Feldman's Faves: April 21, 2025

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

I hope you all had a very enjoyable long weekend and a very Happy Easter and Orthodox Easter to those of you who celebrate.

With the Masters behind us and the NHL and NBA playoffs in full swing it finally feels like spring.  Who is taking the LEAFS and who is taking the SENS? Is this a tough choice or a Hobson’s choice (here at Goodmans)?  Only 15 wins left for the LEAFS to win the CUP…..now is as good a time to be optimistic as ever!! LFG!!

Breaking from the norm (and talking about the law) I wanted to thank Tara for her excellent presentation last week at the SPG meeting. It is a good reminder of how our regulators are flexing their public interest muscles quite a bit these days even when deals are structured in strict compliance law. If it doesn’t smell right you can expect to hear from them. Nice job on getting this through – it does not sound like it was easy.

LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST – HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO MADDIE ON THE BIRTH OF OLIVER (OLLIE) CORNELL!!! VERY EXCITING NEWS  - WISHING YOU AND YOUR NEWLY EXPANDED GANG ALL THE VERY BEST!!

No theme this week – just topics of interest.

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES By: Shelby Van Pelt – Remarkably Bright Creatures has become a staple in most book clubs. It was on my list for a while but I kept putting it off since my sense was that it was a little bit fluffy and simple (yes Neill, that would be an ideal choice for me…). In any event, I picked it up in the airport and started reading and kept reading until it was done. It is a lovely and heartwarming story about a widow who cleans an aquarium and  an octopus that lives there, at least on the surface.  There is another important character that brings everything together but you’ll have to read it to find out. Seems kind of silly but it is really a nice story about lonely people dealing with tragedy and doing their best to move forward in life. It won’t win any awards but I expect it to be read by many people in many book clubs for many years to come. As one reviewer notes, “After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible. This is a book also recommended by a friend, who said I would certainly like it—and boy were they correct. Not that it’s a perfect book by any means, but I certainly really enjoyed it and I have an excellent perspective of it coming out the other side. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is at all intrigued by the synopsis. Remarkably Bright Creatures follows two main characters: an old lady, and a giant pacific octopus. How is this even possible? Read the book to find out! On a more serious note, it does take place mostly in a small town aquarium, with POVs swapping mostly between the two aforementioned characters. It is a truly heartwarming story, and has plenty of character development and intrigue for those who enjoy that. Of course, that little bit of fantasy sprinkled in just for the touch of more-than-realism which makes it just so enjoyable. The characters were truly, truly excellent in this book. My favourite character was the octopus, which sounds just absurd, but he really was. Although we are all perfectly aware he is just an octopus, the way he is written is truly excellent, and so relatable (?!) and you’ll just have to see what I mean by reading it. The humans were also great though. So many of them were all complex, with their own thoughts and how they see and interact with the world. Their flaws, and how they individually try to overcome or sidestep them. Truly each character was so relatable, or at least understandable, and I felt for them all, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with their viewpoints. If you are into characters, relationships, and development (of adults), this one is definitely for you. The plot is decent. No it’s not exactly unpredictable, and for the most part it is quite predictable. That being said there were still a couple of twists that I didn’t quite see coming, and truly the characters are so excellent, the plot isn’t really anything too important, but rather just a device to bring all the characters together into a proper story. Because of the way it’s used in this book, I didn’t dock any marks for this in my rating. However, if there were a way to make it an even more excellent story by being slightly less predictable, or perhaps less obvious about the direction it was going with the hints, that may have been better? I enjoyed it nonetheless. The writing overall was truly excellent. This ties back mostly to the characters, but I personally enjoyed the tone of the piece a lot. It may not be for everyone, but the way it was so casually written, almost as if I was just a friend floating alongside all the characters really drew me into the story and kept me hooked. This book isn’t the shortest one out there but it certainly felt that way as I flew through its pages trying to read more (about the octopus, of course!). I really liked the different ideas and themes that were explored in this book as well, and it really felt like a heartwarming, cozy, yet totally meaningful story to read. I can’t recommend it enough! I feel like a wide-range of audiences could appreciate this one. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a book revolving around a mischievous giant pacific octopus in a small town aquarium, attended by a lovely old lady who cleans it. The two unlikely friends navigate their individual isolated lives, as both deal with heartbreak and other tensions that everyone is familiar with. Told through multiple POVs and in a very casual tone, the story really gives an in depth look into all its complex characters and relationships, and the nature of expectations and observations about human nature. This is an excellent book, and I definitely recommend it!” Sometimes a feel good and light read hits the spot.  This one sure did for me. Here’s a good review from the NYT - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/30/books/remarkably-bright-creatures-shelby-van-pelt.html

TED TALKS DAILY - An NBA champion's advice on being a top teammate | Shane Battier – With the NBA playoffs kicking into high gear I figured this PODCAST would be timely. As some of you know, when I was a kid I was lucky that my dad coached every team I played on. He was a big believer in learning life lessons from sports and he taught me many. The one that has been most impactful was that at the end of each hockey the kid on our team with the most goals got $25 and the kid with the most assists got $100.  The lessons that came out of that approach to thinking of how teams work best are so useful and obvious.  Michael Lewis picked up on this concept when he wrote about Shane Battier playing on the Miami Heat during their glory years (along with LeBron, Bosh and Wade), Lewis recognized that Battier was valuable in immeasurable ways in the way he stayed under the radar but in a way to elevate his teammates and his team. One could argue that with that roster he had no choice. But the point Lewis made and that Battier personified is the importance of Team First mentality for those who want to be successful. In the TED TALK, Battier explains his approach to basketball and to life. Here’s an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “What if the secret to success isn’t being in the spotlight, but making everyone else around you shine? Former NBA player Shane Battier shares how his most impactful moments didn’t come from scoring points but rather from small, underrated actions that helped his team win — and why prioritizing "we" over "me" can create a lasting legacy, both on and off the court.”https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ted-talks-daily/id160904630?i=1000700356172

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon