Mascot Blog

As many of us stay at home this month, it’s time to pick up a great book to read either on your own or with the kiddos! Check out all of our April releases below. Our website and warehouse remain fully operational and ready to ship! 

By Chef Jamie Daskalis

Making It Delicious is a collection of ninety-eight realistic recipes for the everyday home cook. From breakfast, to appetizers, to mains, to sauces, this book is packed with simple, flavorful dishes that are sure to be crowd favorites in your home. The best part? No more complicated shopping lists or wasted produce! Every ingredient in this book appears in more than one recipe and is easy to find at any local supermarket or grocery store, making this book the perfect companion for any household. Save time, save money, and make it delicious! 

Chef Jamie Daskalis is the owner and head chef of Johnny D’s Waffles and Benedicts, one of the hottest breakfast spots in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with a degree in baking and pastry, has worked in the restaurant business for more than fifteen years, and was recently awarded Chef of the Year by Grand Strand Magazine and the Myrtle Beach Hospitality Association. As the working mother of a child with special needs, she understands the need for fast, affordable, delicious, family-friendly food and is committed to making it a reality for every family.

By Scott Hunter

Scott Hunter should be dead: Alcohol. Pot. Mescaline. Acid. Cocaine. You name it, he did it to excess. Like many young Americans who came of age in the 1960s, he told himself it was all part of life’s grand adventure. Truth was, he couldn’t face the secrets that were consuming him.

Beginning with pharmaceutical LSD at two seminaries, Scott searched for an awakening. His journey took him to Thailand, where he taught English as a Second Language and studied Vipassana meditation. He was an attendant at a Massachusetts State School for developmentally-challenged children, drove tractor trailers, farmed organically on a hippie farm, lived in a teepee, and studied mantra meditation. He became a vagabond (read: homeless) exploring politics and poetry.

Eventually, he found recovery from drugs and alcohol in the AA and NA programs, and uncovered the reasons for his addictions. In And the Monkey Lets Go, Scott writes about his life with clarity and humor, each milestone serving as an ultimately revelatory story about what it means to unearth the truth about yourself.

By Capt. Robert Cameron

Tuckey the Nantucket Whale has returned to the Nantucket waters and is excited to start his next project: a flag football game! But this isn’t an ordinary game. Join Tuckey and his friends as they create a fundraiser for the local Boys & Girls Club! And there’s an added surprise: Super Bowl Champion Coach Belichick joins the team to make the event a massive success!

By Rachel Germain Wyatt

King Hearty LOVES to eat junk food. French fries, burgers, pancakes, and candy are some of King Hearty’s favorites. When his kingdom gets invaded by unwelcome organisms, three unlikely soldiers—Mr. Cell, Mrs. Pumps, and Mr. Bloodwork—must come together to protect the kingdom and its people.

By Rachel Terlop

As she grew up, Maggie’s moms always encouraged her to be herself, and helped her dreams grow just as large as her heart. However, when bullies at school begin to make fun of Maggie, she must discover a way to overcome their jeers while standing true to herself in her own flippers! Join Maggie as she shows everyone under the sea what a dose of creativity can do—and how much joy can be had while doing so!

By Bharathi Patimalla-Dipali

At the playground or the park,

the falls don’t matter.

It’s about the fun, the play,

and the colors that brighten the day!

By C.J. Webster

Lily perceives the world a little differently than most, and while that can be challenging and even a little scary sometimes, there is also great strength and happiness to be found. Lily experiences the frustration we all feel at some point, in the face of a world that does not understand us, but rises to meet the challenge, accepting the trickiness that comes with her superpower. Join Princess Lily and her story friends “Hero Boy” and “Princess Girl” as they explore the ups and downs of being different. (Oh, and also dragons.)

By Carol Dodson

Noddingland is a special place

where children go to sleep.

With the chamber friends on the case,

dreams come without a peep.

So now is the time to relax and unwind,

stopping any tasks at hand.

It’s time to go with the chamber friends

to explore Noddingland.

By Howard Eisenberg

Twins Robbie and Abby get more than they bargained for when they imagine a museum T-Rex back to life. Soon they’re

on an adventure through the Cretaceous Era with dinosaurs of every shape and size. Not all the dinosaurs they encounter are friendly, but they are surprisingly helpful. Can you guess their names from the clue-filled poems they sing?

I’M ONE OF THE SMALLEST DINOSAURS

ALL THE BIG GUYS WANT TO SNATCH ME

BUT THAT WILL NOT BE EASY

‘CAUSE FIRST THEY’VE GOTTA CATCH ME.

In this Write-Your-Own-Ending book, you get to be your own author. Each book contains blank pages near the end, perfect

for you to figure out how you’d get the main characters out of every desperate situation they’ve gotten into, or you can enjoy the ending provided.

By Brianna House

This is the wondrous tale of a truly unique cat named Oliver Taco. He loved to adventure with his Mom, and being with her during every single moment of her life. He lived a life very different than your usual cat. Some of his most exciting stories are depicted in this lovely tale. This was his life, and we hope that everyone enjoys it.

By Jeff Wagner

Honus Wagner, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn, Johnnie Mize, Frank Frisch, Willie Keeler, Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson. Some of the greatest players to ever play major league baseball. All Hall-of-Famers. But did you know they each have one other thing in common? They all played baseball for the New York/San Francisco Giants franchise at some point in their career! Whether at the beginning, end, or somewhere in between, they all wore the black and orange at some point, and will always be considered members of the Giants family.

 They Played Baseball for the Giants?  Explores these and over 25 other players that you may have forgotten or didn’t know donned a Giants uniform, including 15 MLB Hall-of-Famers, two NFL Hall-of-Famers, an Olympic champion, and a character from the movie “Field of Dreams.” So whether their tenure lasted several years or several months, explore the fascinating stories surrounding how these players became a New York or San Francisco Giant, and what they did while they were one. 

And back by popular demand:

By Anna Whiston-Donaldson

What if grieving children could hear uplifting words from a loved one who died? A Hug from Heaven offers exactly that in the form of poetic, touching message from a passed loved one. This book serves as a reminder to live a positive life, that God is loving, and that it’s okay to hurt. The newest work from New York Times bestselling author Anna Whiston-Donaldson, this book is a must read for grieving children and adults alike.

By P.V. Kannan

Have you ever wished that every company you interacted with could just know what you wanted and go get it for you? That when you picked up the phone or opened a chat window that the company would use what it knew about you to anticipate your needs?

We are on the verge of a future just like that.

The age of intent is a world where the smartest of chatbots—virtual agents—are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and connected to a customer’s complete past history. These virtual agents can anticipate just what a customer is looking for, answering questions through chat, on the phone, and through smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa. They’ll transform the business world with efficient, scalable service that’s available 24/7 and gets smarter every day.

In these pages you’ll learn about the companies that have used virtual agents to deliver a superior customer experience.

P.V. Kannan, the leader of the standout customer experience technology firm [24]7.ai, shares his expertise here on how and why virtual agent rollouts succeed—or fail. He explains how to architect key information systems, overcome corporate resistance and bad practices, and analyze customer journeys to make virtual agents maximally effective. You’ll learn why selling through conversational commerce is especially challenging, smart speaker platforms are tantalizing but limited, and the best virtual agent systems work hand-in-hand with human support agents.

Virtual agents will usher in the biggest change in how companies interact with consumers since the web. They’ll increase efficiency even as they improve customer experience. This is a technology shift you don’t want to miss out on . . . and The Age of Intent is the best place to get smart about it.

By Heather Behrmann

Fore!! This little book is a lovely introduction to the wonderful game of golf!

by Rashad Malik Davis

What happens when two best friends Amir and Neena get bored? They travel to another dimension, of course! Get ready for an adventure through the Land of Spirit that you’ll never forget!