MSI Press Blog

Released today --  Old and On Hold: Aging in Place during a Pandemic . Written for active vulnerable elders by a vulnerable elder, this book provides unique perspective on the meaning, adjustment, and management of “stay at home.”  Others made vulnerable by a pandemic will find support, practical guides and relevance in managing life disrupted by an invisible threat and a nation struggling to save itself. This is the fifth book in the pandemic series. To see other books in the series, click HERE .

Why Cats Make Better Mentors Than Dogs  1) Pet’s goal in life: Dog: Please his master. Cat: Please herself. Point: Cat 2) How pet gets what it wants: Dog: Begging for it. Cat: Taking it. Point: Cat 3)  How pet endears itself to humans: Dog: Demeaning tricks. Cat: Being herself. Point: Cat 4) Pet’s favorite activity: Dog: Long, repetitive walks. Cat: Sleeping. Point: Cat 5) Likelihood pet will eat its own vomit: Dog: Extremely high. Cat: Pretty unlikely. Point: Cat Read more excerpts HERE , along with information about the author and book. Check out the book page for How My Cat Made Me a Better Man at the MSI Press website.

t didn’t take me long to come up with a list of jobs that were long overdue. Washing and waxing the truck and trailer pretty much got me through the first week. Each day, I congratulated myself for a job-well-done with a “Quarantini”…which tastes just like a martini except that you drink it at home alone! And you don’t even have to wait for Happy Hour—when you’re confined in a trailer, you can be happy at 11:00 in the morning! As they say in the RV world, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! Larry is the author of three MSI books: Read more posts about Larry MacDonald and his books HERE .

Released today: A Movie Lover's Search for Romance A diverting and informative story of searching for love in mid-life by a divorced social worker, who intertwines entertaining stories of successful love interests with well-known movies containing similar plots and themes. Written as diary entries covering a 15-year period, the author shares openly, in detail, and with insights her experiences with dating, friendships, affairs, and relationships. Written candidly with a light hand and turns of phrase that reflect her personality and make the book hard to put down. From Library Journal: VERDICT An encouraging read for the 40-plus single woman who is thrown into the dating world and is trying to mesh real life with that depicted in the movies. Reviewed by  Deborah Bigelow, Director Emerita, Leonia P.L., NJ  , Jun 19, 2020 Read more from Library Journal HERE -- which also reviewed other books by Charnas. Joanna has three other books to her name:        

Released this week, Diary of an RVer in Quarantine by Larry MacDonald. This nonfiction book provides a humorous glimpse into a couple’s strategies for surviving two weeks of quarantine within the confines of their RV. The author’s diary includes his never-ending “to-do” list as well as the couple’s routine and unique activities, such as ordering groceries and restaurant meals online for delivery to their RV site, playing games, and learning new skills such as baking and playing the ukulele. A major portion of the book is devoted to how full-time RVers might occupy their time fruitfully while staying cooped up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading RV magazines and related books and planning an RV adventure when restrictions are lift ed is complemented with excerpts provided from two of the author’s books. Words of wisdom abound: “Stay at home, wash your hands, and enjoy my books.” See also Larry's other books. RV Oopsies  -- funny and helpful! One of our most popu

Released for pre-order this week, Rainstorm of Tomorrow by Renyuan Dong. Rainstorm of Tomorrow: The Ever-Flowing Banquet of Philosophy dexterously weaves the storied philosophical themes of truth, ethics, and aesthetics together with the theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, neuroscience, epigenetics, social Darwinism, utilitarianism, evolutionary psychology, and modern art—from the soberest rationality to the wildest conjecture—to generate provocative or even alienated discourse on topics that readers might otherwise regard themselves as being familiar with, and challenge them into rethinking any settled positions that are taken for granted. Such provocative insights are represented by the three parts on truth, ethics, and aesthetics respectively: (I) A reversed worldview—the tree growing into the soil with its roots buried in the air. (II) The complexity of ethical behaviors—the conformity to utilitarianism by anti-utilitarian events and the violation of util

Whether the death of a child was due to illness, accident, suicide or drug overdose, the pain is the same — an ache in your heart that won’t go away. Will your life ever be the same? Perhaps not, but as the interviews in this book reveal, you can go on to have a meaningful life. Trish Armor [previous chapter] dealt with her loss through a number of powerful methods. She started a local branch of a bereavement group called Compassionate Friends for other parents who had lost a child. She turned to her faith, a gift she said her daughter had given her, and most significantly for her, Trish turned to Mindfulness. According to Mindful.org, Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present—aware of where we are and what we’re doing at the moment. Such an awareness, says Trish, can be hugely beneficial. “We tend to live in the past when losing a child and have a lot of negative thoughts,” she remarked. Forgiveness is another very important element in the process of co