Author Archives: Sparky
“American Assassin” by Vince Floyd
Copyright 2010 by Vince Floyd. Published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc, New York. I am not sure when or where I got this book – some exchange library somewhere – but I was lucky to find the first book in a long (25 books) series featuring Mitch Rapp, the “American … Continue reading
“Bistro Nights” by David Benjamin
Copyright 2023 by David Benjamin. Published by Last Kid Books, Madison WI. Yes, I know… two Benjamin books in a row. Totally luck of the draw. I keep a list of the books in my “to be read” pile and pick from that list randomly. Just happened to get two Benjamins in a row. This … Continue reading
“Benjamin’s Mess” by David Benjamin
Copyright 2025 by David Benjamin. Published by Last Kid Books, Madison WI. This is the 14th David Benjamin book that I have reviewed. And while it is true that he is one of my oldest and best friends, I would not read 14 books by anyone if I didn’t enjoy them. He is a very … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 wrapup
This was the cruise that I wasn’t supposed to take. Marlene had booked it with a friend who backed out. I was able to fill in only because the timing was perfect – the cruise began 3 days after the primary election. I was exhausted from all of my election activities, so it worked well … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Day 15: Disembarkation in Miami FL
The alarm went off at 6am as directed. We finished packing then went to breakfast. We said goodbye to a few folks, then left the cabin. We had to wait about 30 minutes to get off the ship and an hour for Marlene’s son to fight his way through traffic to the port to pick … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Days 13 & 14: At sea
Day 13 started, as usual, with breakfast in the buffet. We then played some cards before going to the Diamond and Platinum reunion – a special event for the most loyal Carnival customers (Marlene is Diamond, I am Platinum). The main features of these reunion events are meeting the senior officers and getting free drinks. … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Day 12: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
We went ashore after breakfast, carrying our snorkel gear as I was convinced that Amber Cove had a beach. I was wrong. It has a wonderful pool with a swim-up bar and cabanas on the water that we could rent for $540 for 4 hours (no thank you). But no beach. We hung out in … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Days 10 & 11: At sea
Day 10 was supposed to be in port in Antigua, but a tropical storm kicked the winds up sufficiently high to cause us to skip docking there. So an extra sea day. No great loss as our first visit to Antigua left us feeling that the island had little to offer. The loss was in … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Day 9: Roseau, Dominica
We started the day with breakfast, then went ashore. We have been to Dominica before, in 2024 on our first Conquest cruise, but neither of us recalled what we did on that visit. I guess the place isn’t that memorable. However, I think it has some interesting sights and we considered doing an excursion as … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest 2 Day 8: At sea
This day started out like any other day at sea – breakfast, then lose some money in the casino and lose a couple of games of knock rummy. But it was notable in being probably the only day that we will have the cabin cleaned on this 2-week cruise. Marlene does not like to have … Continue reading