A few days ago, I asked my wife what she was reading on her iPad, and this was the book she answered. Normally, not my genre of things I like to read about. But, this one sounded interesting; an accountant who happens to be a vampire. She shared the book with me, and I immediately…
Cheeseburger In Paradise (aka, Our House)
Yesterday, our big adventure in the world was a drive for burgers, fries, a shake for Niko, soda for me, and chicken tenders for Niko and me. I was craving something else and was planning on getting that. He then asked for a cheeseburger, and I was like, OK, come with me and it’s yours….
My Mama, Cass: A Memoir – by Owen Elliot-Kugell
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. You can definitely call me stupid for not knowing that Cass Elliot had a daughter. And, when I saw this book written by her, I was immediately intrigued. Being a fan of 1960’s music, I definitely know the Mamas…
The Other Fab Four: The Remarkable True Story of the Liverbirds, Britain’s First Female Rock Band – by Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Had I not gotten a promotional email from the publishing company on February 8th, I doubt I would’ve been interested in this book. So, good job to the marketing team for a getting my attention. Even though I know…
Niko Rewards
Yesterday, we went to The Shops at La Cantera, for lunch, legos, and chocolate. Separate, not food made out of legos. The reason being is Niko did something good for a month, and the reward for completion was we would buy him a lego set for $100. Actually, I won as I also participated, but…
Niko’s Eating Schedule
Niko is used to eating lunch around 11 am and dinner at 3 pm. Probably because that’s when he eats at school and as soon as he gets home from school at 3 pm, he eats more (a lot more). Sometimes when I come down at 5 pm after I finish work, he is still…
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory – by Thomas Fuller
I got this book from Netgalley so I can read and review it before it’s published. Before I begin, I need to tell you that I was a high school football statistician for the Texas Sports Radio Network (TSRN) from 1997 to 2014 and for Thursday Night Lights (TNL) from 2009 to 2015. TSRN broadcasted…
Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself – by Crystal Hefner
Sometimes, I choose books to read because I am curious about the person and their life, and this was one of them. I do know who Hugh Hefner was and I know what Playboy is and what it represents to the world. I have two copies of Playboy from February of 1965 which is the…
Rinse, Lather, and Repeat (Deja Vu)
This is not going to be about shampoo and conditioner, I am sorry to disappoint you. Yesterday, we did the exact same thing we did as last Saturday, but we had Nina with us. Niko was showing off a lot for her. It was actually really nice to be together as a family and out…
The Godwulf Manuscript – by Robert Parker
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…