Fairytale of New York

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

The bittersweet Christmas song reinvented.

Cameron Barnes & Blythe Duff (Feat. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Cameron Barnes roped in veteran actor Blythe Duff, best known for her role in Taggart, and bagpipe supergroup the Red Hot Chilli Pipers for his version of the hit.

The song is transformed from two lovers arguing to one of a son calling his mother over the festive season. …

Barnes, who is from Methil in Fife, was inspired to reimagine the tune due to controversy over radio stations “censoring” some of the lyrics from Fairytale of New York, which was originally sung by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.

Courier

Thanks Rockin’.

The Last Mile by David Baldacci

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

I kind of enjoyed Memory Man, the first book in the Amos Decker series.

Happily, I enjoyed Last Mile, 2nd in the series, more. Interesting and entertaining. Though it bogged down towards the end.

Decker is 6′ 5″ and an obese 350 lbs.

He has perfect memory.

Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution–for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier–when he’s granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime.

Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars’s case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men’s families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth. …

Last Mile

The audio book has two narrators. That normally doesn’t work for me. And it didn’t work this time.

Click PLAY or watch an interview on YouTube. Baldacci writes more books / year than just about anyone.

I Hear the Sirens in the Street – Adrian McKinty

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Excellent.

#2 in the Sean Duffy series set in northern Ireland.

Sean Duffy knows there’s no such thing as a perfect crime.

But a torso in a suitcase is pretty close.

Still, one tiny clue is all it takes, and there it is. A tattoo.

This book is set during the Falklands War 1982. Duffy gets involved with the John DeLorean cocaine trafficking scandal. Recall the doomed DeLorean Motor Company set up in Belfast,  Northern Ireland to reduce sectarian violence. Create jobs.

This was during The Troubles.

Listen to the Audible version so you can enjoy the Irish accents.

Bletchley Circle – seasons 1 & 2

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

The Bletchley Circle is a television mystery drama miniseries, set in 1952–53, about four women who worked as codebreakers at Bletchley Park during WW II.

Seven years after the war’s end, disappointed with police not investigating complex crimes, the women join to investigate for themselves.

It’s quite charming.

A sequel took the ladies to San Francisco.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Michael Connelly‘s new book (2020) is his best — so far — of the 6 featuring attorney Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer.

I’ve never been much of a courtroom drama fan. But this story is excellent.

And well told.

it’s topical, as well, set just at the start of pandemic in 2020.

On the night he celebrates a big win, defense attorney Mickey Haller is pulled over by police, who find the body of a former client in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller is immediately charged with murder but can’t post the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge. …

Haller knows he’s been framed, whether by a new enemy or an old one. As his trusted team, including his half-brother, Harry Bosch, investigates, Haller must use all his skills in the courtroom to counter the damning evidence against him.

Amazon

Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

With season 5 of The Expanse arriving Amazon, I read the 4th book in the series as a warm-up. 😀

Cibola Burn (2014) follows the crew of the Rocinante as they join the flood of humanity out into the galaxy, using the gates built by the ancient civilization that also produced the protomolecule. …

Holden arrives on a world on the verge of war.

Yet the biggest danger to the colonists, scientists and Holden is not the human disagreements that they have brought with them but the frontier. …

Season 4 of The Expanse was largely based on this book.

I love the future universe imagined in this series. Like a number of the characters.

But — overall — these are not great books. If the TV series did not exist, I wouldn’t read them.

Season 6 will be last in the TV series.

Apple trade-in

On By Rick McIn AppleLeave a comment

BestBuy and Apple both have pretty good trade-in programs.

For example, when I traded in my last Mac laptop (battery had failed) — Apple refunded me CAD $540 towards my new silicon Mac.

Turns out the new US $700 Mac mini silicon outperforms the old 16″ MacBook Pro costing $7000.

To replace that battery would have been about CAD $260. AND if it didn’t work, I’d be on the hook.

related – You CAN replace an iPhone battery

Pixelmator Pro photo editing

On By Rick McIn Apple, hiking, photosLeave a comment

With Kraig’s encouragement I tried and then bought ($29.39 CAD) an Apple only photo editing package.

I’ll continue to use free built-in Apple photos to organize my many pics. BUT switch to Pixelmator Pro for editing the best of the best.

I started posting daily to Instagram. My best hiking photos.

Instagram.com/BestHikeVisuals

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Constant Princess / Other Boleyn Girl

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The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory was published 2005.

A highly fictionalized version of the life of Catherine of Aragon and her rise to power in England.

Catherine was the first wife of Henry VIII, divorced after 20 years of marriage. Daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

My fear is that history is boring. That royal intrigues are boring.

Not so in the case of this book. It’s very fast paced. Most entertaining.

It’s part of what the author calls the The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels.

Though Philippa has a PhD in history, another of her books seemed to me more Romance / Bodice ripper.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) was not as good, IMHO.

But the plot still fascinates. Instead of focusing on the 2nd wife of Henry VIII — Anne Boleyn — the lead character is her younger sister — Mary Boleyn.

The other Boleyn girl.

In fact, Mary was the king’s mistress while Catherine was his wife. Though little of accuracy is known about Mary, she did have a roller coaster of a life. Mary died aged 43–44.

King Henry had Anne beheaded at the Tower of London at age 28–35.

In any case, if you like historical fiction — check out Philippa Gregory.