Jerry
@jerryfaust
Books, culture, urbanism, nature/animals. All opinions expressed are my personal opinions. Vancouver, BC. 🇨🇦🏳️🌈
This week I’m reading Philippe Sands’ memoir of his involvement as a lawyer in the criminal case against Pinochet. The book also explores Pinochet’s ties to Nazi war criminal Walter Rauff, who apparently used his Holocaust “experience” to set up a detention centre in Patagonia.
This is my personal favourite of the paintings we have at home. We purchased it in the mid/late 00s; the work is by Salt Spring Island Metís artist Sherry Leigh Williams.
I’m reading The Golden Daughter, 🇨🇦 journalist Halina St James’ story of her Ukrainian mother’s enslavement by Nazis and the postwar life she made in Canada.
I like pizza and I like tiramisu, but this “pizza tiramisu” concept from Canada’s leading frozen pizza brand (Dr. Oetker) is a no-go for me.
It’s been a dryer-than-normal year in Vancouver; I wouldn’t mind several days of drenching rain.
I’m reading the Summer House, the first novel by Japanese writer Masashu Matsuie to be translated into English (tr. by Margaret Mitsutani). It’s a story of a group of architects trying to win a competition for a library design, an uncommon premise in literary fiction.
I haven’t eaten at Subway in a long time, but I noticed that the chain is bringing the “Subdog” to its locations in Canada. It features a Schneider beef wiener and hot dog condiments on their sub bread. This won’t draw me to Subway.
The leaders of our 🇨🇦 political parties generally don’t look great when they dress up in white costumes. Pierre Poilievre either forgot Trudeau’s mistake or he needs some Queer Eye fashion help (99% of western wear clothing doesn’t look this bad).
The first train to downtown was packed today (a World Cup game was being played) so I waited two minutes for the next train; it was less crowded and I got a seat right away.
Last month I took this picture downtown. The old Four Seasons hotel behind the Apple Store has already been partly demolished (it was originally ~30 storeys). John and I were fortunate to stay on the top floor once back in 2017!
I’ve started reading Nancy Lemann’s newly-reissued account of the mid-1980s trial of Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards. @hubcitypress.bsky.social has done us a favour by returning it to print: Lemann’s prose & “sense of place” are excellent.
This weekend I’m reading Heather Cass White’s collection of Harold Bloom’s letters to 7 prominent poets/writers. Bloom was a literary genius & a man full of life. Thanks @vmspod.bsky.social for the interview with White; it convinced me to get the book.
Dolly Parton’s life story is amazing and she has given back so much to charitable causes (incl. COVID vaccine development). She’s truly an exemplary American. I wish a happy July 4 to my US friends and family!
Wow! Yesterday a black bear *outside my home* was tranquilized and captured by police and conservation officers; the bear is healthy and will be relocated to a rural area. I took the pics of the bear trap; the photo of the bear was shared by police.
This morning I enjoyed coffee and a butter croissant at JJ Bean, and I also enjoyed seeing this beautiful yellow lab working as a service dog!
Last night I started reading The Dazzling Paget Sisters, a dual biography written by Celia Paget’s daughter Ariane Bankes. Like their friend Jessica Mitford, the Paget twins broke out of the society role their family had planned for them & embraced travel & intellectual pursuits.
Saint Moritz is a 1929 painting by Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka. As a Jewish artist & member of the 🏳️🌈 community, she was fortunately able to spend WW2 in the US. I love the subtle colour evocation of the Swiss flag in this work!
The third 🏳️🌈-authored book I’m reading this Pride Month is Michael Lowenthal’s Place Envy, an essay collection published this year. This book is great so far, and I can recommend his novel The Paternity Test too.
My current #PrideMonth read is Brigid Brophy’s 1956 novel The King of a Rainy Country.
My current read: A Pox on Fools, Thomas Levenson’s evisceration of the antivax crowd. Fun fact: I skipped forward to the acknowledgements and discovered that 🇬🇧 writer Simon Sebag Montefiore is his cousin!
My first #PrideMonth 🏳️🌈-authored read is Harvey Brownstone’s Without Prejudice. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada and his book is a page-turner.
Our friend gifted us these personalized mini license plates. They look great next to the bobblehead representations of us (those were also a gift; John’s dad and stepmom had them made).
I’m reading Returning by Nicholas Lemann; he is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the brother of novelist Nancy Lemann.
I’ve been reading Louise Brangan’s sad history of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland; it’s amazing that Irish society treated women so poorly for so long.
Captain Canuck is back (from the 70s) to remind everyone of how to behave when riding Transit. These ads appeared at my local SkyTrain station in #Vancouver .
I’m almost finished with Sakina’s Kiss, a suspenseful literary novel by Vivek Shanbhag translated by Srinath Perur and published last year by @mcnallyeditions.com . This is the time I’ve read a book translated from Kannada.