The Wedding People by Alison Espach

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

The Wedding People (2004) is funny. But a black comedy, dealing with suicide.

Unsurprisingly, it ends up life affirming.

Phoebe Stone, a newly divorced literature professor who checks into a luxury Newport, RI, hotel intending to take her own life.

Mistaken for a wedding guest, she becomes unexpectedly close to the bride, Lila, ultimately finding a reason to live through new connections, honest conversations, and a chaotic, week-long wedding party. 

If you like making fun of rich people, this book’s for you. 😀


Premise: Phoebe arrives at the Cornwall Inn with no luggage, reeling from a failed marriage, IVF, and her cat’s death, intending to die in a place she once hoped to visit with her ex-husband.

The Unlikely Bond: Lila, the bride, discovers Phoebe’s intent and, desperate to keep her perfect wedding from being ruined, gets involved with her. Their candid conversations, filled with unexpected humor and emotional depth, bring them together.

The Wedding Transformation: Phoebe is drawn into the wedding festivities, eventually acting as a sort of reluctant confidante and maid of honour to Lila, who is facing her own anxieties about her marriage to a man named Gary.

Themes: The novel balances the dark themes of grief, suicide, and loss with the light, chaotic energy of a destination wedding, focusing on themes of resilience, self-discovery, and second chances.

TriStar Pictures is adapting Alison Espach’s bestselling 2024 novel, The Wedding People, into a feature film.

Geoship Geodesic Dome Homes

On By Rick McIn climate change, economics, ethics, good news, product endorsements, things getting betterLeave a comment

I’ve been following the tiny-house movement for years.

… an architectural and social movement promoting the reduction and simplification of living spaces.

Tiny homes have been promoted as offering lower-cost and sometimes eco-friendly features within the housing market, and they have also been promoted a housing option for homeless individuals. …

Read their FAQs.

Delivery starts sometime in 2026 in California. The first ones will not be off-grid ready, but that’s planned for the future.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Author Mick Herron – Mixed Feelings

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Mick Herron is the author of the Slough House series, early novels of which have been adapted into the Slow Horses television series.

Critics praise his witty one-liners, “barbed and sardonic” dialogue, and elegant descriptive passages.

All true. Very funny. Skillful.

But the guy is an awful story teller. His books drag. Are repetitious. Nothing happens aside from witty banter for multiple chapters.

The TV adaptations are WAY better than his books.

HIs 2008 stand alone novel Reconstruction is a good example.

Brilliant in many ways. But confusing and ultimately disappointing for this reader.

The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Initially being very impressed with the Jane Hawk series … by the 3rd and 4th I’m bewildered.

The story gets more and more confusing.

Jane less and less impressive a heroine.

Jane Hawk Books

The Silent Corner(2017)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Whispering Room(2017)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Crooked Staircase(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Forbidden Door(2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Night Window(2019)Description / Buy at Amazon

I’ll skip The Night Window.

Some reviewers find deeper meaning in the muddle.

I’m Cycling the Tour Divide 2026

On By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

Each year since 2020 I’ve been considering STARTING the most famous bikepacking race on earth — the Tour Divide from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border.

I’ll try again in 2026.

In Montana, I’ll divert to visit friends in Coeur d’Alene.

Via the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

I’ll be on my Trek Checkpoint with 4 panniers.

Jack Keogh posted an honest video of the Tour Divide. It’s TOUGH.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s possible I’ll loop back to Calgary on another trail.

This adventure is entirely self-supported. There’s no registration. No registration fee.

Freedom.

Wish me luck.

Cat O’Nine Tales by Jeffrey Archer

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Entertaining.

Archer is sorry the art of the short story is slowing disappearing.

Cat O’Nine Tales is British author Jeffrey Archer‘s fifth collection of short stories. It was published in 2006, and nine of the twelve stories are based on tales Archer heard while in prison. 

The Briars by Sarah Crouch

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I was keen to read The Briars (2026) because it was a murder mystery set in the Pacific Northwest with a Game Warden as the protagonist.

Not bad. Not great.

Plot Overview

  • The Setting: Lake Lumin, a fictional, picturesque town near Mount St. Helens in Washington State.
  • Main Protagonist: Annie Heston, an Oregon game warden fleeing a broken relationship. Her first task in Lake Lumin is tracking a dangerous cougar.
  • The Mystery: The body of a young woman is discovered in the thorny “briars” bordering the property of Daniel Barela, a reclusive local carpenter with a hidden past.
  • Key Conflict: As Annie assists the local sheriff with the murder investigation, suspicion falls on Daniel. Annie must decide if she can trust him while uncovering the town’s deep-seated secrets. 


Too much attention on the romantic subplot.

Cross – season 2

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I’m still disappointed.

Excellent source books, the Alex Cross series. Excellent cast.

I’d fire the writers. This TV drama should have been much better.

Critics and most people still like this show.

I found the plot confusing. A couple of deaths unnecessary. Poor story telling.

Meh.

The ending of the season was quite good, however. Not easy to do.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Noah Kahan – Stick Season

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

Stick Season was a surprise hit by American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan,

It went viral on TikTok in mid-2023 and charted internationally. It got to #1 in Australia and the U.K.

Noah Kahan nominated for Best New Artist at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024).

The song title refers to a term for autumn in New England, the period after Halloween before the winter snow begins, which Kahan called “a time of transition” and “super depressing” as “it just means that winter is coming soon and it creates a lot of anxiety” and “nobody really likes it”.

For me the video is super original. Fresh.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Now I am stuck between my anger and the blame that I can’t face
And memories are somethin’ even smoking weed does not replace
And I am terrified of weather ’cause I see you when it rains
Doc told me to travel, but there’s Covid on the planes

And I love Vermont, but it’s the season of the sticks
And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed
And it’s half my fault, but I just like to play the victim
I’ll drink alcohol ’til my friends come home for Christmas

So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad
That I could cancel out the darkness I inherited from dad
No, I am no longer funny, ’cause I miss the way you laugh
You once called me forever, now you still can’t call me back

Olivia Rodrigo did a cover. This should bring more attention to the original.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My favourite cover version so far is by Our Last Night. Rockin’

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.