But I tried the most recent book in the Orphan Xseries.
… at the age of 12, Evan Smoak was enrolled in a top-secret operation known as the “Orphan Program.”
He is the 24th recruit in the program and is known only as Orphan X.
The goal of the program is to train orphans so they can be assassins for government agencies. The program is shut down but Orphan X maintains access to the program’s funding and weapons.
In his 30s, Smoak begins freelancing as an assassin, using his skills to fight corruption in the form of vigilante justice …
There were a few things I enjoyed in this story.
Joey, his hilarious and sassy teenage techie assistant.
BACK in Lisbon to have a tooth implant installed, I posted some Instagrammy pics on Instagram.
Having visited most of the major tourist sites last year, I looked for less visited photo ops this time.
For example, I caught the ferry over to the former industrial suburb city Barreiro. I saw no other tourists wandering the streets that day. Augusto Cabrita, local photographer, cinematographer and film director is celebrated with this massive wall portrait.
In the 1970s academic kids in my neighbourhood went to Viscount Bennett High School. The rest (losers 😀) went to Earnest Manning High School which had far superior TRADES training.
The internet accelerated the fortunes of knowledge workers. Relative wages of those working in trades declined.
Everyone wanted to be a white collar worker. Sitting all day at a computer manipulating electrons.
Author/mechanic Matthew Crawford argues that is wrong. And is changing.
He quit his job at a Think Tank, instead opening a Motorcycle repair shop.
I’m hopeless. Not the least handyman you know, … but close.
I ride bikes but can’t fix them when they breakdown.
By comparison, my Dad and brother Rob are career Jack-of-all-Trades.
The late great buddy Rob Glaser was probably my most trusted authority for all things broken.
Needless to say, he was expert in living outdoors. Manipulated firewood with his bare hands, for example.
In the wild you want to carry only those items which can be repaired on the go. Metal, not plastic.
In 2022 it would be smart to seek work in an occupation where you can’t easily be replace by a computer. Gymnastics coach, for example. It will be a long time before Artificial Intelligence replaces human sport coaching.
Take pride in being able to physically make and repair things.
He’s a brilliant FBI agent who’s maintained his southern manners and accent.
Stoically aloof and eccentric. Polite and charming.
A master of disguise. Speaking many languages.
All in all a fascinating character.
I’d not read any of the 20 novels before trying this 2021 book. I ASSuMEd it was a murder mystery. But should have guessed by the title that it was some kind of horror story.
In the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.
Perhaps my least favourite, so far. An intriguing plot — but the resulting story really didn’t work for me.
Cork O’Connor is sitting in the shadow of a towering monolith known as Trickster’s Point, deep in the Minnesota wilderness.
With him is Jubal Little, who is favored to become the first Native American elected governor of Minnesota and who is slowly dying with an arrow through his heart.
Although the men have been bow-hunting, a long-standing tradition among these two friends, this is no hunting accident. The arrow turns out to be one of Cork’s, and he becomes the primary suspect in the murder. …
Though it’s a hassle to get a ticket, I managed to visit one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Built in 1906, a mix of Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic styles.
J.K. Rowling once lived in Porto, no doubt getting some inspiration from this magical setting.
She named Salazar Slytherin after the Portuguese dictator Antonio de Salazar.
BEST book in the series, so far, I reckon. Mainly because it features rogue Nate Romanowski more than any other book. He’s the most fascinating character. I also like Wyoming State Governor
TripFiction:
TF: Off The Grid is the 16th book in the Joe Pickett series. How do you manage to keep a series fresh and relevant without it becoming perhaps a little tired and formulaic?
CJB: Two reasons, I think and hope. The first is that each book in the series includes a real issue or concern beyond who-done-it. In Off The Grid it’s domestic terrorism as well as a runaway grizzly that’s been stalking hunters. Additionally, since the books take place in real time Joe Pickett, Nate, Marybeth, and family age and change. …
TF: Who are your favourite authors?
CJB: I’m a huge fan of Thomas McGuane, the late Jim Harrison, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor, and too many biographers and historians to list here. In the genre I never miss books by Michael Connelly, Denise Mina, John Sandford, and George Pelecanos. …
