I escaped the Great White North winter for about 5 weeks. I’m a volunteer with the Gymnastics Federation and did some coaching at the two competitive clubs.
Population of Bermuda is only about 65,000.
I’ve been coming to Bermuda since 2016. But still treat every goodbye as my last. 😎
Theodore Boone: The Abduction, written by John Grisham, is the second book in the Theodore Boone series. It is written for 11 to 13-year-olds.
It’s worth reading this series in order.
Grisham is such a good story teller, that I was convinced to stay with the plot. I was cheering for Theo.
His good friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night.
No one, not even Theo Boone – who knows April better than anyone – has answers.
As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it’s up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April.
Children’s Books Wiki
Theodore Boone: The Accused #3 is just as good.
Theo’s home town anxiously awaits the new trial of infamous murder suspect Pete Duffy.
There’s been a robbery and Theo is the accused. His reputation is on the line, and with the evidence building against him — and dangerous threats looming —Theo will do whatever it takes to prove his innocence–even if it means breaking a few rules.
It’s a page turner.
Theodore Boone: The Activist #4 is a longer book. The case more complex.
Theo is still age-13, but starting to grow up.
Small town Strattenburg is divided over a hot political and environmental issue — whether or not to build a $200 million freeway bypass while schools, police, fire, and all other town budgets are being cut.
Theo finds himself right in the thick of it … strongly opposed to the plans.
But when he uncovers corruption beneath the surface, no one—not even Theo—is prepared for the risks—and potential harm—at stake.
Torn between his conscience and the law, Theo will do whatever it takes to stand up for what is right.
The end of this book is the best single scene in the series so far.
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The Final Twist (2021) is the 3rd book in the Colter Shaw series.
Just hours after the harrowing events of The Never Game and The Goodbye Man, Colter Shaw finds himself in San Francisco, where he has taken on the mission his father began years ago: finding a missing courier bag containing evidence that will bring down a corporate espionage firm responsible for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of deaths.
Well researched. Well written. Interesting premise.
Some fun Deaver plot twists.
But ultimately I was not all impressed with this book.
I wish Deaver was a better story teller.
I wish his characters were more real. I might care about them more.
It’s pretty bad. Bad. Toxic, macho, military American jingoism.
BUT I started watching season 1 (2014) because it’s based on a global viral pandemic that has wiped out over 80% of the world’s population.
Something I feared MIGHT happen March 2020.
There’s plenty of science in this otherwise dumbass ACTION show.
The Last Ship is a 218-person crew of an unaffected U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, that has been tasked with supporting a scientist trying to develop a vaccine.
It’s a typical Michael Bay project. Cliche dialogue. Predictable, sentimental story lines.
Most of the cast look like Hollywood actors, not people. How many pretty young females crew American destroyers in real life? 😀
I do like Rhona Mitra as Dr. Rachel Scott. She’s like Lara Croft trying to save the world by inventing a vaccine.
And Charles Parnell as the Master Chief Petty Officer is terrific. Later starring in Top Gun, I’m betting he’s in high demand right now.
The show is popular — despite low ratings with critics.
Tons of action. Especially explosions.
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As usual with Deaver, there are plenty of surprising twists and turns.
And a terrific bad guy.
Solitude Creek is the fourth in the Kathryn Dance series …
Dance, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation, finds herself suspended from duty when an interrogation goes bad in a horrific way.
She’s busted down to the Civil Division of CBI and given the boring assignment of checking permits after a stampede in a local roadhouse results in several deaths and a number of injuries.
Dance soon learns, however, that the panic was intentional—a classic case of someone yelling fire in a crowded venue—and unofficially begins to investigate. …
JefferyDeaver.com
The worst videos online are hilariously bad book trailers. This one is an exception — check it out.
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I liked season 1 more than most. And I had mixed feelings about season 1.
Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison is excellent. My favourite character. And there’s a lot more Cory Ellison in season 2. You are rooting for him.
But this show is mostly annoying rich, entitled people complaining about how miserable they are. Whiners.
Season 2 has even more moaning. Again, too much drama. Not enough action. Guardian called it the messiest show on TV.
But Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler is quite believable in season 2. You almost start to like him in the mansion on Lake Como.
Guilty pleasure ~ Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson. Reese really can do no wrong for me. Even with the over-the-top writing of this show. I just like her.
On the other hand, I really appreciated season 2 being realistically depicted over the start of pandemic early 2020. It was a blast from the past to see those first news stories again.
The timeline works up to the point where Tom Hanks gets Covid.
Recall season 1 was about the #MeToo movement.
There are some good moments in season 2. Bradley’s interview with Maggie Brener was awesome.
It’s almost worth watching.
But with all the Apple money, all the talent, I expected better.
… Should I watch season 3?
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The Coffin Dancer is a 1998 novel by Jeffery Deaver. Book #2 in the series featuring Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic detective.
Rhyme is brilliant. But gets outwitted by a killer hired to do away with 3 witnesses in the last hours before their grand jury testimony.
It’s personal for Rhyme as the same man had killed two of his assistants 5 years before.
If you like surprise plot twists, this book is for you.
If you think inflation has driven prices up where you live, consider Bermuda — out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Almost everything is imported.
Price comparison — a 5oz package of Organic Girl baby arugula costs between $3.29 and $4.49 in the US; in Bermuda the same product costs $5.99 on special or $7.99 at the regular price.
Royal Gazette – Understanding food supply chain and drivers of soaring prices
BUT there must be some good deals. Right? Right?
I found the downtown MarketPlace to have the best selection. Prices are often better, too, than the other 7 MarketPlace stores on island.
Two litre Diet Pepsi $4.49 on sale. New York price $2.28.
Red Baron frozen pizza $8.59 on sale. New York price $4.47.
1kg mixed flash frozen vegetables $8.29. New York price $2.28.
La Vielle Ferme wine $12.99 on sale. New York price $8 and up.
Family size Raisin Bran Crunch cereal $9.19. New York price $5.38
Whole rotisserie chicken $13.49. New York price $8.
1.5 quart (1.42 litre) ice cream $8.49 on sale. New York price $4.97.
Just Bagels 6 pack frozen $6.59. New York price $4.18.
Raisin Bran Crunch must be healthy, I ASSuME. So worth the higher price. 😀
P.S. Unleaded gas price February 2023 was U.S. $2.27 / litre. Only Iceland and Hong Kong were more costly that month. Norway was $2.20.
The Breaker (2021) is the 6th book in the Peter Ash series. And the best, so far.
This one is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the author lives.
Peter Ash came back from the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq with PTSD and claustrophobia. He has problems going indoors.
In this book he’s working renovations with his best friend, fellow veteran, Lewis.
Ash has a false identity as he’s wanted by police in both Iceland and the States.
As with the Jack Reacher books, the characters here are drawn into a worldwide crisis by coincidence — they happen to see a shooter in a busy city market. And try to stop him.
Ash’s girlfriend June identifies the gunman. And off we go.
As their parallel investigations draw together, they’re thrust into the path of a ruthless tech thief, an eerily cheerful assassin, a brilliant and troubled inventor, and a revolutionary technology that could wreak devastation in the wrong hands. …
Amazon
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HOW have I not heard about Zach King until now?
He’s one of the most watched guys on TikTok.
AND an all-around good guy.
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Rick McCharles 