Author Archives: Sparky
A tour of south Florida
My younger son, Frank, is visiting me for 13 days. Yes, he is catching some sun at the resort pool, but he is also seriously looking to leave Massachusetts, where he has lived for 41 years, and relocate to south Florida. His criteria for a new home: It be warm year-round (almost all of Florida … Continue reading
High water mark?
My softball team is now 8-2 and tied for first place. There are 7 games left. We could win them all and end up at 15-2. Or this could be our high water mark and we could lose them all and end up with a losing record, 8-9. Time will tell.
Softball endorphins
Physically, I am a mess right now. I have a groin pull that makes every step painful. And a swollen right knee. I played a softball game yesterday where I had someone run for me every time I reached first base. So why do I feel so good? Softball endorphins, I guess. We have won … Continue reading
“Make Me” by Lee Child
Copyright 2015 by Lee Child. Published by Dell, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. This is #20 in the series of books by Lee Child featuring Jack Reacher, the footloose one-man police force. I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad Reacher book; they range from Good to Great. … Continue reading
2021 blog booklet
2021 was my first full year of travel without Jett. It had the seventh trips north and south (TN7 and TS7) plus the December cruise (PCL2). If you want the year in booklet form you can get it here.
“Regrets Only” by Nancy Geary
Copyright 2004 by Nancy Whitman Geary. Published by Time Warner Book Group, New York. It is usually good when, in a mystery story, everything fits together. But sometimes everything fits together just a little too well to be realistic. I am thinking of some of the Agatha Christie books, like Ten Little Indians or Murder … Continue reading
The only consistent thing in senior softball: inconsistency
Last Thursday my team lost, 8-3, to the worst team in the league. It was their first victory and they were very happy. We played terribly. No one was hitting. Scoring just 3 runs in 7 innings of slow-pitch softball is just pathetic. Today we beat a better team, 20-13. I cannot explain how a … Continue reading
“The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked” by David Benjamin
Copyright 2020 by David Benjamin. Published by Last Kid Books, Madison WI. The usual disclaimer: The author is one of my oldest and best friends. I am having a hard time reviewing this book, partly because I have read it before and I tend to rush a second reading. Also – and I hate to … Continue reading
“Tell No One” by Harlan Coben
Copyright 2001 by Harlan Coben. Published by Dell Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. I really like Coben’s books. He always keeps you guessing. His plots are deep, devious and very satisfying. And he has a way of revealing details that keep me turning the pages – like an archaeologist slowly uncovering … Continue reading
Murder She Wrote musings
I often go to sleep watching Murder She Wrote on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. It is very much like Perry Mason in that there is often an intricate plot and I invariably fall asleep before the end, so I can watch the same episode multiple times without knowing the outcome. But Perry Mason … Continue reading »