I have published a book!
It will be available for purchase July 12th, 2023
Stay tuned for updates.
Mr. McCloskey's Favorite Authors and Books
One of my fondest memories growing up was having my Mom read to me. When ever I reread the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, I still hear her voice inside my head instead of my own. It is a precious gift...
Later when I was older and would read on my own, I could escape my 'troubles of the world' and have an adventure. I read a lot when my family moved from downtown to out in the country. I would spend hours reading. I would pack a lunch and set out to explore the woods with my faithful dog Spooky. Once good ol' Spook saved my life when I stumbled into a farmer's cow field with a bull in it! Ask me sometime about it. I would love to share the story with you.
Now that I’m an adult, I’m finding learning about ‘real’ or ‘lost’ history very interesting; (Especially books about our Founding Fathers and the Founding of our nation, with the use of original sources/documents.)
The Peanuts by, Charles M. Schulz
The Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz helped to ignite my love for reading. I have to thank my kindergarden teacher Mrs Baelog for introducing me to the Peanuts as she had them hanging throughout her room. She is also one of the main reasons why I became a teacher.
To show how old I am, I remember waiting until my Dad finished reading the Sunday news paper (back in the day when people read news papers) so that I could read the Sunday comics. The Peanuts were always my first on the list to read.
“The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. “ (Attributed to Mark Twain)
Comic books played an important role in creating the man I am today. In middle school I discovered them when I took one from what I thought was a nerd to make fun of him... Turns out, I was a nerd myself! I collected comic books up through college, until they got too expensive... It is so AWESOME to see them on the big screen!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
These books are amazing! I spent a good part of my adolescence reading and rereading them to escape middle school. (I read them 11 times in a row.) My favorite is "Voyage of the Dawn Trader"
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
My Mom introduced me to the Hobbit and I instantly fell in love with it. Our favorite times to read the series is in the fall...
Conan Original series by Robert E. Howard
A good friend, Mike Welsh introduced me to Robert E. Howard's Conan. I have been eternally grateful ever since. When I was afraid and needed courage I would pretend I was Conan. Also, his chivalry has helped me become the man I am today. (Other authors have written Conan novels, Robert Jordan, Steve Perry, Roland Green etc. all very good.)
Casca the Eternal Mercenary
Another good friend at the time, Scott Lanzer introduced me to Casca Longinus, the Eternal Mercenary. This series is written by a Viet Nam Vet and mercenary himself. Awesome series!
The Destroyer series by Murphy & Sapir
The same friend that introduced me to Casca also recommeded this series. These are fun books, they are what I call "Junk food for the brain." They are also fun to collect too. There are over 200 in the series! They take you back in time starting in the 60's to present day. It is neat to see the different 'culture' changes.
Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cusssler
These novels are a modern day Indiana Jones meets James Bond. Fun adventures!
Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child
My brother introduced these books to my Mom and she to me. They remind me of the Destroyer series without being so far fetched. Great good guy over evil.
My good friend Marklar introduced me to this author and his books... I'm a child of the 1980's and they are AWESOME! If you love the 1980's and Video Games... You will love these sci-fi books based in the future. Spielberg bought the rights to do the movies!
My Mom loves reading mystery novels. Her favorites is Agatha Christie. We enjoy reading mystery novels together like Tony Hillerman and Stuart Kaminsky novels...
"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand." -Neil Gaiman
"Classic... a book which people praise and don't read." -Mark Twain
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
As an adult, I was able to revisit my childhood through J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. As an author, J.K. is up there with Tolkien and Lewis.
Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
This story is so well interwoven and written... You will wish you were part of the world.
Shannara series by Terry Brooks
This series of books are pretty good. They do remind me of middle earth.
Max and Liz novels by Jenny Cote
My wife introduced me to these wonderful novels that I am reading to my kids. They are reminiscent of C.S. Lewis with talking animals that travel through the Bible.
"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." -Jacqueline Onassis
5000 YEAR LEAP by Skousen
This is an excellent book and every U.S. citizen should read it. 28 principles are discussed on how the United States made progress in the last 200 years that the world did not in over 5000 years.
HOW CHRISTIANITY CHANGED THE WORLD by Alvin Schmidt
This is another book that I could not put down... I was blown away at how Christianity changed the world for the better. It is assumed that we know, but we take our freedoms for granted. This book must be taught in our schools. It will give a deeper appreciation of Western culture.
AMERICAN HISTORY IN BLACK & WHITE by David Barton
David Barton is my favorite historian. He teaches history using primary documents, not someone’s opinion or revised history given to us by the progressive, secular agenda. This book is a great example of how he shows the truth about black patriots, slavery and the two political party system in the United States. After reading this book, I was very angry about not having been taught this in our school system and it made me hungry to learn more truth about our founding.
ORIGINAL INTENT by David Barton
Mr. Barton has argued cases in front of the Supreme Court. This book answers many questions on how we got to where we are today compared to what our Founders had planned for us.
THE JEFFERSON LIES by David Barton
This book exposes the myths and lies you've heard about Thomas Jefferson. Learn about one of our great founders. He was truly a renaissance man.
David Barton Pamphlets/books
I highly recommend reading David's work. He brings back so much lost information that is so desperately needed in our society today that is needed restore our nation to the Constitution and away from tyranny.
"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." -Benjamin Franklin
Our nation was built on Judeo, Christian principals. Our founders relied on the Bible to help them write our Constitution. The Bible was used as the main educational source for over 150 years in our schools... People died to read it... It is the most widely read book in the world. If you haven't read it yet, give it a try.
Timothy Ballard's book the Covenant is an amazing book that shows the relationship between the United States and ancient Israel. The information in this book is the key to restoring and sustaining America's future.
Have you ever wondered what it was like living in the time of our Founding Fathers? Who did they identify with? This book gives you that answer.