Thriving With Rheumatoid Arthritis

 Thriving With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Helen Ward Day, BellaLuna Productions LLC, 2021

You have just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Now what do you do?

There will be days when you are full of energy. There will also be days when your body says "Nope. Not today." It is possible to do many of the things you used to do, just not at the same speed or intensity.

When cleaning your house, maybe you were able to declutter, rearrange and deep clean an entire room in a morning. Now, with RA, you might have to limit yourself to doing just your closet, or just a couple of drawers in your dresser, in an entire day. If you have a heavy upright vacuum cleaner, get a lighter, cordless model. No one will notice, or care, if you vacuum your carpet every month, instead of every week. When your body says "Rest," do it.

In the kitchen, move things around so that the things that are used more often are more accessible. Get an anti-fatigue mat if you plan on lots of standing. If you are renovating your kitchen, consider raising the height of the counter (if it helps).

When doing the laundry, consider a rolling laundry basket. Get a pair of tongs or grippers to get the clothes off the floor. Think about getting a low seat or step stool to prevent bending over to get clothes out of your front-loading dryer.

Travel is still very possible, with plenty of rest periods. Consider a three-legged cane that includes a small seat, for when no seating is available. Of course, carry all your medications with you on the plane. Make sure that your suitcase has wheels. It my be disconcerting to buy items intended to make things easier for the elderly, if you have not yet reached that age. If it makes RA easier for you to deal with, it's worth it.

This is an excellent one-stop resource for anyone with rheumatoid arthritis. It also includes many websites for the items mentioned in the book. It is possible to live a generally normal life with RA; this book will help a lot.

There's So Much I Need to Say to You

 There's So Much I Need to Say to You, Sutton Tell, Friesen Press, 2021

This novel is about Shay and Taryn, both members of the band Pause for Effect. They are also in a relationship with each other, which they have done a good job of hiding from the public (they are both women). After their latest successful tour, Parker, the lead singer, decides to go solo. Shay, a talented photographer, wants to spend several months traveling the world with her camera. Taryn, reluctantly, decides not to go with her. Is the band dead? Is Taryn's relationship with Shay also in the past tense?

While Shay is gallivanting around the world, Taryn meets Violette, a very sophisticated French woman, They sleep together. Taryn impulsively decides to follow Violette to Paris, to officially break up with her. After several months, Shay returns to New York City for an exhibition of her photos. Parker is also there, attempting to make amends for some of his past actions. Does the band get back together? Do Taryn and Shay get back together?

This is a really good story about relationship and the music business. It can be about any type of relationship in the public eye. It may be marketed as an LGBTQ novel, but the same-sex part is a minor part of the story. Yes, it is very much worth reading.  

Midnight Rider

 Midnight Rider, D.V. Wolfe, Lightning Strike Press, 2020

First of a series, this novel shows what can happen when a person really does make a deal with the devil.

A woman named Bane made such a deal, and everyone in her hometown is paying the price. The devil decides to give Bane a second chance. She has a time limit to kill a certain number of poltergeists, harvest gods and other such creatures that go bump in the night. If she is successful, everyone in her hometown, including Bane, will be released by the devil. She does not want to think of what will happen if she fails.

As if that wasn't enough, a tribe of cannibals is looking at her as lunch, and she acquires a teenage hitchhiker with strange abilities of his own. Does Bane rescue the people of her hometown? Does Bane stay out of Hell?

This is an excellent (bordering on amazing) start to a series. From the first few lines, the reader is right in the middle of the action. It's got plenty of weird stuff, lots of good writing and bits of humor included. I am very interested in reading the rest of the series.

Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State

 Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State, Karen J. Greenberg, Crown Publishing, 2016

After September 11, President George W. Bush turned to the Justice Department for its official OK for activities previously thought inconceivable. They included torture, indefinite detention and NSA spying on Americans. When President Obama took office, it was expected that these policies would be reduced, or eliminated. If anything, some of these policies were actually expanded.

The things and people from the early days of the "war on terror" are in this book, including FISA, the PATRIOT Act, John Walker Lindh (the American Taliban), military commissions and John Yoo. He is the Justice Department who went through mental gymnastics trying to give George W. Bush the legal justification to run the "war on terror" any way he wanted.

This is a first-rate piece of writing. For anyone who wants to know how America went from "land of the free" to torture, warrantless surveillance of Americans and waterboarding, start right here. It is very highly recommended.

Peace in the Abyss

 Peace in the Abyss, Tayo Emmanuel, Total Word Publishers, 2021

Set in present-day Lagos, Nigeria, this novel is about a woman named Preye Banigo. Raised by a single parent, Preye has built a successful PR agency. She is also part of a local running club. The only bad part is that she is approaching forty years old, and she is single. Her marriage prospects are rapidly shrinking.

Timi Coker is an only child from a rich family. He wants to marry Preye; what he doesn't want is an independent woman. After they are married, Preye is expected to give up the running club. On a romantic weekend, where she accepts his marriage proposal, Timi gets upset when Preye wants to keep her maiden/professional name, after marriage. He also gets upset when Preye takes out her laptop to do some work. After marriage, Timi also wants to move to a different part of Lagos, which, among things, will mean a longer daily commute for Preye. (The current population of Lagos is over 20 million.)

Do Preye's friends get her to see the truth, that Timi is a controlling narcissist? Does Preye go through with the wedding? Does this turn into a woman-in-peril story that should become a TV movie?

This is a very poignant and heartfelt story that could take place anywhere in the world. If it can get one woman to see the red flags that are all over "Mr. Right," it has done its job. This is very much recommended for all women, married or single. 

The Concrete Vineyard

 The Concrete Vineyard, Cam Lang, Tellwell Talent, 2020

Set in the small Canadian town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, this novel is about the murder of retired history professor Edward Mitchell. Investigating the murder is Homicide Chief Detective Bryan Dee. He enlists the help of his friend, Kris Gage. Things get really interesting when the last entry in Mitchell's diary is "time to take care of K. Gage."

Gage is an urban planner who understands real estate, bureaucracy and money. He discovers a group of corrupt developers who want to destroy the area's natural charm. Does it have anything to do with Mitchell's murder? Over 200 years after the War of 1812, does widespread corruption rear its ugly head?

This book works really well as a murder mystery. It also works as a book about sustainable communities. There is lots of good writing, with good characters. Here is an entertaining story that is very much worth reading.

Outbreak

 Outbreak, Christopher Cole, Kingston Publishing Co., 2020

First of a series, society as we know it is gone. Cities are in ruins, and the wilderness has taken over. Nothing is more important than survival. As if that wasn't enough, the undead walk the earth.

Sonny Daniels is an average kid, caught, with his parents, in the zombie outbreak in upstate New York. After the first year, the base is no longer safe. Sonny's parents send him, and two orphaned friends, Ashley and Carrie, on a military plane to Fort Denver, Colorado.

After that place becomes no longer safe, the three are on their own in a zombie-filled wasteland. They have to rely on each other, and the few other survivors they meet. Finding a new place to call home would be nice, but hard decisions may to be made in the meantime,

This is a really good novel. The whole zombie genre may be overdone, but the author does a fine job with the story and characters. This is an entertaining tale that will keep the reader interested.

The YouTuber

 The YouTuber: Learn How to Start a YouTube Channel, Sverre Steensen, Upstart Garage Media, 2021

This short book is about August and Michael, two average kids who want to start their own YouTube channel. Along the way, they answer many questions that every potential YouTuber needs to answer.

First, what will your channel be about? Find a subject that no one else is doing. Yet another teen gaming channel will face a lot of competition. Do you have a smartphone or video camera to do the filming? Look online for open source editing software, and get familiar with it.

Find ways to publicize your channel, online. Write to other YouTubers, and ask if you can appear on their show. How will people know you exist if you don't tell them? You can plan on getting negative feedback; take a deep breath, and don't get angry. Be Patient. If you are doing it the right way, the followers will come. Last, but not least, don't quit if you don't quickly reach thousands of followers. Treat this as a full-time job.

This is an excellent book for all soon-to-be influencers. It is intended for kids, and is very easy to read and understand. Adults who want to start their own YouTube channel will learn a lot. This is well worth reading.

The Waffle Maker

 The Waffle Maker, Sverre Steensen, Upstart Garage Media, 2021

Intended for children/teens, this is the story of June, a 13-year-old who wants to start her own waffle business. Her father is very supportive; eventually, her mother and brother get on board. Her uncle, who successfully started his own business, helps a lot. June learns, the hard way, about things like startup costs, operating costs, marketing and dealing with competition. There are many obstacles and false starts along the way, but June, and the reader, learns a lot about being an entrepreneur.

This is a first-rate piece of writing. It is presented as a story, not as a bunch of dry facts. Some may think that the text is too "young" for teens, or too "old" for a seven-year-old. If it just inspires a person to begin thinking about starting their own business, it will have succeeded. It is also recommended for parents.

Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50

 Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50, Lucy Blair, Independently Published, 2021

What is intermittent fasting? The short answer is that it is fasting for a specific period of time each day, or each week. A possibility is to eat between 12PM and 8PM each day, and fast for the rest of the day. Another possibility is to fast for two entire days each week. Don't make them consecutive; fasting for 48 hours can cause big health problems. Whatever time you choose, this will give your stomach a chance to empty, and your body a chance to burn some of that extra fat you're carrying.

This does not authorize filling up on junk food during your eating time. Eating healthy, or, at least, eating healthier, is part of the expectation. As with any health/diet plan, a visit to your local doctor, ahead of time, is a very good idea. There will be days when you fall "off the wagon," when you need to inhale a fast food meal. Don't worry about it; just be sure to get back "on the wagon."

The book also includes several recipes for smoothies, and looks at juice cleanses and water fasts. It may be intended for women over 50, but this book is recommended for people of any age. Instead of going on a new diet, with their rules and regulations, maybe all that is necessary is changing your eating habits a little bit.