Well Past 50: The Weblog of Boomerful.com

Willie's Wagon: A Perfect Story to Read to Grandkids

Willie’s Wagon

by Gary Metivier

Published by Wild Horses Publishing

Reviewed by Mark McLaughlin

Willie’s Wagon is a perfect story to read to grandkids. It teaches young people about sharing and helping others, and shows the benefits of helping others who are less fortunate.

In this colorful children’s book, we meet seven-year-old Willie, a boy who has lost interest in the world around him. To him, everything is “Bor-ring!” Then one day, his family takes him to visit an apple farm, and while playing with a kitten in the barn, he discovers a forgotten children’s wagon which sparks his interest and curiosity.

A week or so later, Willie’s class prepares to take a field trip … but Willie is nowhere to be found. But Willie isn’t playing hooky. He has been given permission to prepare a special surprise for a group of less fortunate children. Readers of all ages will find this delightful adventure inspiring and heartwarming.

You can find out more about the book at www.willieswagon.com.

50 Ways to Leave Your 40s

A book review by New Product Editor Mary Kellenberger

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50 Ways to Leave Your 40s

by Sheila Key & Peggy Spencer, MD
Publisher, New World Library

My first thought when picking up this tidy little book was "what a great title!" Maybe this help-make-getting-older-not-quite-so-depressing collection of advice will be better than most of the articles I've read in those check-out counter magazines whose cover titles scream "Help! I'm old and I can't get up ... or get down ... or this is how we can help you get up and get down." I'm not saying they offer bad advice. Mostly, it's good advice, poorly packaged.

So, I was delighted from nearly the first page of "50 Ways to Leave Your 40s"! In fact, this book is just fun-filled great advice! In line with its delightful title that immediately tuned Paul Simon into my brain, Sheila Key and Dr. Peggy Spencer kept the beat going with music/memory-evoking chapter titles such as "Take a Load Off Fanny" and "Break on Through to the Other Side". Great music with the right advice to go along with these wonderful songs in my head. The Band and Jim Morrison probably never saw it coming!

I must admit, though, that I haven't finished the book yet. There are lots of wonderful sidebars in each chapter:

* "Cool Moves" - lots of simple exercise moves to tone, strengthen and even alleviate pain.

* "Things to Try at Least Once" - just what it says and I love what I've seen, so far.

* "Doc in the Box" - good advice on subjects from stinky feet to bad breath - head to toe coverage, so to speak.

* "Scribbles & Doodles" - to get us on the road to the healing and joyful habit of journaling.

This is truly a primer on how to feel good about living longer and better. But, it's also more than that. It's a great, laugh-out-loud (and at yourself) read. I may always keep it near as a refresher on living right and right now.

Boomerful Book Review: The Writing Diet

The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size

by Julia Cameron

Published by Tarcher/Penguin

Reviewed by Mark McLaughlin, Associate Editor

Finally, an easy-to-read, friendly diet book that addresses the core reasons why people overeat in the first place! As a person whose weight has fluctuated over the years, I have tried many different diet plans, some more effective than others. But eventually, I have come to realize that most overeating is due to some form of unhappiness.

I also realize that conclusion may not hold true for everyone. Some weight issues are caused by medical conditions, poor food choices, or other reasons. But still, many people use food as a replacement for some other fulfillment that is eluding them. Think about the word fulfillment itself: the act of filling oneself full. Some people aren’t full of happiness, so they fill themselves with food instead.

This book encourages readers to write more, keep journals, and get in touch with the inner workings of their minds. By getting in touch with that inner self and writing down thoughts and observations, readers can learn to see food cravings as what they sometimes are: signposts to what one is really craving.

Julia Cameron encourages readers to nurture their creativity and slim down in the process. Chapters in the book deal with various triggers to overeating, like the Snack Attack, Night Eating, Food as Sedative, and Food as High. Other chapters discuss Exercise, Fresh Foods, Affirmations - and my favorite, Do Something Else. Try to substitute a bad habit, like snacking, with the good habit or hobby of your choice. After all, many people just eat too much because they're bored and eating gives them something to do!

The book makes for fascinating reading and the author comes across as a kind, friendly, sympathetic soul, the kind of person you might like to have coffee with, or invite to the house to watch a favorite old movie. When you buy the book, you may want to buy some notepads and pens, too - you're going to be doing a lot of writing!

Silent Cries: A Woman’s Journey to Freedom

BOOMERFUL BOOK REVIEW

This book was reviewed by my dear friend Carol Dozier, and based on what she has to say, it certainly took a lot of inner strength for her to review it. Thank you, Carol!

Silent Cries: A Woman’s Journey to Freedom
by Lisa J. Peck

Bridgeway Books, 330 pgs.

Reviewed by Carol Dozier

From the back cover: Silent Cries: A Woman’s Journey to Freedom delves into the painful and often secret world of domestic violence. Like many women Charlene comes to realize her cherished marriage isn’t what it seems. With bravery and the help of steadfast friends, she endures the twisted and confusing games of her abusive relationship and navigates a maze of laws that both help and hinder her struggle to break free….

Coming from an abusive relationship myself, and having been asked to read Lisa J. Peck’s Silent Cries, I was a bit hesitant and nervous. But I thought I needed to do this as a part of my own healing process. Knowing she makes it to freedom is what got me through it.

After finishing the book, it has taken me weeks to be able to collect my thoughts and understand what I myself got out of her story.

I found Charlene to be a bit spoiled, and even after everything she has been through, an incredibly quick healer to be openly dating so very soon after the divorce – week after week with no concerns, given the circumstances.

But what I now realize (and can relate to myself) is that given the type of upbringing you have had, you may not see abuse for what it is. Perhaps you were abused and considered it the norm, or perhaps you were raised in a sheltered, limited environment. At some level, be it physical, emotional or both, you may have become accustomed to it, and that’s just what some married couples do.

You may accept abuse as part of your relationship, no matter how horrible it may seem. And if a man is dominating and controlling your relationship, that can make it all the more difficult to reach out to friends and family and cry for help.

Domestic violence is so underestimated and so widespread, the schools should make it a topic in home-ec. They discuss drugs and alcohol and also cover such topics as birth control, sex, babies – in addition to sewing and cooking, of course. Why not cover signs of abuse, too?

Silent Cries helped me to break my own stereotypes of what types of women are being abused. Truly, it can happen to anyone.

Winning Against The Wackos In Your Life

BOOMERFUL BOOK REVIEW

Here's a book review from our assistant editor, Mark McLaughlin, who assures me that when he mentions having met some wackos in his life, he's not talking about anyone on the Boomerful.com staff!

Winning Against The Wackos In Your Life: How To Spot Them And Stop Them In Their Tracks
by Christina Eckert

Larstan Publishing, 208 pgs.

Reviewed by Mark McLaughlin

As assistant editor at Boomerful.com, a website for Baby Boomer women and their friends, I receive a steady stream of press releases about every topic under the sun. I even get press releases about how to go river-fishing in the middle of winter. Now, I’m not one to dictate what other people should or shouldn’t do, but I’m thinking, most of the Baby Boomer women I know do their winter fish acquisition in the Meat section at HyVee.

Since I receive lots of inappropriate releases, it’s always a pleasure to receive one that’s right on the money. When an e-mail about Winning Against Wackos entered my in-box, I knew I wanted to see this book. Why? Because sadly, many of the Baby Boomer women I know have to deal with wackos. They often tell me about the wackos they encounter at their jobs, restaurants, stores, out in traffic … and always, at family gatherings. I wanted to see if this book could be helpful to them.

Author Christina Eckert uses a lot of funny personal anecdotes, and it soon becomes clear that she has been burned by wackos a few times in her life. In fact, it sounds like some of those wackos have scorched her pretty badly. Clearly she knows what she’s talking about!

Eckert has a lot of good advice to offer on how to deal with wackos, and she delivers that advice with friendly humor. She divides the ranks of wackos into four categories, based on their degree of severity, and tells how to deal with these unpleasant individuals at every level. I’ve had to deal with plenty of unsavory types myself over the years, and found her suggestions to be interesting, innovative, and definitely helpful.

Basically, Eckert’s message is that life is too short for you to waste your time on people who will only hurt you. Amen to that! The book makes for entertaining reading, and when it gets down to describing wacko behavior, it does make you think: “There but for the grace of God go I!”

8 To Be Great - The 8 Traits That Lead To Great Success

A Boomerful book review to bring out the best in you…

8 To Be Great - The 8 Traits That Lead To Great Success

by Richard St. John

Reviewed by Mary Kellenberger

At last – a “real” book about how to be your most wonderful self. These kinds of books are generally helpful to some extent. But many are written by rich, successful people, which can be intimidating to regular people like me. Granted, they must have done something (or lots of things) right or they wouldn’t have gotten so far. But, their success and what they’re preaching to me has often made me…

·        Feel guilty

·        Feel apprehensive about ever being able to do all these things

·        Feel like it’s going to be a lot of work!

I greatly enjoy the way another author, Ken Blanchard, weaves his motivational tales. They always tell an interesting story and are quick and easy to understand. Richard St. John's style is as enjoyable to me as Blanchard's. In his quick little read, St. John – who, by the way, is also rich and successful but seems more real to me – also tells a tale of sorts. It’s constructed through interviews with more than 500 successful people over a period of 10 years and is very insightful.

There are lots of great quotes and advice from highly successful people and it didn’t annoy me, like other how-to success books. Also, it didn’t tell me that I was going to be an overnight success but, rather, that it would take me 10 years of doing all this stuff. That’s okay – at my age, time goes by pretty fast. I’ll be there in no time.

A Review of Regina’s Closet by Diana M. Raab

Welcome to a new feature on our weblog - Boomerful Book Reviews!

Regina's Closet by Diana M. Raab

Reviewed by Theresa Bowman

This book was an easy read and I recommend it highly.

The author, Diana, was predominantly raised by her grandmother and she respected and loved her deeply. When Diana was ten, her grandmother committed suicide. In addition to being sad and lonely without her grandmother, Diana was also confused as to why her grandmother chose to take her own life. Diana received little if any explanation from her parents. As a grown woman, Diana received her grandmother’s journal which gave her great insight into her grandmother’s life from the time she was very young to adulthood. Diana wrote her book based on that journal.

The book was written in a clear and concise manner that allowed me to feel my own emotions regarding her story, versus riding on the emotions of the author. She explains that it was cathartic for her write the book and she allows you to see that by sharing her own thoughts throughout the book.

I enjoyed reading a first-hand account about a Jewish family’s struggle living in Poland during WWI and the experiences, events and emotions that occurred while immigrating to a place where life would be safe. Unlike other books I’ve read, this family is not sent to the concentration camps; they immigrate before being captured. The events witnessed by the author’s grandmother – then a young child caught in the turmoil along with the rest of her family – attest to the strength of the human spirit. I was captivated by the insights of this young girl, and also was saddened that she grew up without a childhood.

Surviving the impending war was only part of her grandmother’s story. Her mother’s constant and uncalled-for berating of her every action would, at times, cause my blood to boil. I found myself cheering on this grandmother and relishing her few good fortunes. This determined, intelligent and beautiful grandmother endured much and accomplished many successes until her spirit could no longer rally.