This is the 2nd book in the Teddy Fitzroy Funjungle series, and I just finished reading it to my 8-year-old son this morning. I really enjoy reading to him, and he understands everything and sometimes we have to stop to discuss what just happened. Last night, he told me to stop reading because he had…
Author: Mark
When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown – by Kenan Thompson
I had this one in my TBR pile for a while, and I downloaded a sample when it came out, but I just couldn’t get into to. But, last weekend, at the local library, they had this book available, and I decided to try it again. Well, I am glad I did, because I enjoyed…
Home and Alone – by Daniel Stern
When I saw this book as an upcoming release, I was excited to learn more about him. All I knew him from was Home Alone and City Slickers. I actually read a free sample from Amazon on my Kindle, and then found the book at my local library. So, I had no clue he was…
Father’s Day
Being a dad is the best thing I could’ve ever asked for, and I just love him so much. For the longest time, Nina would hang out with him in his bedroom until he fell asleep. But, for the past few weeks, I have been doing it every other day. It’s a drastic routine change…
Time to Make the Donuts – by William Rosenberg
Sometimes, I find myself going down a rabbit hole of similar books. I just read books about Stuckey’s and Howard Johnson’s, and now I just finished this one about the founder of Dunkin’ Donuts. I enjoyed learning about his background and all of his jobs. He was driven to be successful, and surrounded himself with…
Goodbye 2nd Grade and Hello Summer Break
On Thursday, Niko finished his last day of 2nd grade. That morning and before we got him to school, one of his baby teeth finally fell out! It was loose for a few weeks. It was funny because he woke up and I heard him say my tooth fell out, can you find it in…
A History of Howard Johnson’s: How a Massachusetts Soda Fountain Became an American Icon – by Anthony Mitchell Sammarco
This was actually an interesting book, as I learned a lot about the Howard Johnson legacy. Not only did this book dive into a wonderful history of the company, but also about perfection as everything that was done had to be performed a certain way. I, for one, had no clue it got started as…
UnStuck: Rebirth of an American Icon – by Stephanie Stuckey
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. I must admit, and tell you, I have never heard of Stuckey’s, but the general description of the book intrigued me. Without any experience as a CEO, Stephanie Stuckey purchased Stuckey’s Corporation, which was originally founded by her grandfather…
Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon – by Joel Selvin
I have read quite a few music books lately, and Jim Gordon, a drummer has been mentioned. So, when I saw this book about him, I was definitely intrigued and wanted to learn more about him. He ended up being the best studio drummer, and I had to stop reading the book quite often and…
Belly Up – by Stuart Gibbs
I just finished reading this book to my 8-year-old son, Niko. So, since he knows I write, he wanted to get in the action. I asked him some questions about the book and his answers are unedited below. Did you enjoy the book?Yes, I loved it. Who was your favorite character?Summer McCracken and JJ McCracken…
GameCrafters – Danny Murphy
I have known Danny Murphy since 1991, when I was a Freshman at Clark High School. He was the Head Basketball Coach, and I was the student manager from 1991 through 1995. I still keep in touch with him, and am still not sure on how to address him: Coach Murphy or Danny! When I…
Claw Crane
Yesterday, we didn’t sit around our house enjoying the cool a/c, we weren’t at my parents house, and we weren’t at a hotel. We were actually at the movies where the theater has an arcade, bowling lanes, and a cafe. Niko won three stuffed animals at the Claw Crane Machine! Yeah, I was impressed with…
The Spamalot Diaries – Eric Idle
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Now, I have seen Spamalot twice (once in NY and once locally in town), and it’s one of my favorites (right along the same line as The Producers). This book is written in a diary format, and I truly…
Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant – by Curtis Chin
I had a gift certificate for Barnes and Noble and last weekend, the three of us had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and just a few steps away was a Barnes and Noble. I actually had a few minutes to browse the books without having to chase my 8-year-old son around the store, and telling…
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me – by Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi’s mother passed away in 2010, and her brother Clyde passed away in 2015. This book is about the influence they both had on her. Let me rephrase, it’s primarily about her mother and her and their life growing up together. I did enjoy reading about how she got discovered; Mike Nichols first and then…
Time to Thank: Caregiving for My Hero – by Steve Guttenberg
I have read a small handful of books about fathers and sons, and this one is one of the best. Steve Guttenberg tells the story of him, his wife, his sisters, and his brother-in-law taking their dad to dialysis. Steve drives from California to Arizona to be with them, and shares a lot of stories…
Above the Noise: My Story – by DeMar DeRozan
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. When I saw this book, I was immediately interested as I knew he had played for the San Antonio Spurs for a few years, and being a Spurs fan, I wanted to learn more about his life before, during,…
Oh, What A Week (May 17 to May 24)
As I started writing this, it was looking like a TV series, so I decided to scratch everything I had written and try my best to keep it to a 30-second commercial! Our A/C was out, and eventually, we ended up with a whole new system! They replaced it on Thursday, May 23rd, and by…
GameCrafters – Jeff Brody
Name: Jeff BrodyJob: Internal Communications Manager for Hilton Even though we both worked for the San Antonio Spurs at the same time frame (me, 1999 to 2002 and Jeff, 2000 to 2007), I never got the chance to officially meet him. A few years later and through mutual friends, we connected on social media (LinkedIn…
Furlosophy: Beyond the Mascot: Insights into Life and the NBA – by Rob Wicall
I didn’t even know about this book until Monday morning when a friend of mine from Facebook told me about it. See, I was asking this friend some questions about his time with the San Antonio Spurs and asked if he knew anybody else whom I can ask questions to about there job in the…