Find You First by Linwood Barclay

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Yet another intriguing plot from the Canadian author.

This book did keep me interested throughout.

Tech millionaire Miles Cookson has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of—except time. He has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and there is a fifty percent chance that it can be passed on to the next generation. For Miles, this means taking a long hard look at his past…

Two decades ago, a young, struggling Miles was a sperm donor. Somewhere out there, he has kids—nine of them. And they might be about to inherit both the good and the bad from him—maybe his fortune, or maybe something much worse.

… One by one, Miles’s other potential heirs are vanishing—every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all.

Who is the vicious killer—another heir methodically erasing rivals? Or is something even more sinister going on?

linwoodbarclay.com

Cycling Arctic Norway – the Lyngen Alps

On By Rick McIn cycling, food, travelLeave a comment

I went to cycle and hike the Lyngen Alps inspired by Matthew’s recommendation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Starting in the tourist town Tromsø, I cycled out to stay 2 nights at Magic Mountain Lodge is in Lyngseidet.

It’s an excellent adventure hotel that also offers dorm beds for about $35 / night.

I’ll never forget their reindeer stew with lingonberries served me on night #2.

I cycled to enjoy the best views I could get of the Lyngen Alps. Finishing in Nord-Lenangen where I caught the fast ferry back to Tromsø late on a Sunday night.

Click PLAY or watch highlights of my 3 day adventure on YouTube.

Here are a few of the photos I captured.

Reindeer close to the Ferry terminal
Fast ferry back to Tromsø

CBGB – 2013 film

On By Rick McIn movies, musicLeave a comment

I had a PUNK stage.

It was ME New Year’s Even crashing off the dance floor, knocking down the drums at the Calgarian Hotel. The pogo dancing was fierce.

I threw up in a Volkswagen Beetle — woke up in a closet atop all the winter boots.

CBGB is a 2013 film that follows the story of Hilly Kristal‘s New York club from its concept as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock ‘n’ roll and punk.

Opened 1973, the dive became a famed venue of punk rock and new wave bands like the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, and Talking Heads.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

From the early 1980s onward, CBGB was known for hardcore punk. …

The club closed upon its final concert, played by Patti Smith, on October 15, 2006. …

CBGB’s two rules were that a band must move its own equipment and play mostly original songs …

In 1978, new wave songwriter Elvis Costello would open shows for The Voidoids, while The Police played at CBGB for their first American gigs. …

Hilly Kristal died from complications of lung cancer on August 28, 2007. …

wikipedia

This was one of Alan Rickman’s last films. He died unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer age-69.

OMFUG stands for Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.

Jain – Makeba

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

Jain (Jeanne Louise Galice) is a French singer-songwriter and musician. …

A music video for the single “Makeba” was released to Jain’s official YouTube channel on 30 November 2016. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 …

wikipedia

The song references Miriam Makeba also known as “Mama Africa”, a South African singer and activist.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Blowback by Peter May

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A Michelin three-star chef is found dead near Clermont-Ferrand in central France..

Suicide? Murder?

Enzo MacLeod, a man with an Italian mother and Scots father, who teaches forensic science in France arrives 7 years later. He wants to find out what really happened.

The food, wine, and settings are described in great detail. 

This is a mystery for a gourmand.

Once again, Enzo is apparently irresistible to women. God knows why. It usually ends in disaster.

This is Peter May‘s 5th book of the Enzo Files — and the best, so far, in my opinion.

PERFECT Hollywood Blockbuster – Top Gun 2022

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Increasingly critical of Hollywood, I couldn’t have been more impressed with Top Gun: Maverick.

It’s one of the few films I was happier to see on the big screen rather than streaming.

Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous.

Ed Harris awesome, as always.

In fact the entire cast is made up of beautiful people. Stars.

Special effects were totally convincing for me.

Fans love it. 97% of 431 critics on Rotten Tomatoes like it.

YES it’s cornball and over emotional at times. But I cried, so didn’t feel it weakened the film for me.

In the end, this is a Tom Cruise film. He’s onscreen most of the time.

And Tom Cruise has never let me down before. This might be his best movie yet.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Wolf Pack by C.J. Box

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

This is a good one.

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is investigating a drone killing wildlife–and the drone belongs to a mysterious and wealthy man whose son is dating Joe’s own daughter, Lucy.

Meanwhile, bodies are piling up in and around Joe’s district in shocking numbers.

He begins to fear that a pack of four vicious killers working on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel known as the Wolf Pack has arrived

Death on the Nile – 2022 film

On By Rick McIn movies2 Comments

Thought I wasn’t all that impressed with Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express (2017), this film with the director playing Hercule Poirot is excellent.

Death on the Nile has a great cast of characters ALL of whom have a good motive to have committed murder.

Of course the fantastic Egyptian landscape helps.

In addition, I really liked Sophie Okonedo as Salome Otterbourne, jazz singer.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough

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The new psychological thriller is getting great reviews.

It’s an “unreliable narrator” piece.

Sadly, it didn’t work for me. The plot is interesting, but was too painfully drawn out for too long.

Not one of the main characters held any appeal.

Emma is quickly approaching her 40th birthday — the same age her mother was when she began having trouble sleeping.

As she struggles with intergenerational trauma and balancing 10 hour days as a successful lawyer with life with her family life, Emma’s situation spirals into a dangerous and intense tale.

Without sleep, is Emma hallucinating? Or is she going mad?

On the other hand, if you liked all the other psychological thrillers — Girl on a Train, for example — you’ll likely enjoy this one, as well.

The Wheel of Time – season 1

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I went back to Wheel of Time — planning to follow the story this time. It’s the kind of television I should like.

Sadly — It’s no Game of Thrones.

Mixed reviews.

The main character that appealed to me is Daniel Henney as al’Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine’s Warder and companion. A nuanced prerformance.

Casting seems a bit uninspired. Interactions between characters not convincing.

Actually, Abdul Salis as Eamon Valda is a very believable bad guy.

And Loial portrayed by Hammed Animashaun is charming.

BUT … production values are surprisingly poor at times.  The wolf attack in episode 5 was like bad TV from the 1970s. 

This was one of the most expensive TV series of all time. Yet many of the special effects look fake.

The battle / birthing scene at the beginning of episode 7 is EPIC, however. Worthy of the film 300.

I’ll probably watch season 2. I hear it gets better.

The scenery is fantastic. Czech Republic, Slovenia, and South Africa are locations.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.