I have finished all the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books by Robert Parker and a few other authors after he passed. Now, I am tackling Spenser, another private investigator like Sunny. The cool thing is, all three are in the same realm so there are returning characters from the Jesse and Sunny series. I…
Party City
The last time Niko and I made a trip to Party City was last June. And, the past two times we have had breakfast at IHOP this month, Party City wasn’t open yet. But, on Saturday, we finally made it there and they were open. Niko’s primary focus at Party City was water balloons! He…
Holmes, Marple & Poe: The Greatest Crime-Solving Team of the Twenty-First Century – by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Lately, I have been reading a lot more fiction and I have been enjoying them. This one, is a new one from the world of James Patterson. Holmes, Marple, and Poe are private investigators and they have to investigate an art theft, a kidnapping, and multiple murders. Throughout the book, it was easy to differentiate…
Nothing is Something
It’s 7:38 pm on Saturday night, and usually, by that time, I have something written and ready to be published for Sunday morning. But, I have nothing tonight. I don’t want to bore you about the joys of being a homeowner! In the past few weeks, we had to shell out money for the a/c…
A Weekday Morning In The Life Of ME
It’s 6:15 am, and I am waking up. Man, I was having a really amazing dream. Sometimes, it could be even earlier than that as sometimes Niko wakes up first. Most of those times, it’s the middle of the night and he has to pee and afterwards, he goes right back to sleep. One of…
Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence – by Alison Gaylin
This is the 11th book in the Sunny Randall series. Number 12, also by Alison Gaylin, is due out this year, and it’s already in my want to read list. For this one, Sunny is hired to be the bodyguard of a young social media guru, who has been threatened. Of course, with her excellent…
Robert B. Parker’s Revenge Tour – by Mike Lupica
This is the 10th book in Sunny Randall series and the last one by Mike Lupica. There is one more book and then the 12th one will be released later in the year with both written by Alison Gaylin. In this one, Sunny is hired again by a former client who was the centerpiece of…
Robert B. Parker’s Payback – by Mike Lupica
This is the 9th book in the Sunny Randall series, and in this one, she is hired by her best friend Spike when somebody takeover his restaurant in a shady loan agreement. She is also hired by one of her many cop friends, Lee Farrell, to help find his missing niece. The cases have something…
The Mark Speaks
As I mentioned last Sunday, I still am going to write book reviews and dad blogs on thedadspeaks.com. When I first started writing on thestatmanspeaks.com in 2011, my niche was sports writing and photos from high school football and high school basketball games. I also shared photos of two high school football stadiums getting renovated…
Robert B. Parker’s Blood Feud – by Mike Lupica
This is the 7th book in the Sunny Randall series, and the first one written by Mike Lupica. For this one, I enjoyed the plot much more than all the others books as Sunny is hired by herself to solve the shooting of her ex-husband, Richie. Intertwined, she is also working with Richie’s father, Desmond,…
Happy New Year – 2024
Last week, I told may wife that for 2024, I want to reach out to some real people who I am friendly enough with and meet up with them in real life. Not like every weekend, but maybe one or two per month. I feel like I have done a very poor job of keeping…
Blue Screen – by Robert Parker
This is actually the 5th book in the Sunny Randall series. And, yes, I have already read them all. So, Sunny is a former police officer and she works as a private detective. Her ex-husband is Richie Burke who is from a criminal family. Her father is a retired police officer. In the Jesse Stone…
The Sick Dad
I was diagnosed with a strep throat on Thursday and am on antibiotics. I also have had no appetite for writing anything so this is what you get today instead of fun Christmas story.
The Dad’s New iPad
On December 7th, I got a new iPad 10th Generation. The one I had was a hand-me-down iPad 7th Generation from Nina and Niko. Nina had it first, and then she gave it to Niko when she got a new one a few years ago. Before I go on, let me tell you about my…
Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage – by Jon Finkel
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. I have already read two books by Jon Finkel (1996 and Hoops Heist) last year, and really enjoyed them and his style of writing. So, when I saw this book he wrote about the Macho Man, I didn’t have…
Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero – by Waite Hoyt with Tim Manners
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before its published. He passed away in 1984 and with the help from ghostwriter, Tim Manners, we get his story in his words as Tim was given access to Waite’s archives from his family. I had no clue who Waite Hoyt was,…
Home Alone (Niko and Dad)
Last Friday through last Monday, Nina was out of town. It was Niko and I alone with a loud cat, all day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I wasn’t at all worried or concerned about it. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. Nina did buy some extra quick meals from the…
Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls – by Susan Seidelman
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before its published. The only thing I knew about her was she directed the movie, Desperately Seeking Susan that starred a very young Madonna. This book, though, was much more about her life growing up and how she got started as a…
The Diary of a Manic OCD Bookseller – by James Bailey
I belong to several Facebook groups for writers and book reviews, and in one of them, James Baily self-promoted this book. I saved the post so I could not only add it to my Amazon Wishlist, but also so I could reply to him directly. I have corresponded with a few authors. The premise for…
Alcatraz Ghost Story: Roy Gardner’s Amazing Train Robberies, Escapes, and Lifelong Love – by Brian Stannard
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before its published. I actually kept scrolling past this book on Netgalley, but a few days ago, I stopped and clicked and was intrigued. I have always been a bit fascinated with Alcatraz, and when I took a trip to San Francisco…