Wallander (British) – seasons 1-2

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I signed up for a free month of Britbox to try Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh as the eponymous police inspector.

First episode is based on the #5 book Sidetracked.

Emmy-award-winning director Philip Martin was hired as lead director. Martin worked with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle to establish a visual style for the series. …

Like Branagh, Philip Martin did not watch any of the Swedish-language Wallander films so that he could bring a fresh interpretation to the films.

It is well done.

Branagh, born in Belfast, is terrific. Perfect as the flawed detective with many demons.

But Tom Hiddleston tends to steal every scene in which he appears.

It was Branagh who later asked Hiddleston to audition for the film Thor.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sooke Road Trip

On By Rick McIn McCharles family, travelLeave a comment

Rob and Yvonne invited me along on a road trip to Sooke.

First stop was Port Renfrew where they were able to (tentatively) book their annual fishing charter. Salmon and Halibut the goal.

I was able to book accommodation for myself and Brian the night before we start on the West Coast Trail — June 15th.

I’d forgotten how chilly and windy it can be on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was cold here on the pub patio.

Floating dock had not yet been floated. It was already mid-May.

We continued the scenic drive towards Victoria where Rob and Yvonne had booked their favourite hotel — Sooke Harbour.

I’d stay there again. Two bedroom units for less than $200 / night.

Next day we had the typical morning fog.

I jumped on my bike for the long ride back to Parksville.

Victoria to Nanaimo by bike

On By Rick McIn cycling1 Comment

Call it a training day.

IF I had ridden the most direct route, it would have been about 106km.

But I stayed off roadways as much as possible. My longest riding day (up to this point) had been about 130km. This one was longer.

GREAT weather.

Goldstream Campground was full when I arrived late the day prior.

I found a nice spot nearby.

This is the third time I’ve ridden via Victoria on the Trans Canada GREAT TRAIL. By far the best cycling route on the island.

Kinsol Trestle

Krakatoa by Simon Winchester

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Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded is a 2003 book by Simon Winchester covering the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa.

36,000 victims.

Underwater lines of communications were just starting to work well (after the introduction of covering them with rubber) making Krakatoa one of the first worldwide news stories.

AMAZING.

… “a trove of wonderfully arcane information.” …

WEST of Java, by the way.

Simon Winchester is a terrific writer. I’ll definitely be reading more. He makes science entertaining.

related – REVIEW – Shock and awe when Allah blew his top

Persuader by Lee Child

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I thought I’d read all the Jack Reacher books — but somehow missed the 7th, Persuader (2003).

And this is a good one.

Jack Reacher is working unofficially with the DEA to bring down a boy’s father, Zachary Beck, who is suspected of smuggling drugs under the pretext of trading in oriental carpets.

They stage a kidnap effort on Zachary’s son, Richard Beck.

Reacher rescues the boy gaining access to Beck by working as a hired gun/bodyguard.

Girl in Red – Honey, I’m not doing so well

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A retro, melancholy vibe.

This was put together by a fan as the official Girl in Red track has no official video, as yet.

Girl in Red is the indie pop music project of Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Marie Ulven who rose to prominence online with her homemade bedroom pop songs about queer romance and mental health.

She’s not yet gotten popular in the USA or Canada.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

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GREAT book published 2020.

I can’t compare it to anything else. Absurd comedy.

A poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

New Year’s Eve in a small Swedish town.

In a robbery / hostage taking gone wrong, it’s all “Stockholm Syndrome” by the end.

A heartwarming read.

Related – Review: Kindness and compassion win the day in Fredrik Backman’s ‘Anxious People’

The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell

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There are 8 books in the Inspector Kurt Wallander series, starting with Faceless Killers.

Set in Sweden.

Man Who Smiled is #4 — easily the best so far.

After killing a man in the line of duty (in The White Lioness), Inspector Kurt Wallander finds himself spiralling into an alcohol-fuelled depression.

He has just decided to leave the police when an old friend, Sten Torstensson, asks him to secretly investigate the recent death of his father in a car accident.

At first Kurt dismisses his friend’s suspicions as unlikely, but then Sten is found murdered in exactly the same manner as a Norwegian businessman shortly before.

Against his previous judgement, Kurt returns to work to investigate what he is convinced is a case of double murder.

Wikipedia