I thank Gary for informing me that some of Tim Robinson’s books are available at the Internet Archive. I found there one of the Aran Island books, PILGRIMAGE, and two of the Connemara trilogy, LISTENING TO THE WIND and THE LAST POOL OF DARKNESS.
https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%28tim%20robinson%29
So you can if you wish discover if Tim Robinson suits you for free.
On the past three evenings we have watched three movies: one great; one excellent; and one a very successful bit of fluff.
The great was SUNSET BOULEVARD from 1950, starring Gloria Swanson as a former Hollywood star who is seeking a come back and William Holden as a young out of work writer who is brought into her delusional world. After watching the movie on Paramount Plus I was surprised to learn that Gloria Swanson was nominated for but did not win the best actress Academy Award that year, which went to Judy Holliday for her part in BORN YESTERDAY. Some of SUNSET BOULEVARD is almost melodrama, but it is rightly considered among the best movies ever made.
The excellent was THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSIE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. I bought the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen via BookBud and found it much better than I expected, so when I discovered it had been made into a movie starring Brad Pitt as Jessie James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford I wanted to see it. The movie is excellent in all respects: acting, direction, cinematography. Casey Affleck in particular is impressive in portraying the nuances of Robert Ford’s insecurities and complicated relationship with Jessie James from hero worship to killer.
The book describes more of Robert Ford’s life after the killing—he was only twenty when he shot Jessie James—than does the movie. He became wealthy running a bar in a Colorado mining town before being assassinated himself.
I recommend both book and movie. We rented the movie from Amazon Prime.
The successful bit of fluff is WOLVES starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. I read that it is the most viewed movie on Apple TV+ ever. It is a crime movie with an often implausible plot, but entertaining enough if one suspends judgement. I was curious what the stars were paid to participate in this and find that reportedly they received $35,000,000 each, and the director $15,000,000. My word!
I have been making daily visits to GANNET. Yesterday I checked the duffle bag with breakfast supplies and discarded a zip-lock bag with oatmeal that had turned suspiciously black. I have no idea how long it had been on board. Probably years. I also found a sealed pouch of powdered milk that I opened and moved to a plastic canister. It looks all right, but it is a brand that I seldom buy and think I last did in Durban, South Africa. If so, it is now seven years old and extremely well travelled. I think I might throw it away too.
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