The Reindeer Keeper: Believe Again Barbara Briggs Ward with illustrations by Suzanne Langelier-Lebeda www.thereindeerkeeper.com Reviewed by:  Anne Holmes for the NABBW This story about kindergarten teacher Abbey, her lumberyard owner husband Steve and what happens to them when they move into a turn-of-the-century farmhouse  located on more than 120 acres “somewhere off County Route 12” is a Hallmark movie waiting to happen. As we meet them, they are walking their newly acquired property for the first time. It is a few days before Christmas, and they are hunting for the perfect Christmas... Read More

Water Running Downhill!  Words of Empowerment for Women in Midlife Author: Joan Ellen Gage http://waterrunningdownhill.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes Joan Ellen Gage is a self-taught poet and photographer and this short book of her poetry is enhanced by her charming and creative photography. A dental hygienist by training, she says she was inspired to write this book, her first, by her patients, who have shared their stories with her over the years. “Water Running Downhill” urges us to dance to our music now, before all the water ends up at the bottom of the hill and it is too late... Read More

Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i Her Epic Journey Linda Ballou http://www.LindaBallouAuthor.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes for the NABBW This story of a Hawaiian woman of the 18th century, Wai-nani, is based upon the life of Hawaiian chiefess Kaahumanu. It is filled with vivid imagery and rife with details that make this time period come to life. I especially enjoyed the way the voice of the book reflects Hawaiian thinking and values. Hawai\’i was a very different place in the late 1700s. Wai-nani is young, impetuous and rebellious. She is, as at home in the water as she is on land and... Read More

Sex for Grownups: Dr. Dorree Reveals the Truths, Lies, And Must-Tries for Great Sex After 50 Author: Dorree Lynn, Ph.D. , with Cindy Spitzer www.FiftyandFurthermore.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes for the NABBW By the time you reach 50, chances are sex is no longer something shiny and new. In fact, you may even have come to think that since you aren’t as young, thin or agile as you used to be, great sex is a thing of the past. After all, if you watch TV long enough, you’ve seen all those ED commercials, featuring older adults, right? Well don’t despair. While this book is not one of those how-to-do-it... Read More

Naked in Eden: My Adventure and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest Robin Easton www.nakedineden.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes for the NABBW Robin Easton was twenty-five when she left the United States and went to live with her husband in the remote, tropical Daintree Rainforest of Queensland, Australia. There, living among poisonous snakes, stinging trees and huge spiders, not to mention leeches and ticks, she fell deeply in love with the earth.  She also realized that she had become part of the food chain. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to face her fears and become acutely aware of the... Read More

Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor’s Story Lynn C. Tolson http://beyondthetears.blogspot.com/ Reviewed by Anne Holmes for the NABBW This is one of those “can’t put it down” thrillers. It even begins with a “dark and stormy night:” “That night, December 20, 1978, the radio reported the most rain in Phoenix in one hundred years. Broadcasters called it the flood of the century. While I was driving, I listened to reports of accumulated rainfall and road closures. “Stay off the streets,” the announcer warned. The wet pavement reflected the colored holiday lights that adorned cactus.... Read More

Don’t Ask And I Won’t Have to Lie: “50 is the new 30” and other tall tales Beverly Mahone www.beverlymahone.com Reviewed by:  Anne Holmes for the NABBW This is Mahone’s third book, and sort of like the old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, it gives baby boomer women permission to say whatever we feel will benefit the listener. Mahone says this book is not for you if: You’ve never lied to your children – “I’m sure Billy sent you an invitation to his birthday party, honey. It must have gotten lost in the mail…” You’ve never lied to get out of a jam – “But officer,... Read More

Your High Risk Pregnancy: A Practical and Supportive Guide Author:  Diana M. Raab, MFA, RN with Errol Norwitz, MD http://dianaraab.com/nonfiction.html Reviewed by:  Anne Holmes for the NABBW When the core of this book was originally released in 1987 (under the title, “Getting Pregnant and Staying Pregnant: A Guide to High‐Risk Pregnancies“) it was a pioneering title.  I know, because I’d actually searched for a book of this type ten years earlier during my first of two high-risk pregnancies, and had it existed, my old copy would be dog-eared, sticky-noted and full of underlining... Read More

You Lost Your Marriage Not Your Life: How to Create the Life You Want – Your Way Author: Barbara Miller http://www.youlostyourmarriage.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes for the NABBW Al and Tipper Gore are not the first Baby Boomers to divorce after a long marriage, and they will no doubt not be the last.  A recent AARP story, written after their announcement, noted several reasons Boomers are divorcing with more frequency then our parents. One of the most significant reasons, of course, is that we are living longer, and we aren’t like our parents and grandparents who chose to soldier on, even... Read More

Changing Shoes: Getting Older – Not Old – with Style, Humor and Grace Author: Tina Sloan http://www.changingshoes.com Reviewed by: Anne Holmes for NABBW While many women hide signs of aging with tight clothes, heavy makeup and plastic surgery, 67-year old Guiding Light legend Tina Sloan learned to welcome each phase of her life with effortless grace  — all while living a very public life. In the book Tina recalls how she made her first appearance on soap operas in the 1970s as the sex kitten on Somerset, and hit it big when she was cast as nurse Lillian Raines on Guiding Light, a role... Read More