Chad Kohalyk

Filled with funny anecdotes and awesome behind-the-scenes stories of some of your favourite products from Japan, Matt Alt engages with his storytelling skills (and prodigious one-liners) to give us a popular history of post-war Japan through the products we interact with.

[BONUS: As a pop history this book is excellent, but I think it struggles with the political analysis. I nitpick that a bit here: https://chadkohalyk.com/2020/10/27/pure-invention/]

From a post on my site about the recent spate of Audible Audio Dramas: https://chadkohalyk.com/2020/10/30/immersed-in-audio-dramas/

Gaiman's audiobooks are always good, especially when he shows up as a creepy narrator, but this drama, with all the great foley and musical score was just brilliant. Just look at that cast list! There is one arc that was a bit too gore-horror for me, but in general it was all top-notch creepy Gaimanisms. I respect him so much as a storyteller, his ability to weave such emotional tales with the barest of suggestions, rather than saying anything outright. I admire the way he sets up his stories with a simple hook that pays off by the end with an arrow to the listener's heart. The final chapter of The Sandman, involving a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is the perfect example of Gaiman's use of historical and literary references as a guide for the reader, only to subvert the reader's expectations in a particularly heart-wrenching way. While reading Gaiman I feel as though I am his mere plaything, and this is only enhanced by the performance of professional actors whispering sweet nothings directly into my ears.

This book that put me in a very introspective mood. I put a roundup of the book on my blog. Don't read the post if you don't want spoilers! But do read the book if you want to learn more about how the reasons people travel has changed through time, and some prompts for thinking about why you travel.

3.5 rounded up.

Robin Miles gives an amazing performance, having to cover so many accents, NYC or otherwise. Extra kudos to her.

The tale is a little too heavy on the allegory, and I still cannot get into N.K. Jemisin's action sequences (same for Broken Earth...) but I really did like the anti-Lovecraft stuff, and she has a lot of excellent lines. I have only visited NY, and don't know it well, but all the Boroughs were recognizable to me (if only through my own stereotypes due to American media). I couldn't really come to like many of the characters (even though I thought they were really well fleshed out). They are a product of their city I suppose, and have to play to the stereotypes for the story to work out. Soooo many F-bombs! People revere New York in the same way that other people revere Sparta. Reading various histories and accounts it seems like such a brutal place, where survival is paramount — not particularly civilized. Despite that I enjoyed the tour. Surely I missed some of the fine detail, but NK Jemisin's love for the city definitely came though. This is a protest novel exactly for our times. I don't know if it will be a classic, but it will certainly serve as a useful snapshot of These Days.

Excellent performances and a witty script. This radio drama has convinced me to seek out more, so that is praise in itself.

There is nothing I can say that can measure up to what people before me — more informed, closer to the time or geography or experience, American, Black — have already said about this book. I can only add my voice as a human to the chorus. READ THIS BOOK. I couldn't put it down. Written 55 years ago, it captures generations and generations of pain. 55 years later and... unfortunately much more pain, pain that Malcolm X predicted. Hindsight. Justification. We must look at now with a hard eye and sharp tongue, like HIM. Especially in today's media environment. If he had a podcast/newsletter I totally would have subscribed... Today, I think this new generation is doing it and I will support them how I can. #BLM

Anyways, I digress...

Alex Haley did a wonderful job as a writer. I really like how he constructed the book. It did its job, projecting Malcolm's voice naturally, with an engaging narrative, even though we all know the end of the story.

While reading I also listened to the original audio by Joe Morton who also was excellent (normally I listen to audiobooks at 1.5 or 2x speed, but this one I kept at 1x since Joe Morton sounds excellent). I look forward to the upcoming Lawrence Fishburne release in the fall, but I would say you don't have to wait for it.

I have the Spike Lee film queued up for a rewatch and am looking for a follow up on Malcolm for my next book. Any recommendations?

Wilt's book is a rallying call in the fight against the hyperindividualizing experience of careening along highways at human-killing speeds, alone in a tin can, oblivious to the outside world. I cover the players in this battle in at the Literary Review of Canada: https://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2020/10/shifting-gears/

[Maybe 4.5 stars? I have a couple of quibbles, mostly of the practical bent, but I think this is the next GTD: in other words, a life-changing book. Full review coming soon on my blog.]

A sort of review https://chadkohalyk.com/2020/06/29/a-better-process-for-reading-writing-and-thinking-zettelkasten/

The audio is read by André Alexis himself, which is surprisingly good (only a couple of production errors, but that is not his fault). I didn't realize the book is 2nd in a series... I am definitely going back to get the first one. I don't know if the rest of the series is like this one: a gentle pulling on deep philosophical strings that all of us have within us, and that bind us to those we love. It is completely accessible and emotionally compelling. This is what literary fiction should be, and I am not surprised at all that this book was prize-winning. It is deserving of the plaudits.

Halfway through the book I pre-ordered the sequel, and then as the book progressed I got more and more excited for the sequel!

Very accessible and enjoyable read about a club I don't know much about. Picked it up after listening to the excellent discussion of the book on the Football Ramble's podcast (direct MP3 link).

I admire Hesse's craft in writing this book. He wrote it in English, as apparently he does for all his English-language books. It is in direct language that flows and is easy to read. Although it is chronological, it isn't just a listing of events. He peppers his writing with anecdotes and foreshadows a lot. He does an admirable job in the early chapters setting the economic and social context of the region and of the city, without delving into economic/statistical reporting (which is what I tend to do...). He gives you just enough to get a sense, and then moves on with the story. Every few pages there is an “action scene” which is a few paragraphs of a match report. This gives the book the pacing of a novel, making it easy to turn the page.

Probably the only criticism I have is the abrupt ending. I wish there was more than a few paragraphs in the epilogue, some sort of deeper analysis on the legacy of the club to cap off the book.

The story is great, I am super-excited about BVB now, but I think the craft of this book is even better. I will pick up another of his books for sure.

Best one yet! It is a bit of a slow burn, but when the main action happens hold on your grav boots! Dan is getting better and better with each book, and I look forward to the next installment.

A handy read on KJU and where he fits in the constellation of the Kim family history and North Korean power politics. The book is short, and has a relatively minimal amount of moralizing. There isn't really a good breakdown of all the internal power dynamics (only one really matters in the end I suppose) but you get a bit of a profile of each of the other Kim family players and their offspring. All in all, I found this book pretty illuminating.

Due to its length and breadth, this book can be a bit of a slog to go through. There is no real narrative “through-line” and the analysis is minimal. It is “merely” a chronological catalog of Sino-Japanese relations. I say “merely” in quotes because this still has a ton of value. This book is that plateful of vegetables you should eat! I think it would be a great reference work: if you have a specific topic or era you want to know about, read the chapter to get a basic grounding, and then check out the bibliography to dig in. In the hands of a skilled lecturer, I think this would be a great text for an undergrad course.

It was okay overall. As others have pointed out, it is long and repetitive, and there is not a lot of hard evidence provided... this is obviously not an academic book on decision-making or org principles. However, here and there it does have some good practical everyday advice for management (running meetings, staffing, keeping people accountable, etc) that any early manager can benefit from, even if you don't agree with his libertarian, meritocratic, technocratic, neoliberal politics.

Recommended reading for all Canadians — and anyone who idealizes Canada's culture of “inclusivity” and “diversity.” Desmond offers just a year's worth of representative cases to show the real reason we are the Great WHITE North.

I first heard Mark Ravina on the Meiji 150 podcast and bookshelved a few of his books. I was looking at some Great Courses for something light and episodic to listen to on my commute and I recognized his name on it, so I downloaded it right away.

I think he is super lucky to be putting together such a wide-ranging and fun series of lectures such as this. The first few chapters are straight history, but then he bounces all over the place including food, art, theatre, film, etc. But that doesn't make it shallow. I was still able to learn cool new facts about all kinds of stuff that I was already pretty familiar with. There is certainly depth as Ravina turns a scholar's eye to some everyday things.

I think I should have read a text version rather than the audio. Just couldn't get into it.

Loved it! Terrible I have to wait until March for the next volume, especially since this first book isn't an encapsulated story. This is a really accessible, modern translation. And in audio, the narration was quite easy to follow.

I will reserve rating this book since I didn't realize that it was a sequel to [b:The Silk Roads: A New History of the World 25812847 The Silk Roads A New History of the World Peter Frankopan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472636067l/25812847.SY75.jpg 45425898] and not a new edition. Basically this book is an overview of news articles from 2016-2018 showing how on the one hand China has it's sh!t together when it comes to integration and building power, and on the other how Trump and Brexit are a complete bloody disaster. Not that I disagree with the analysis at all, but I was hoping for more of a theory on Asia's (re)rise, something that likely is covered in the first book. If you haven't been reading the news for the past couple of years, and need a fast overview, this is a quick read to sort of catch you up.

Kerr's conversational tone and profusion of insights (mundane, holy, and profane) draws the reader in quickly. Another Kyoto is a pleasurable read, bursting with knowledge, and it is best to just go along for the ride.

See full review: https://chadkohalyk.com/2019/09/30/walking-and-talking-a-review-of-another-kyoto/

Fun story that not only highlights a lesser known place in the Pacific, but hints at some of the political challenges of world sport. I picked up the book while listening to a Football Ramble interview with Paul Watson, which goes into more detail since it has been 7 years since his foray into Pohnpei. His story is fascinating and I really hope he writes a second on his time in Mongolia, and his involvement with CONIFA.

Couldn't put it down. Murakami's gotta Murakami and I am here for it! Particularly touched me since the funeral chapter was at the same time I was actually prepping and attending a funeral in my real life. Murakami is so good at capturing the emotions by making the reader observe the details.

This book is really wild. Even though a bunch of it was over my head, I feel I learned a bunch about Tibetan Buddhism. Will definitely listen again.

Although from a scholarly perspective this book is a masterpiece, if you are reading it from the perspective of a corporate leader, you probably won't find anything too revolutionary. The important thing is putting in the effort, and taking time to reflect. This book serves as an excellent jumping off point for that exercise, especially as it comes from a different philosophical tradition than you may be used to and can stimulate thought from a new perspective. One advantage this book does have over some contemporary leadership literature is that Mipham's work is very authoritative, and written in a brave conciliatory voice. It is not the typical “self-help book for privileged tech entrepreneurs” or merely a “human manual for sociopaths” like so many of the pamphlets of modern-day, self-appointed gurus of leadership.

Full review here → https://chadkohalyk.com/2019/08/15/trickle-down-ethical-leadership/