worth sitting through all the boring Bran chapters. The standout character in this one has to be Davos.
It's a quick read despite its…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Apr 21, 2023
Comment:
I'm not going to say this is a greatest book ever, it has some flaws, like being a bit repetitive at times. But it is ambitious. You might even call it the Predator-verse's most transgressive installment.
At one point Monson sees a metaphor between AIDS in the 1980s and the alien predator of the film. Both are invisible threats terrorizing gay men and American soldiers, respectively, with both gay men of the 1980s and the American soldiers of the film left to battle their foe alone, without the back up of the American government.
There's a few gems like that that make this memoir really fun to read.I'm not going to say this is a greatest book ever, it has some flaws, like being a bit repetitive at times. But it is ambitious. You might even call it the Predator-verse's most transgressive installment.
At one point Monson sees a metaphor…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Nov 08, 2022
Comment:
My favourite essays here were when Baldwin was pairing a clear narrative with his incredibly insightful observations about race... I'm thinking particularly "Notes of a Native Son" and "Equal in Paris," although "The Harlem Ghetto" is another standout. The frank way he explains the relationship between Jewish Americans and African Americans in "The Harlem Ghetto" is actually quite raw.
It's a challenging book, not least of all because of the topics it covers, but also because Baldwin has a tendency to write long, dense sentences that sort of meander back and forth. It's a curious writing style and one that I look forward to experiencing again when I try some more of his writing.My favourite essays here were when Baldwin was pairing a clear narrative with his incredibly insightful observations about race... I'm thinking particularly "Notes of a Native Son" and "Equal in Paris," although "The Harlem Ghetto" is another…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Oct 31, 2022
Comment:
From a pure storytelling perspective, the first two parts of this book are phenomenal. It's told at a frenetic pace where so much happens in a very narrow timeframe. It has a very claustrophobic feel to it, which is part of why I believe it is often compared to Crime and Punishment. The competing polemics delivered by the lawyers in a high drama courtroom scene that finish out the book deliver its message without beating around the bush.
Recommend reading James Baldwin's essay "Many Thousands Gone" after this one for more insights on this novel's place in American literature.From a pure storytelling perspective, the first two parts of this book are phenomenal. It's told at a frenetic pace where so much happens in a very narrow timeframe. It has a very claustrophobic feel to it, which is part of why I believe it is often…
Rethinking FandomRethinking Fandom, BookHow to Beat the Sports-industrial Complex at Its Own Game
by Calcaterra, CraigBook - 2022Book, 2022
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Oct 17, 2022
Comment:
A delightful book for anyone tired of the same old discourse around sports fandom. It will give you ammunition against anyone who ever told you you weren't celebrating a team's or player's accomplishments in the right way or who has accused you of being a fair weather fan.
Calcaterra is very funny and insightful. In particular I liked the passage about the happenstance way he fell into Dodgers fandom. I actually found it quite touching.A delightful book for anyone tired of the same old discourse around sports fandom. It will give you ammunition against anyone who ever told you you weren't celebrating a team's or player's accomplishments in the right way or who has accused you of…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Sep 22, 2022
Comment:
What a delightful book. It made me laugh out loud many times. Less is an endearing character, and the potentially dark premise of the novel is somehow made more poignant by the occasionally comedic delivery of its message. This is not to say there are not very touching and thoughtful moments that explore love and aging and all other things in a serious way here, but the laughs keeps it moving at a breakneck speed. You could read this in less time than one of Less's flights.What a delightful book. It made me laugh out loud many times. Less is an endearing character, and the potentially dark premise of the novel is somehow made more poignant by the occasionally comedic delivery of its message. This is not to say there…
438 Days438 Days, BookAn Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea
by Franklin, JonathanBook - 2015Book, 2015
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Sep 15, 2022
Comment:
A remarkable story of survival with a figure at its centre whose almost unrelenting optimism ensured his survival as much as his knowledge of the sea. The story is told by interspersing the details of the story with quotes from Alvarenga (the survivor) and other experts on oceanography, sea survival, health and psychology. It's a very effective way to tell the story. The book's message of mental health will also resonate with anyone facing adversity in life.A remarkable story of survival with a figure at its centre whose almost unrelenting optimism ensured his survival as much as his knowledge of the sea. The story is told by interspersing the details of the story with quotes from Alvarenga (the…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Aug 30, 2022
Comment:
This book is so real. The quotidian details of parenthood that take on outsized importance in a toddler's parent's mind and the urges the author describes battling as a parent to a toddler are priceless. This book had me hysterically laughing at times.
I like the writing a lot. There are wonderful, hilarious turns of phrase all throughout the book.This book is so real. The quotidian details of parenthood that take on outsized importance in a toddler's parent's mind and the urges the author describes battling as a parent to a toddler are priceless. This book had me hysterically laughing at…
Added Jul 20, 2022
By Chance AloneBy Chance Alone, BookA Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz
by Eisen, MaxBook - 2016Book, 2016
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Jul 20, 2022
Comment:
I read this book quickly after learning of the author's passing. This is another important eye witness account of the depravity of the holocaust through the eyes of a survivor. I am thankful that he recorded his experience for future generations to learn from.I read this book quickly after learning of the author's passing. This is another important eye witness account of the depravity of the holocaust through the eyes of a survivor. I am thankful that he recorded his experience for future generations to…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Apr 24, 2022
Comment:
Early in this book Mandel writes about a character who wants to be an artist so he can draw people, and in so doing see them more clearly. I feel like her books are the writing equivalent of this concept. Sea of Tranquility feels like its characters are written in order to see the subtleties of human behaviour and decision making more clearly.
It is also a captivating story and an interesting work of science fiction. It is definitely a unique book with a satisfying ending that ties its threads together.Early in this book Mandel writes about a character who wants to be an artist so he can draw people, and in so doing see them more clearly. I feel like her books are the writing equivalent of this concept. Sea of Tranquility feels like its characters…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Feb 22, 2022
Comment:
This book is a very long meditation on various forms of torture, pain and grief. The art is very dark, but also kind of frenetic and incredibly imaginative at times. Barry Windsor-Smith is definitely showing off here. He is a master. The way the lettering works is also very unique and made for a comics reading experience I'd never had before. The story is very sad, but it is a rewarding read.This book is a very long meditation on various forms of torture, pain and grief. The art is very dark, but also kind of frenetic and incredibly imaginative at times. Barry Windsor-Smith is definitely showing off here. He is a master. The way the…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Jan 18, 2022
Comment:
It's not an overstatement to say that Berlin is profound. Lutes' art is beautiful, and he captures the subtleties of human behaviour in a way that I find so meaningful. In Berlin, he magnifies the mundane moments that accompany the great events that one might experience in life -- events like falling in love or witnessing the rise of Nazi Germany -- and gives them new meaning. I don't think I've ever read a more convincing account of falling in and out of love or finding oneself in a new city.
This book will appeal to many people, but those who have left home, particularly at a young age, to experience life in a new and more cosmopolitan place will really enjoy reading it.It's not an overstatement to say that Berlin is profound. Lutes' art is beautiful, and he captures the subtleties of human behaviour in a way that I find so meaningful. In Berlin, he magnifies the mundane moments that accompany the great events that…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Sep 07, 2021
Comment:
This book is a very easy and quick read, despite its length. It's straightforward fantasy with a good dose of horniness. Lot's of fun, though I don't think it sold me on pursuing the rest of the series.
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Aug 02, 2021
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Aug 02, 2021
Comment:
It's probably not fair to comment on a book by comparing it to the author's other work, but this is the first time I've been underwhelmed by an Alan Moore creation. Maybe it just didn't feel like the character development was on par with other Moore works, and the plot feels weirdly juvenile, like a boyhood fantasy.
Keep in mind, you're reading the opinion of a stupid person. Who has never written anything longer than a bibliocommons book review in his life. Read this and fully expect to have different results than me.It's probably not fair to comment on a book by comparing it to the author's other work, but this is the first time I've been underwhelmed by an Alan Moore creation. Maybe it just didn't feel like the character development was on par with other Moore…
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added Jul 14, 2021
Comment:
This book is full of interesting turns of phrase and is actually quite funny. Atwood is indeed a master, the nice sentences she writes in this book alone make it worth the read.
The ThingThe Thing, DVD
DVD - 1998DVD, 1998
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added May 11, 2021
Comment:
This movie starts at a sprint and only speeds up from there. It just has a relentless feeling of paranoia and terror.
jimtroeltsch's rating:
Added May 11, 2021
Comment:
This is an incredible piece of journalism, where the voices of the subjects speak so much louder than usual because you are looking them in the face on the page. Like a lot of good stories, it left me with even more questions.
This book tells a story that may be centuries old; but it is one that is still unfinished.
The art is stark and beautiful, and the colourless pages seem to fit perfectly for the setting. It's a book that left me hopeful for a people who have suffered so much. In some ways it tells a hyper specific story about a small group of people with a great diversity of answers for their own problems, but there is a universality in this book too, where I was left evaluating my own relationship to the land, to authority and to other peoples who don't share my western-centric worldview.This is an incredible piece of journalism, where the voices of the subjects speak so much louder than usual because you are looking them in the face on the page. Like a lot of good stories, it left me with even more questions.
This book tells a…
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