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The Twist Podcast #196: Covid Diaries, Gays with Guns, Savoring Soap Operas, and More!
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we check in post-Covid, shout out to the armed and fabulous, savor the best of soaps, and scan the week in headlines.
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Book Reviews: LGBTQ Memoirs by Various Authors
By Terri Schlicheneyer
The Bookworm SezLGBTQ Memoirs by various authors
c.2022, various publishers $14.99 – $27.99
Various page countsAnother Pride Month is in the can.
All that planning, preparation and execution of events is done, and now you find yourself with lots of time on your hands. So why not reach for one of these great memoirs to read….?
A little bit of memoir, a little bit of sympathy, advice, and several biographies are at the heart of “Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life” by Rowan Ellis, illustrated by Jacky Sheridan (Quarto, $14.99). This book leans mostly on the serious-but-lighter side, with plenty of colorful artwork and suggestions for teen girls on figuring out who they are and what it means. There are fun activities, quizzes, essays, and tips inside; readers will find plenty of one-liners to take away, a comprehensive timeline of LGBTQ history, and biographies that reflect women of many ages and races. That all makes this a book that even adult women and, perhaps, some questioning boys will appreciate.
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Savvy Senior: How to Hire an In-Home Helper for an Aging Parent
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I would like to hire an in-home helper for my 82-year-old mother to assist with household chores like housekeeping, grocery shopping and driving her to the doctor, etc. But mom doesn’t require any personal/physical caregiving, nor does she require any home medical care. Any tips to help us find someone?
Searching Sarah
Dear Sarah,
Getting your mother some help at home to handle some of her day-to-day chores is a smart idea that can make a big difference keeping her independent longer. Here’s are some tips to help you find someone reliable.
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The Weekly Readlines July 8
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week. You can view the archives here.
Quote for the Week: “The mother’s battle for her child with sickness, with poverty, with war, with all the forces of exploitation and callousness that cheapen human life needs to become a common human battle, waged in love and in the passion for survival.” – Adrienne Rich 
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES First the good news: the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe has resulted in a surge in vasectomies. That’s about it for the week.
A 10-year-old rape victim was denied an abortion in Ohio and had to travel to Indiana to escape the forced birth of her rapist. Basketball superstar and Russian hostage Brittney Griner plead guilty to possessing hashish vape cartridges. And Rep. Liz Cheney said the greater danger to the U.S. is in not prosecuting Trump.
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Co-Host Dewey: Adopting Hoarding Cats
This episode of Cat Talk Radio hits close to home: I met certified cat behaviorist Molly DeVoss when we adopted our cat Wilma, who came from a hoarder home. Three years old at the time, Wilma had some behavioral issues, and a friend suggested I reach out to Molly in Dallas. I did, and her advice was spot on. Wilma was soon a vital part of our home, and I couldn’t thank Molly enough for helping us ease out little cat into a new, loving, non-hoarder world. CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE.
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Savvy Senior: Electric Trikes Provide Older Riders Fun, Fitness and Safety
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about electric trikes for semi-seniors? I used to cycle a lot in my younger years but have some balance problems and don’t trust myself on a two-wheeler anymore. I’ve read that electric powered trikes are a good option for older riders but could use some help choosing one.
Unsteady Eddie
Dear Eddie,
Electric powered adult tricycles – also known as e-trikes – are a great cycling option for older adults with balance or stamina issues because they’re safe and super fun to ride, and easy on an aging body. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips to help you shop for one.
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It’s a 4th of July Goodreads Giveaway! Win a Copy of ‘Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery’
Nothing says fireworks like a July 4th Goodreads giveaway! Enter to win 1 of 100 Kindle copies of Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery. The giveaway runs from July 4th through the 31st. For U.S. subscribers only (sorry, it’s a Kindle rule).
Maggie Dahl returns in ‘Open Secrets.’ It’s been six months since the media circus surrounding the last murder Maggie solved, and a year since her beloved husband David died. The dust seems to have finally settled. Then one morning a customer walks in and asks Maggie to do her a favor.
Soon a body is discovered on a rural New Jersey road. A body Maggie is sure belongs to a local author whose next book was rumored to reveal secrets not everyone wanted known. But were they enough to kill for? And who murdered the woman found in the woods? Maggie is determined to find out, even as her life continues its road back to normal, complete with the possibility of new love. Can she find the answers she seeks in the death of a local celebrity? And will love be part of her life once again when she least expects it?
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‘One Thing or Another’ Humor Collection Hits #1!
Well that was fast! And what a great way to start a holiday weekend. One Thing or Another: Life, Aging, and the Absurdities of It All All hits #1 in humor short reads. I’ll take it!
One Thing or Another is a collection of humor columns that take a look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all. From our culture’s refusal to use the word ‘old,’ to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit. Collected from the author’s personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.
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At last! ‘One thing or Another: Life, Aging, and the Absurdities of It All’ Arrives As a Collection
At last … my One Thing or Another columns in a short, entertaining collection. You can download the eBook for free at BookFunnel, or get it on Amazon for less than a gallon of gas!
BookFunnel: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/p46rvvlaeo
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/34zmbdtn
One Thing or Another is a collection of humor columns that take a look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all. From our culture’s refusal to use the word ‘old,’ to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit. Collected from the author’s personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.
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Book Review: LBGTQ Books for Kids
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezLBGTQ Books for Kids
c.2022, various publishers
$14.99 – $17.99 various page counts
Like every kid in the world, the one you love has a zillion questions.
“Why” begins with ants and runs through zebras. “When” goes from astronauts to zoos. “Who” from Aunties to, well, you. So why not keep a few books around for the kiddoes, books that entertain and gently inform…
Life is better when you have a friend, and in “Strong” by Rob Kearney & Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (Little, Brown, $17.99) a guy named Rob has always been one of the strongest guys around. When he decides he wants to compete, he finds someone to work out with him and they fall in love – but when Rob goes to the competition, everybody whispers about him. Why does he look so strange? Four-to-six-year-olds will be glad to see that when the right kind of cheerleader arrives, looks don’t matter at all.
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Savvy Senior: Is Skin Cancer Hereditary?
You can listen to my interview with Savvy Senior’s Jim Miller here.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Is skin cancer hereditary? My 63-year-old brother died of melanoma last year, and I’m wondering if I’m at higher risk.
Younger Sister
Dear Younger,
While long-term sun exposure and sunburns are the biggest risk factors for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – having a sibling or parent with melanoma does indeed increase your risk, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
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The Weekly Readlines June 24
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) offers news you can use every week. You can view the archives here.
Quote for the Week: “For many LGBTQ+ kids, libraries are a place of refuge and information where they can be welcomed and affirmed for who they are. We will not tolerate a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ philosophy taking root in our state.” – New York Governor Kathy Hochul
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESFirst the good news: A record number of LGBTQ candidates are running for Congress, “motivated in part by red states passing scores of laws targeting LGBTQ people.” (Axios.) Closets? What closets?
The Texas GOP blasted off the rails with a party platform brimming with everything hateful they could think of, from returning women to the status of property, to ending marriage equality and calling gay lives abnormal. They feasted on the delusion that Biden’s not really the President, and they washed it all down with a with a secession chaser. That’s what I call a tease!