I’m doing something new here: releasing the complete audiobook edition of Reservation for Murder: A Kyle Callahan Mystery, narrated by Sean Rhead. I’ll be putting out ten chapters a week for the next six weeks, allowing listeners to enjoy this fabulous narrator, with a pinch of suspense while you wait for the next installment.

I was inspired by a musical duo I saw recently. The Skivvies are led by Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina, two of the most entertaining and terrific musicians you’ll ever have the chance to enjoy, backed by a crack band and featured performers. They made their first album during the pandemic, and they made it available to stream for free. I purchased it (you have to if you want to download the files), but you can just put on your headphones and listen to every song gratis. I loved that. I loved their energy. And I loved the idea of offering my audiobook as a segmented podcast, start to finish, and entirely free. So … fasten your headphones and listen to the first ten chapters of Reservation for Murder. The following ten chapters will be out next week. You can listen to my interview with Sean about the making the audiobook HERE.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez

“How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and Why Magic Matters” by Joshua Jay
c.2021, Workman  $27.50 / higher in Canada
310 pages

Pick a card. Any card.

Don’t show it to anyone. Just look at it, quick, and put it back in the deck anywhere at random. Now think about that card. Think about the number, the suit, how many symbols were on it, the color, the shape. Concentrate hard on the card you chose and then wonder – as in the new book “How Magicians Think” by Josuha Jay – what the magician is concentrating on.

How did he do that?

If you’re like most people, that’s your first reaction when you catch a magic act: how did the person with the tricks manage to fool you, right in front of your face? That question, says Joshua Jay, is the wrong “mindset.”

We just saw The Skivvies at the Bucks County Playhouse last week for my birthday and LOVED THEM! The band is tight, the voices amazing, the energy infectious. And they’ve made their first album, recorded during the pandemic, available for streaming free. You can also purchase it, which I did to support them. We will absolutely see them again when we can.

About The Skivvies

The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, singer/actor/musicians performing stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals. Not only is the music stripped down – cello, ukulele, glockenspiel, melodica – but the Skivvies literally strip down to their underwear to perform.

As promised, in celebration of my 63rd birthday this week five subscribers to LGBTSr have been selected at random to receive a fabulous LGBTSr coffee cup. Those winners are: Michael, Jeff, Elaine, “A”, and “M” (you don’t actually have to provide a name to subscribe). I’ve emailed them with the announcement and their cups will be on the way in time for the holidays.

How the cups look in the hands of real people!

Made my day! AudioFile Magazine recommended the audiobook edition of ‘Reservation for Murder: A Kyle Callahan Mystery‘.

From the review:

“This contemporary cozy mystery will please listeners who enjoy a well-constructed story delivered by a promising voice actor. The story takes place in idyllic Lambertville, New Jersey, in The Passion Inn, which is owned by a gay couple who have left the violence of New York City for a life in a community of art galleries, bistros, and charming shops. Then the couple discover that murders can happen alongside picturesque bridges and peaceful canals. Narrator Sean Rhead speaks authoritatively and animates the inn’s guests. The arrogant, deep voice of the first murder victim, a successful gay mystery writer, is especially well delivered. This title is Book 6 in the Kyle Callahan mystery series. It’s worth hearing as an LGBTQ literary work and a clever mystery.”

You can listen to my interview with AudioFile Magazine founder and editor Robin Whitten HERE.

And listen to my interview with narrator Sean Rhead HERE.

Correction: the Emmy goes to us, everyone who has worked on the children’s TV program Into the Outdoors for the past 20 years. The show is dedicated to teaching kids about nature and the outdoors. I co-created it with my longtime friend a collaborator Rick Rose (the co-host of our weekly Twist Podcast), and it’s so nice to be included in the entry. My statue from 2001 will soon have a BFF to share shelf space with. – Mark/Editor

This article is excerpted with permission from Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources. You can listen to my conversation with Angelica here. – Mark/Editor

By Angelica Herrera Venson,DrPH, MPH

I’ll never forget when an aunt bought a foot massager for my 105-year-old great grandmother.  As soon as she dipped her feet in the water, heard the rumbling vibrations, and saw the LED lights come on, she almost fell out of her chair with fright.  My aunt had the best intentions, but clearly this was alien technology as far as my great-gramma was concerned.