Brodie's (brodiew2) Book Heist 2021

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Hello. My name is Brodie. I am a divorced father of three kids, 11, 12, and 14. Two boys and a girl. This will be my 5th year with the 75ers and my production has gone down each year, unfortunately. However this is the start of a New Year so I am hopeful that I will be reading more, listening more, and seeing more movies.

At the end of 2020 I decided to give Money Heist a try on Netflix. I had seen it come up so many time, but passed it by. I am so glad I decided to watch. What a fantastic program. It is a Spanish production, dubbed in English, but don't let that scare you away. It is the story of a group of strangers (each taking the name of a international city) brought together by a mastermind, The Professor, in order to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it did not take long to join the crazy ride of fantastic characters, amazing dramatic storytelling, and bursts of intense action. I guarantee you will be rooting for the Salvador) Dali, the mask they wear with their red jumpsuits, as they meet challenges from the outside and within. Give it a go. You will not be disappointed.

The bottom line is I love a good story-fiction, non fiction, book film, television, audio book, or live theater. I hope you'll stop by every now and again see what I'm up to. I'll be doing that out there among the 75 ers as well.

Presently Reading



https://savvystories.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/gamma-sequence-final-11182019-e...

Presently Listening



Presently Watching



Line of Duty
Amazon Prime

Ooo, you got Prodigal Son going! I’m still waiting my turn at the library.

Welcome back!

Have a great year of reading!

RESOLUTIONS



Including a resolution to visit my pals in the group.

Welcome back Brodie.

I too love Money Heist by the way and have the songs regularly on my computer BELLA CIAO!

Happy New Year, Brodie! Happy New Thread! Good to see you back. Sorry, that you had a difficult 2020 and wishing you best for this one.

>3 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! It's good to be back. I am thrilled to be starting Prodigal Son and see what Evan is up to now.

>4 thornton37814: Thanks, thornton37814! You do the same. I hope this year is fruitful.

>5 PaulCranswick: >6 PaulCranswick: Thank you for stopping in, Paul. That is an excellent resolutions list!

YES! BELLA CIAO! I greatly enjoyed he series. the music and familial camaraderie, even in the midst of crime is compelling.

>7 msf59: Hello Mark! Happy New Year to you as well! I am glad to be back and hope to share some good reads and learn of even more you and the rest of the 75ers.



My first completion of the year is Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. It is the longest novel I have read aloud to my son. It tells the story of a young African American teen who is drawn into fantasy world where African American folk heroes and African gods are real. His intrusion into this world is accidental and caused many problems for its inhabitants. It is also a coming of age tale which explores Tristan's grief over the loss of his best friend in a school bus accident. Folk Heroes like John Henry and High John are present as well as Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox. The African sky god Nyame has an important role to play as does the Trickster god Anansi. It was a fun read, but also a poignant one. If you have the notion, give it a try.

I am presently reading Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi and and indie medical thriller, The Gamma Sequence.

Hi Brodie! I haven't yet checked out "Money Heist" but will. And Tristan Strong is already in the swamp -- looking forward to it.

>9 swynn: Thanks for stopping in, swynn. You will not be disappointed with Money Heist. What a great show!
My son and went right into the Tristan Strong sequel Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It is off to a good start.

I have finished up Season 5 of The Expanse and enjoyed it greatly. After a smaller focused S4, this season was gangbusters! I can't wait for the 6th and final season.

Good to see you back, Brodie. Dropping my star to follow your adventures this year.

I will watch Money Heist tomorrow. Thanks for the recommendation!

>11 Familyhistorian: Thank you for dropping by, familyhistorian. I hope you find some interesting stuff around here.

>12 Whisper1: Wow! That's fact action. Thank you for stopping in, Whisper1. II hope you enjoy it. feel free to discuss what you watch with me if you feel so inclined. You can PM me.

I am a little over halfway way through Light of the Jedi and am enjoying it. It is different and the same. I'll explain more in my review when I finished.

I finally took the plunge on Disney+ and Prime video (30 day trial). I discovered that there were a couple of shows that I was hyped to see than didn't work out for me. Man in the High Castle and The Boys.

The Expanse, however, paid off in spades. So GOOD!

I have been hovering over a couple of their Agatha Christie adaptations, but have't pulled the trigger yet? Any suggestions?

Hi Brodie - I didn't realize you had started a thread for 2021. I am saddened to read your change of status up there at >1 brodiew2: . I hope things are going OK for you. This has been a very tough year. I thought of you the other day when I went looking for a Star Trek novel among my books. Eventually I decided on something different to read but I hope to get a star trek book in before too long. I've never gotten into reading the Star Wars novels. I hope you enjoy your current one.

Take care

ps Money Heist looks intriguing. I've dropped it into my queue. I do not watch much but I am currently watching several episodes of Midnight Diner: Tokyo stories. I've become hypnotized by the opening credits and music.

>14 RBeffa: Thank you for your comment, Ron. It's been a rough year, with upheaval in many area. I hope to land on my feet. A new adventure awaits. I still have my kids in my life. And the divorce was not contentious, but it has given me a lot to think about as far as my part in it.

I am not familiar with Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. I looked it up and it sounds intriguing.

I hope you find a good Star Trek novel on the horizon. I have five or six in the shelves that I never read.

Less than 100 to go in Light of the Jedi. It is the best Star Wars novel I've read in a long time.

I'm going to take a look at a couple of new shows premiering soon. I figured there is no harm in giving them a try. 'Superman and Lois' (CW) and 'Debris' (NBC)

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'Superman and Lois' was a nice change up for the CW superhero lineup. I stopped watching Flash and Legends some time ago, but wanted to this one a try given that I loved Smallville so much. It was fun and down home and relatively peaceful compared to the other shows on CW. I did not like this Superman when he was introduced on 'Supergirl', but I really enjoyed how he has been given a family and is returning to his Smallville roots. I'm not sure how long I will follow it, but the pilot was excellent.

I also watched my second episode of Lupin, on Netflix, and absolutely love this series. It is clever and whimsical and you help but root for the main character to put together the pieces of his puzzle.



It has been a while since I've read a Star Wars novel. I was so thankful and intrigued when I read that Del Rey/ Lucasfilm were launching and new publishing even entitled Star Wars: The High Republic. It will encompass books, comic books, and even a TV series at some point. This High Republic era takes place 200 years prior to the film The Phantom Menace. It is the height of the Republic and the Jedi. All is well and the slogan 'We are the Republic' reached to all corners of the galaxy.

Light of the Jedi is the first book in the series and has some heavy lifting to do. It introduces many new characters, (Jedi and non-Jedi), new ships designs, planets and races. It also introduces a new villain, The Nihil, whom are described as space vikings. They embrace chaos and present a soulless apathy and disregard for life. That said, it does the heavy lifting well. Author Charles Soule does an excellent job in establishing the tone and feel of this new era. There is some regal and reverential about it all. The Jedi are truly knights, pursuing their mandate as guardians of peace and justice. The Republic is at peace and the Chancellor has Great Works that try to benefit all member planets.

As the book begins, there is a great disaster. A large ship, traveling through hyperspace, suddenly breaks up, but does not drop from hyperspace all at once. The ship exits hyperspace in pieces at different times and locations causing untold damage to moons, planets, and devastating death toll. The Jedi and the Republic leap into action to prevent further loss of life.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I felt like I was being re-introduced to Star Wars in the best way possible. From the Jedi to the Force to the Republic, it felt new and fresh and fun. It also felt epic, which Star Wars should. The themes of light and hope and unity are not only repetitive in the story, but inspirational.

5 stars

>15 brodiew2: As one who has been through divorce, years later, I think about what felt like a very sharp and hostile interaction with my former husband, who I thought was the love of my life.

Life changes, and we move on. I try very hard to think of all the good times, but that leads to sadness.

Years after the divorce, I developed a very healthy relationship with my eye doctor. We were together 20 years before he passed away.

Good luck to you. Divorce is never easy. At times it leaves a scorched earth feeling.

>17 Whisper1: thank you for the kind comments, Linda. I am thankful that my divorce is amicable and there is no acidity. we are are still living in the same home until I find alternate arrangements. It's been tough on the kids. But, as you say, moving on and not lugging guilt around indefinitely will be the challenge. We both had a part to play.

>18 brodiew2: Regretfully, I hadn't picked up on the divorce in your first message. So sorry that's happened. I've not experienced that, so don't have any words of wisdom, but hope that in the end life will get better.

>19 drneutron: Much appreciated, Jim. I think I'm still in shock or treading water or some such. It's a bittersweet situation.



In this 6th Orphan X adventure, Prodigal Son, Evan Smoak is contacted by a woman claiming to be his birth mother and inexplicably asking him to help a man whom he soon learns has ties to his distant past. As Evan learns more about the mysterious caller and her desire for his help, he is drawn into a web of off the books drone technology and a brother and sister team employed to keep it a secret.

Along the way, Evan is also drawn further along his path to being more human, learning empathy and a willingness to make himself available in more than a practical capacity.

Sadly this is my least favorite of the Orphan X adventure. I was not enamored of Evan's feelings about his birth mother and all of his hand wringing that went along with it. Given that I have never experienced this desire to know why (he was given up), I found the treatment, here, ponderous. The action 'mission' was not much more thrilling. I had little interest in Evan's fight against advanced weapons technology.

What I enjoyed most about this book are the times that Evan shares with 'his people', notably Joey, Tommy, Mia, and Peter. This extended family, and his interactions with them, are at the heart of each book and Evan's path to being a more integrated human being.

3 of 5 stars



I also finished up the first season of Lupin on Netflix. I enjoyed it a lot. I has a sense of humor as well as great sense of character and drama. The whimsy turns dramatic toward the end, but it is compelling.

Happy Saturday, Brodie! I also really enjoyed Lupin and I am looking forward to the next installment. I am currently enjoying Network Effect. You are a Murderbot fan, right?

>21 msf59: I apologize for this late response, Mark. Thank you for stopping by. I tried 'Murderbot' once, but didn't catch the bug. I will need to try again. I gave up pretty quickly. I know it is all the rage here with the 75ers. I would not have thought it was your cuppa, but life is full of surprises. ;-P What hooked you on it?

I've beeen watching, no bingeing Line of Duty. What a well written, acted, and intense production. It focuses on the Anti-Corruption unit with in the British police force. Each 6 episode series is a story.

Hiya, Brodie.

I hope you’re beginning a nice weekend.

I saw Ron mention Midnight Diner up there. I’m enjoying that one, too. It’s Japanese, kind of a low key, mesmerizing “Cheers”, filled with stories of locals who stop in at the diner.

I’m reading Walter Isaacson’s NF book about scientist Jennifer Doudna, and the development of CRISPR and gene editing. I’m finding it fascinating.

Dropping in to say hello and see how you are doing.

>20 brodiew2: I'm going to start watching lupin soon. Looks to be great!

It seems like an age since I've posted but this is just a catch up on the few things I've read in the meantime.

Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - This an excellent overview of Churchill's guerrilla warfare efforts during WWII. It focuses on key mission as well as the inventive and innovative minds behind tactics and weapons.

Someone to Watch Over Me - Not Atkins best Spenser outing, but okay.

Theft of Swords - Decent, but not compelling fantasy. I liked the lead characters but the sotry did not include the fantasy elements I was looking for.

Moth Busters - This was a fun, wacky, and absurdist ride. The dialogue is consistently whimsical and not so sharp that I grew tired of it. It kept me turning pages. I'm so glad I found this series. It like an indie Carl Hiassen, with an X-File set-up. Stepped right into the Second book Dr. Prepper.

Next up will be And Weir's Project: Hail Mary, which I have heard is great.

And on audio WildCards edited by George R. R. Martin. - Good start. It's alternate history on the origin of superheroes.

I hope to get to Hail Mary before year's end. Never tried the Wild Cards books tho I have been tempted.