2023-06-04-small

June 2023 Newsletter

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Life in France

Linda and I have once again traded Manzanillo for a visit to France! We are in Antibes, staying in the seaside community of Juan le Pins. It’s great to be back; rather than doing my usual Life in Mexico, for the next few months I’ll be highlighting some of the lovely food, experiences and activities of Provence.


You immediately notice how fresh all of the meat and vegetables are in the grocery stores. But the biggest bonus is the quality of the wines and the fact that they are much cheaper than Canada or Mexico. People say France is expensive, but we’re saving thousands and thousands on the wine alone!

This is a typical Tuesday night meal; duck breast a la orange with white asparagus. I roasted both sides of the duck breast in its own fat until the center was pink, then fried slices of peach in butter and reduced a 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier to make the sauce. The white asparagus is in season this week, so all the shops are stacked with spears. Divine!

We arrived during the Cannes Film Festival, which is just a few kilometers down the coast from Juan les Pins. The marinas are full of mega-yachts, including Jeff Bezos Koru. This behemoth is over 400-ft long and cost half a billion to build. It sets the owner of Amazon back $25 million a year just to maintain it; I assume that’s a good reason to use the sails to cut down on the gas bill.

They love posters here. This one is for a hotel overlooking the Juan les Pins marina. It’s right next to the park where they hold a jazz festival every year; we’re looking forward to seeing some of the acts in July.

Most posters are for luxury goods. As you can see, Freya bathing suits are pitching to a certain body type. Makes me wonder what Trojan goes for.

A lot of theaters also advertise upcoming performances. Not sure who’s behind this one.

All of my books are now available to subscribers at Kindle Unlimited!

You can also purchase eBooks and paperbacks on Amazon!

TV Review

Unstable

Streaming on Netflix

This is an engaging comedy series created by John Owen Lowe, son of Rob Lowe. Rob plays Ellis Dragon, an eccentric genius running an innovative biotech firm. His erratic emotional state is putting his company in jeopardy, however; his son Jackson Dragon (played by John), is called in to help save the day.

The father/son duo is supported by a brilliant cast. Anna, the CFO of the firm, is played by British actor and producer Sian Clifford (Fleabag), while Ellis’s aide Malcom is portrayed by Second City Chicago standup alumni Aaron Branch.

Each episode is only half an hour long, but the dialogue is so witty and the pacing so impeccably timed that it feels like a full-hour. I highly recommend you watch Unstable!

Recipe: Duck Breast


This is a classic French dish that is easy to make and tastes delicious! Cook’s tip: make sure you have a spatter screen on hand to keep fat under control.

Ingredients

1 duck breast

½ cup Grand Marnier

1 peach, pitted and sliced

1 Tsp of butter

Directions

Score the fat on the duck breast and cook at medium heat for 7 minutes. Flip the breast and cook for another 7 minutes. Take off heat and let rest.

Melt the butter and fry the peach slices for a minute. Add the Grand Marnier and reduce.

Cut the breast width-wise into ½ slices (it should be pink and juicy on the inside). Serve with sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

2023-04-03

April 2023 Newsletter

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Life in Mexico

It’s Semana Santa! Every year, 40,000 Mexicans descend on Manzanillo during Easter to celebrate their religious devotion with tequila. Here’s a few survival tips;

Go the nearest ATM and empty it before everyone else does.

Stock up at the OXXO with ten loaves of Bimbo bread and a big can of Spam. Both will stay fresh at least until the Second Coming.

Top up two dozen sealable bottles with gasoline in case Pemex runs out. I recommend José Cuervo; you can find about three million empty ones along the Miramar beach.

It’s OK to make noise at Easter. If you can’t find fireworks, pay one of the Marines hanging outside the Burger King to let his AK-47 rip.

Book Review

The White Lady

By Jacqueline Winspear

We’ve been reading Winspear’s Maisy Dobbs mysteries series for several years now. It features a woman private detective who starts her own agency in London after WWI. It runs for several decades and features a fine cast of eccentric British characters. If you’ve never read it, I urge you to give the series a try.

The White Lady is a departure into new territory.  Elinor White is a British woman who grew up in Belgium in the early twentieth century, and returns in WWII to act as a spy behind enemy lines. After the Allied victory, she retires to rural Kent.

But the countryside is too dull for her taste and she soon launches a one-woman crusade against a ruthless gang of London criminals. Her former spy-mate, now a Deputy Commissioner in Scotland Yard, becomes a hapless accomplice as he tries to keep Elinor’s life attached to her limbs.

The author brings her profound insight and knowledge of post-war British culture along with lots of twists and turns to create an exciting and intriguing cops-and-robbers thriller. I highly recommend The White Lady.

Members of Kindle Unlimited can now read all my books online!

You can also order eBooks and paperbacks online at Amazon!

TV Review

Dinner Club, Season 2

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Celebrity Italian chef Carlo Cracco returns for a second season. The series features half a dozen friends who he takes on road trips to his favorite parts of Italy to sample the local cuisine, then returns to his mansion outside of Rome to cook a dinner club meal.

This season features excursions to Sicily, South Tyrol and Romagna, where his actor friends discover fresh herbs, sausages and deep-fried delicacies amid scenic settings. It’s the dinner club that really sparks the series as everyone gets very tipsy and critiques each meal in hilarious fashion. It’s all in Italian, but the subtitles keep you abreast of each insult! If you love food and friendship, I highly recommend Dinner Club.

Recipe: Rack of Lamb

We’ve always been big fans of New Zealand lamb, where they outnumber Kiwis 10 to 1. The delicate flavor is derived from a breed that feeds best on pastureland. Their lamb is coveted all over the world; I recall seeing ships in the South Island port of Nelson that were designed to transport them live to the Middle East for the festival of Ramadan.

For the first few years, we were disappointed to find that New Zealand lamb was rare in Mexico; the country has millions of sheep, but most are raised for wool and dairy. We were delighted when La Comer finally started featuring frozen lamb that had been raised in Mexico especially for meat; the leg, shank and shoulder are just as delicious as the New Zealand variety when roasted over several hours in the oven.

Our favorite, by far, is rack of lamb. When properly marinated and cooked over coals, it is extremely delicious! If you don’t have a BBQ, roasting in the oven is also a great way to go, but it just doesn’t beat that mix of smoke and sizzling fat when done over coals.

Ingredients (feeds 2)

1 rack of lamb with 8 chops (cut in half).

Marinade

¼ cup of olive oil.

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tsp of salt.

1 small chili pepper.

1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or 1 Tsp of dried rosemary)

Directions

Mix the ingredients in a blender and pour over the lamb and let it marinate in the fridge for at least four hours.

Prior to cooking, pull the lamb out and let it warm to room temperature.

Place the lamb bone-side down over the coals* for five minutes. Flip the racks and cook for another five minutes. This should bring them to medium rare. Slice the meat and check for doneness; if it’s still too pink, put it on bone-side down for another few minutes. Cover and let rest for five minutes, then carve into lollipops and serve with baby potatoes, asparagus and mint sauce. Enjoy!

*(If you don’t have a coal BBQ, set your oven at 450 F and cook, bone-side down, in a metal pan, for 15 minutes, then let rest covered for five minutes).

2023 02 06 small

February 2023 Newsletter

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Life in Mexico

Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico is a delight. It’s like traveling 50-years back in time, when you could ride in the back of the station wagon with the dog or stand on the rear seat and stick your head out the sun roof. Here are some invaluable tips:

  • When you are approaching an intersection and the light changes from yellow to red, hit the gas. Otherwise, the driver behind will rear-end you.
  • Throw your baby-seat out. That’s because the safest place for children is in their mother’s lap (especially if she’s driving).
  • Don’t waste money replacing burnt-out brake lights. Your budget is far better spent on 300-watt speakers for the rear window ledge.
  • The four-way hazard lights are an invaluable tool when you spot a taco stand on the other side of the highway. If you miss your turn-off, flicking them on also creates a new law that allows you to back up on the shoulder for up to one mile.
  • Cut the seatbelts off and throw them away. If you are in an impending accident, the best way to avoid injury is to roll down the window and leap out.
  • Texting while driving is mandatory. That way your next-of-kin will know your last location.
  • In case you missed breakfast, the beverage holder in the console is designed to hold a large can of beer.

That’s just a few helpful suggestions! Readers are invited to write in and share their own observations.

Joan the Saint now Available at Amazon!


Another amazing book by Gordon Cope!

Amazon 5-star Review

Joan of Arc, born in northeast France during the Hundred Years War between England and France, arose from obscurity to become her nation’s greatest hero. Guided by the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine, she defeated the English army at Orleans and crowned Charles VII king of France in Reims.

The year is 1431. Joan of Arc has been captured by the English and is being tried for heresy in their stronghold of Rouen. Abandoned by the French, Magnus the Magnificent sets out on a quest to foil her fiery fate.

Joan the Saint is available free with your subscription on Kindle Unlimited!

TV Review

Mom

Streaming on Amazon Prime

The creation of Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory), this comedy series set in California ran for eight seasons through the 2010s.

The story revolves around a newly-sober mom Christy (Anna Faris), trying to raise her two young children under the interfering eye of her mother (Alison Janney, The West Wing).

The series won several Emmy awards during its run, primarily for the excellent cast and scathing comedy. The insults and one-liners are reminiscent of Lorre’s earlier work on Roseanne, but with much more mature subject matter.

If you happen to have a lewd sense of humor, you are guaranteed at least one laugh-out-loud moment every episode.

I highly recommend Mom!

Book Review

Daisy Jones & the Six

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an amazing chronicler of the hedonistic California lifestyle, and this is one of my favorite books by her.

Written in the oral-history style made popular by Rolling Stone, the novel tells the story of a young singer named Daisy who comes of age in the late sixties. Her talent for creating and singing unforgettable songs is paired with the on-stage presence of Billy Dunne, the front-man for the Six. They create sparks – both on and off stage – that becomes the stuff of rock-n-roll legend.

The story has been made into a series, currently scheduled for March release on Amazon Prime. Riley Keough, the grand-daughter of Elvis Presley, plays the title role. I have no doubt that the new production will be excellent, but if you prefer to read about it before you see it, I highly recommend Daisy Jones & the Six.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken Marsala

This is an excellent dinner meal when you’re having guests over; it’s easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thick

¼ cup of flour

2 Tsp olive oil

2 Tsp butter

1 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup of Marsala wine (or Sherry)

½ cup of cream.

Cooked pasta

Grated parmesan

¼ cup of chopped parsley

Directions

 Cut each chicken breast in half thickness-wise. Pound with meat tenderizer.

Coat each piece with flour. Fry in olive oil and butter 3 minutes per side, until brown. Remove and tent.

Fry mushrooms for several minutes in oil, butter, salt and garlic, until brown.

Stir in Marsala and simmer.

Turn off the heat. Slowly mix in cream while stirring. Simmer gently until it thickens.

Return chicken to pan. Simmer for another five minutes.

Serve on cooked pasta with parsley and parmesan garnish.

Christmas candy canes taking a tropical beach vacation for a winter holiday. They stand as a group of friends, traveling together and having fun in the white sand along the aqua blue water of the Caribbean Sea, Mayan Riviera, Mexico.

December 2022 Newsletter

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Life in Mexico

There is a new mural on the wall beside the entrance to Santiago cemetery. A small girl with curly blonde hair is rising into the air. The Grim Reaper is reaching for her. He has a big smile (which is about all you can manage with a skull).

The girl, for her part, seems rather serene, considering that one moment she was running for the ice cream truck in her Sunday dress, and the next she’s being embraced by a grinning skeleton in a black cowl.

I’m curious; was Jesus busy getting his halo buffed and couldn’t make it? I can see him on his cellphone. “Hey, Grim, you got time for a pickup? No, leave the scythe, you’ll scare the shit out of the kid.”

If I ever have naughty grandchildren, I’m going to paint this mural on their ceiling.

Joan the Saint now available on Amazon!

I’ll be at the Mujeres lunch on Wednesday December 8 at 12:30 to sell autographed paperback copies, but if you can’t make it, you can purchase a paperback or eBook on Amazon.

“Another amazing book by Gordon Cope!”

Amazon 5-star review

The much-anticipated sequel to Magnus the Magnificent is finally available!

Joan of Arc, born in northeast France during the Hundred Years War between England and France, arose from obscurity to become her nation’s greatest hero. Guided by the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine, she defeated the English army at Orleans and crowned Charles VII king of France in Reims.

The year is 1431. Joan of Arc has been captured by the English and is being tried for heresy in their stronghold of Rouen. Abandoned by the French, Magnus the Magnificent sets out on a quest to foil her fiery fate.

You can purchase the eBook edition and paperback on Amazon!

Book Review

Desert Star

By Michael Connelly

Author Michael Connelly is the undisputed king of police procedurals. His main protagonist, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, has been solving murders since Cain slew Abel. Now retired, he is a volunteer for the Open-Unsolved Unit.

The unit, set up by the LAPD to rehash cold-case files, is commanded by Renée Ballard, a young detective with a plethora of moxie and an amazing tolerance for the irascible Harry.

Two cases dominate their work; the unsolved murder of a city councilman’s younger sister, and the slaying of a family of four. The former is given precedence because the councilman has the power to shut down the unit, and the latter because it has haunted Harry for decades.

Working methodically, Harry, Renée and the team of researchers sieve through the case books, searching for overlooked suspects. Each time a clue leads them to a prime suspect, however, their hopes are dashed when a witness or undisputable evidence provides an alibi. Undeterred, they plod diligently on, until the perpetrators are finally exposed.

As always, Harry is the epitome of the knight errant, tilting at windmills and making life uncomfortable for the powers-that-be. Renée Ballard is the perfect foil, cherishing her relationship with her mentor Harry, but knowing all too well the pitfalls that await.

Although the book stands on its own, it is a welcome addition to the Harry/ Renée series. I highly recommend Desert Star!

Recipe: Coq au Vin

This is a recipe made famous by Julia Child around a million years ago, but it has a timeless appeal due to its great taste and ease of preparation.

INGREDIENTS

8 chicken thighs

1 ½ cups red wine

1 cup chicken stock

 ¼ cup brandy

1 tsp salt

3 strips bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 medium onion, quartered then thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch piece

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 Tsp of Italian herb mix)

8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

8 ounces pearl onions, peeled

Beurre blanc (a mix of 2 Tsp of flour and 2 Tsp of soft butter)

Cooked rice or pasta.

DIRECTIONS

Marinate the chicken thighs in the wine, chicken stock, salt and brandy.


Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven (electric skillet) over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Remove the chicken from the wine marinade (save the marinade) and dry the chicken with paper towels. Place the chicken in the pan. Sear until it is golden on both sides (about 5 minutes on each side) and then remove the chicken.

Add the sliced onion, mushrooms, pearl onions and carrots to the pan and let them cook until the onion is golden brown. Add the garlic to the pan and let it cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomato paste. Pour the reserved wine marinade into the pan, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits.

Place the chicken and bacon into the pan and sprinkle the thyme/Italian herbs over top. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the beurre blanc. Stir it into the sauce and let it thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve on rice or pasta.

Enjoy!

TV Series Review

Wednesday

Streaming on Netflix

As a child, I recall seeing the macabre cartoons by Charles Addams, enjoying their morbid humor, but it wasn’t until the advent of The Addams Family that I really became a fan. Most of the antics revolved around Morticia and Gomez, but Lurch, Thing and Cousin Itt were all indispensable to the cavalcade of weirdos.

Now, Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas), has brought his own ghoulish sensibilities to the newest installment, an 8-episode series on Netlfix. It centers around Wednesday, the dead-pan teenage daughter who was always thinking up new ways to torture her little brother Pugsley.

Wednesday (played by Jenna Ortega), is a nihilistic Goth who is sent to a boarding school after filling her high school swimming pool with Piranha. Both Morticia and Gomez are alumni of Nevermore Academy, and are confident that their daughter will blossom in the midst of all the oddballs who attend (and teach) at the school.

Wednesday vows to escape, but after nefarious persons unknown attempt to poison, torture and murder her, she begins to warm to the place. Aided by her handyman Thing and Uncle Fester, she puzzles out the mysterious monster disemboweling town folk and students, leading to a rather gory climax. I highly recommend Wednesday!   

2022-10-05

October 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

Mexicans are hard at work spiffing up the graves of their beloved ancestors in anticipation of Day of the Dead.

The festival is often compared to Christian ceremonies such as All Saints Day, but the pre-Columbian celebration is a lot more light-hearted, with gifts of sugar skulls and lots of rum. Grannies are remembered through irreverent verse and beloved uncles with scurrilous eulogies.

All are welcome, of course. On November 1, take time to visit your local cemetery and party with Mexicans honoring their rich ancestry.

Official Release of Joan the Saint

The much-anticipated sequel to Magnus the Magnificent is finally available!

Joan of Arc, born in northeast France during the Hundred Years War between England and France, arose from obscurity to become her nation’s greatest hero. Guided by the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine, she defeated the English army at Orleans and crowned Charles VII king of France in Reims.

The year is 1431. Joan of Arc has been captured by the English and is being tried for heresy in their stronghold of Rouen. Joan has been abandoned by the French; Magnus the Magnificent sets out on a quest to foil her fiery fate.

Join me at the Mujeres luncheon at Oasis restaurant on Wednesday, November 2 where I’ll be signing paperbacks.

You can also purchase the eBook edition and paperback on Amazon!

Recipe: Home-Made Thin-Crust Pizza

I get a lot of requests for this recipe from dinner guests!

Making your own pizza is quite easy and the result is both healthy and delicious! All it takes is a little preparation and you’ll be the toast of your family and friends!

(Makes four pizzas)

DOUGH

5 ¼ cups of OO (fine) flour.

1 tsp of salt.

1 tsp of dry yeast.

1 tsp of brown sugar

400 ml of warm water.

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.

Mix the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pour the liquid into the flour and knead until the consistency of soft Play-Doh. (You may have to sprinkle some flour on if it’s too sticky).

SAUCE

1 jar of tomato sauce

3 Tsp of Italian seasoning mix.

1 tsp of salt.

1 Tsp of olive oil.

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the olive oil into the jar of tomato sauce and swish around then add that to the mix. Let rest for at least half an hour.

TOPPINGS

Pepperoni, ham

Chopped onion, peppers, olives, etc.

Shredded cheese

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 450F. Divide the dough into four balls (any dough you don’t need can be frozen for later use). Roll out the ball flat with a rolling pin (hint; I cut a piece of parchment paper into a 12” circle as a rolling surface). You will have to sprinkle some flour on the dough to keep the rolling pin from sticking.

Place the rolled dough into a pizza pan and bake it in the oven for 5 minutes. (You can do this in advance and keep the crusts in the freezer indefinitely).

Spread 5 Tsp of sauce on the pizza crust and add desired toppings. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot!

Book Review

Suspect

By Scott Turow

I’ve been a big fan of Turow for several decades, ever since I read his break-out novel Presumed Innocent (made into a great movie starring Harrison Ford), so I always look forward to a new chapter in the canon.

Suspect is the latest installment of his multi-generational saga of courtroom dramas set in the fictional Kindle County. Clarice “Pinky” Granum is a paralegal working for a criminal law firm run by her cousin Rik Dudek. A young, single woman sporting a nail through her nose, Pinky is a bane to her long suffering family but a talented and tenacious sleuth.

Rik is defending Lucia Gomez, the chief of police for the city of Highland Isle. The first black woman to hold the post, she is incorruptible, and fiercely dedicated to cleaning up the reputation of her force.

She is also charged with sexual assault by three of her male subordinates. The men allege that she garnered sexual favors from them in support of their promotions. The case has been placed before the Police and Fire Commission for adjudication.

Pinky quickly uncovers a connection to local crime kingpin Moritz “the Ritz” Vojczek. On the surface, the Ritz is a wealthy property developer, but his real profession is big-scale drug dealing. Wily and ruthless, he uses his filthy lucre to pay off the police – and destroy those he can’t.


While Rik works diligently to clear his client’s reputation, Pinky finds herself romantically embroiled with a mysterious neighbor who seems to be spying on a big defense contractor operating in Highland Isle. All the loose strings come together in patented Turow style as the case against Chief Gomez reaches a dramatic climax.

I highly recommend Suspect!

TV Series Review

A League of their Own

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Penny Marshall’s original 1992 movie, starring Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Geena Davis featured a host of talented actors portraying the trials and tribulations of an all-female professional baseball league in World War II.

Now, 30 years later, the original premise has been recast as an 8-part series that follows the struggles that the women endured to make their mark in a male-dominated world.

Series creator Abbi Jacobson stars as Carson Shaw, a small-town slugger with a husband serving in war-torn Europe. She finds herself as the unlikely sparkplug for the Rockford Peaches, a rag-tag collection of talented women seeking fame on-field.

Her story is mirrored by Max Chapman, a gifted black pitcher striving for a chance to spotlight her talents on an all-male team. Played with grit and determination by Chanté Adams, Max refuses to take no for an answer.

While on-field struggles dominated the original movie, this series has time to fully explore the personal challenges that women in the 1940s faced, from sexism and racism to family expectations and gender identity. It is a much warmer, more intimate story, one that takes the opportunity to delve into each character and make their aspirations more authentic. This is not so much a tale about baseball; it is an adventure into the complex yearnings that inspire all women.

I highly recommend A League of Their Own!  

2022-07-04-small

September 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

European Dreams

Linda and I had a wonderful journey this summer through southern France, Italy, Paris and London. There are so many wonderful memories and experiences that it would take a book to encapsulate them all!

We were amazed by the wonderful hospitality we encountered. People were happy to greet us and eager to speak English (even in Paris!). We always felt safe and welcome wherever we went; if we were in a bind, strangers on the street were eager to help.

Here are a few highlights!

Best Restaurant

Tough one to decide! The veal Milanese (pictured) in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele was to die for, but I have to go with Café les Arcades, our local in Juan Les Pins. A classic bistro, it served a daily lunch prix fixe that was inexpensive and delicious; sea bass, veal, steak in pepper sauce – all served with the best French fries! Frederique the manager was cheerful and eccentric and always made us feel like guests of honor, treating us to a cold glass of Kir whenever we arrived.

Best Museum

We went to see Pitti Palace in Florence, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and a host of other museums, but the one experience that stands out is our visit to the Leonardo3 Museum located in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. This is a pop-up museum, a private display that re-creates Leonardo’s inventions, including a full-scale version of his man-powered airplane, but the treat was an interactive show explaining his iconic Last Supper (The original, of course, is just down the street, but you have to pay a king’s ransom to see it). Not only did the exhibit detail how he painted the fresco, but it also described each element of the composition, from Christ and his disciples to the humble plates of food on the table. I was enthralled!

Most Romantic Spot

The Ponte Santa Trinita. This is the bridge directly downstream of the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Every evening, we would gather with other Florentines to watch the sun set over the Arno. A wonderful way to end the day!

Best Place to Chill

We had the opportunity to stay in many wonderful places all over Europe (including the Marais in Paris), but our favorite, be far, was Juan Les Pins in Antibes. Our rental in the beachside district was a gem, a newly-renovated one-bedroom apartment one block away from the beach. The neighborhood also boasted a butcher, a baker and a wine shop where we got to know the proprietors; they made us feel part of their community. We look forward to returning next year to visit with our dear friends Rosa and Reinier!

Life in Mexico

We arrived back as twin tropical storms battered the Manzanillo region. The moment they receded, however, we were hit by a major earthquake!

Over the course of a decade, we have experienced numerous minor shakers. This is expected, as Manzanillo is located about 80 km from a major subduction zone, a common source of seismic activity around the world.

But the quake on Monday, September 19, measured 7.4 on the Richter scale, making it several hundred times as powerful as previous events. We had just finished lunch, and were standing in the dining room cleaning up the dishes. It started slowly at first, then quickly escalated into furious shaking.

Our home is made of concrete and steel rebar, but the shaking was so violent that we immediately feared that the house might collapse. We raced outside and stood on the pool patio deck, which gyrated like a surfboard for the better part of a minute.

Fortunately, we and our neighbors were unhurt (although several people did lose their lives in the city due to falling debris). To say that were frightened, however, is an understatement; experiencing a major earthquake is a terrifying experience. We hope that we never have to go through it again!

My Latest Novel!

The much-awaited sequel to Magnus the Magnificent is about to appear! Joan the Saint officially arrives November 1; we’re just putting the finishing touches on the paperback and eBook versions, soon to be available on Amazon for pre-purchase. We’ll also be doing special promotions and book signings in the Manzanillo area, so stayed tuned for more news!

If you haven’t read Magnus the Magnificent, it’s a great book!

You can order eBook copies from Amazon HERE, or buy a paperback at the next Mujeres luncheon.

Movie Review

Bullet Train

Folks who criticize Brad Pitt’s latest movie as a brainless blood bath miss the point. This is a summer blockbuster action thriller; it makes no pretense of any connection to reality, other than the sun comes up in the morning. Trains hurtle through the air, assassins get split in two with Samurai swords and Thomas the Train achieves philosophical nirvana.

The premise is simple; down-on-his luck Ladybug (played by Brad Pitt), is hired to steal a briefcase full of cash aboard the Tokyo-Osaka bullet train.  What Ladybug doesn’t know is that someone has hired a gaggle of assassins with orders to kill one another.

Ladybug stumbles through the ensuing Kung-Fu mayhem with the help of Maria, a disembodied guru supplying advice and emotional support via cell phone. Even though the director tones down Brad’s good looks with a bucket hat and a goofy haircut, his wry charm still comes shining through as he seeks out the true meaning of life with homicidal maniacs trying to splay his guts. It’s kind of what you might expect if you mixed Sophocles with Quentin Tarantino. Not everyone’s cut of tea, but I highly recommend Bullet Train!

Book Review

The Bullet that Missed

By Richard Osman

Richard Osman clearly enjoys writing. The British-based author positively sparkles with wit in The Bullet that Missed, the third in the Thursday Murder Club series.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, it takes place in a bucolic old-folks home in Kent. Elizabeth, a former MI6 operative, and her pals Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron meet each Thursday to investigate cold-case murder files. They invariably end up neck deep in desperados and ne’er do wells intent on causing them bodily harm.

The latest installment focuses on an investigative reporter who dies while researching a massive tax fraud. Her car is found at the base of a cliff overlooking the English Channel, but her body is never recovered. The club soon finds themselves dealing with ruthless thugs, nefarious KGB agents, a murderous drug lord intent on revenge – and a nice cup of tea when it all gets too exhausting. I highly recommend The Bullet that Missed!