Life Studies Author: Nancy Gotter Gates Website: http://www.nancygottergates.com/home.html Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This book opens with narrator Liz Raynor opening the door to a strange young woman, who asks for Liz\’s recently deceased husband, Peter. Liz is still reeling from his loss, two months earlier. After all, it has only been seven months since they found out he was ill. After turning her away, Liz realizes that she needs something to do with her life since she now has no husband, no children, and no need of a job. After a bit of thought, she decides to take up... Read More

The Day the Parrot Died Author: Nancy Gotter Gates Website: http://www.nancygottergates.com/books.html Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This new novel by Nancy Gotter Gates, author of Life Studies and Sand Castles, quickly introduces the reader to an unlikely team of retired sleuths: Viola Weatherspoon and Tyrone Landowski, fast friends and fellow residents of the Glendon Hills Retirement Community. Vi used to be an executive director for the Girl Scouts. She suspects that Ty\’s former career may have involved espionage, though he only admits to have worked for the State Department.... Read More

The 7% Solution: You CAN Afford a Comfortable Retirement Author: John H. Graves Website: http://www.johngravessolution.com Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This book is written for retirees (or those who soon will be) and is designed to provide the reader with a proven, step-by-step program for an affordable and comfortable retirement. Given that so many Baby Boomers find their finances in disarray, it\’s an important read. Author Graves is not just writing theory here, he walks his talk: He\’s earned both ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) and CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter)... Read More

Empty Arms Author: Erika Liodice Website: http://www.erikaliodice.com/books/ Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This is the story of Catharine Chase, an ordinary woman, except for the fact that her entire life is built on a secret: She fell in love at 16, got pregnant, was exiled to a maternity home and wasn\’t allowed to keep her daughter. Prior to delivery, no one had told her the maternity home would separate her from her child. As a result, she\’s never been able to forget her child\’s first cries – or her screams as the baby she named Emily was forcibly removed... Read More

Dream New Dreams: Reimagining My Life After Loss Author: Jai Pausch Website: http://www.tworoadsbooks.com/index.php/books/dream-on-jai-pausch/ Reviewed By: Anne Holmes for the NABBW Jai Pausch, the widow of Randy Pausch -the Carnegie Mellon professor best known for authoring THE LAST LECTURE after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer – gives us a remarkably frank, deeply moving and thematically rich memoir about death, dying and the grieving process. In Dream New Dreams, we hear her story for the first time: her emotional journey from wife and mother to full-time caregiver, shuttling between... Read More

Last Chance for Romance in the West By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Expert Aspen leaves spinning in a stout wind rattled like castanets. I found shelter beneath the spreading arms of an ancient spruce from the intense sun on a ledge overlooking the Platte River Valley. The ceaseless chatter of the river on its merry way to Denver kept me company. Below, nestled in the cleft of the blue mountains sheathed in Ponderosa pine, North Fork Ranch rests hidden from the modern world. People come here from around the globe to breathe the crystalline air, fish in the clear waters, and let... Read More

Three Cheers for the Sandwich Generation By Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. July is Sandwich Generation Month, a chance to pay tribute to adult children who are juggling the demands of raising kids while taking care of aging parents. The number of Americans 65 and older is projected to increase from 40 million in 2010 to over 88 million by 2050, doubling the ranks of those experiencing this stressful combination of responsibilities. We expect to take care of our growing children. After all, isn\’t that part of the parenting job description? Even after the last kid... Read More

Finding More Time and Saving More Money with PERK By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement We can all use more time and more money, right? Well, I stumbled across an acronym that can help us do both. The acronym is PERK, and credit goes to Robert Pagliarini, an author, a certified financial planner, a columnist, and the President of Pacifica Wealth Advisors. Here\’s how it works: Think about all your activities and all your expenses (current and upcoming). Write them down. For each activity and expense, apply “PERK”: Postpone: Want a new car, but still... Read More

Bouncy Bouncy By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Expert I bought a mini-trampoline this weekend. I was looking for a piece of home fitness equipment that met one specific requirement – it had to fit into a 3-foot square area of my bedroom. All those infomercials that promise muscle toning, core-strengthening, and cardio training neglect to answer the most important question: Will the device fit in your house? Or will you have to remove a major piece of furniture such as the sofa, requiring your guests to perch along the edge of the AbFlexGlideRowArator whenever they come over... Read More

50 Shades of Grand By Dr. Dorree Lynn, Ph.D. NABBW’s Expert on Boomer Women Sexuality “He follows with two sharp thrusts, and he freezes, pouring himself into me as he finds his release”… Shocked? Irritated? Excited? This quote is from the Book, “50 Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, which gives us explicit erotic scenes and a look into a world full of racy sexual fetishes. Whereas Harlequin novels once grabbed the hearts of so many women reading in private, this New York Times Bestseller now grabs the attention of women of all ages who, thanks to e-readers and a simple cover, are... Read More