Does it count as a midlife crisis if you screw up your life and you happen to be entering middle age, or did you screw up your life because you are entering middle age? And does it matter if you take the kind of life most people envy—wealth and success and recognition—and blow it up, hurting everyone you love along the way? Who does that?! Danny Cahill had made it, by any measure: He was a recruiting industry icon with a brilliant, lucrative career, hugely in demand as a motivational speaker, and a noted playwright and writer. But once a serious gym injury began to unravel his childhood deprivations, his mother’s shame-based modus operandi, and the choices he made in search of love, he realized he had thrown it all away in spectacular fashion. In Aging Disgracefully, Cahill takes on the emotionally tricky territory of memoir and charges into deep water to tell a frequently humorous and wonderfully dark tale that spares no one in his life, least of all himself. Painfully authentic and unapologetic, Cahill’s account reveals that no matter how the world rewards you for being at the top of your game, an unresolved past can follow you, shape your choices, and lead to comic and tragic results when lines are crossed. Cahill’s story is ultimately about climbing out of messes, saving ourselves from ourselves, finding exactly what we’ve been looking for, and realizing that it was there all along.
NEW SECOND EDITION 16 Colin Cotterill illustrated short stories first published in 2009 INCLUDES THE DR. SIRI STORY, HAS ANYONE SEEN MRS. LIGHTSWITCH? This delightful collection of short stories takes a humorous look at the lives of people who have passed the age of sixty and are still behaving very, very naughtily. The collection takes us from England to Asia with stops in Australia and the United States and it proves the point that disgusting old people are to be found just about everywhere. We enter the troubled minds of murderers, bank robbers, practical jokers, serial killers, perverts and just regular old liars all of whom are old enough to know better. You'll doubtless recognize people you know and be forced to admit to a few wiles of your own. The stories are: Gran Larceny A Night on the Tiles Jack Wong Has a Rare Moment of Lucidity Tart The One Legged Marathon Runner of 12B Wildebeest Crescent The Inside Job Has Anyone Seen Mrs. Lightswitch? Fanta Man Playing Grand Theft Auto III With Death It's a Dog's Life (In Four Short Acts) Ode to a Siam Square Pizza Life as a Torreja Collecting Old Footprints A Slightly Embellished True Story from the Gulf of Siam Coconuts Forked With a keen a keen eye for human foibles and a wicked sense of humor, Colin has collected and illustrated the colorful lives of elders found along his journey from his English home to his new home in Thailand with stops in Australia, the US and Laos along the way.
Does your mother think it's really charming to talk to every rose bush on the street? Has your father taken up obsessive fundraising for a donkey sanctuary on retirement? Does he collect elastic bands because 'you never know when you'll need one'? Do your parents make jokes about sheltered housing? Have they guessed that you've already sent off for the brochures? Do they seem to be having too much fun for a couple with two fake hips, a pacemaker and three steel pins between them? Then you need Rohan Candappa. The man who bought you The Little Book of Stress, The Little Book of Wrong Shui and The Autobiography of a One Year Old has hit the nail on the head once more. Full of wit and wisdom, Rohan will give you a much needed laugh in the face of your parents' increasingly barmy behaviour. Just one thing, you'll probably find your parents have bought it too. And they'll probably think its really funny.
Using in-depth interviews with punk women growing old disgracefully, Way explores how women construct punk identities. Reflecting on punk ‘then’ and ‘now’, they reveal the constraints punk women experience on their identities growing older, the complex relationship between appearance and dress, and the impact of social expectations around aging.
A funny, wise guide to growing old ... and loving it! From the woman who brought us the best-selling A Grown-Up Girl's Guide to Life and a range of other humorous thinking woman's agony aunt titles including Teething, Tantrums and Tattoos, comes Ageing Disgracefully, a funny, wise guide to growing old ... and loving it! Joan Sauers has come up with more than 300 indispensable tips for women who are 35 and over. The list includes reminders to do all the FUN stuff, from drinking champagne to climbing a tree (though not in that order!) and, equally important, reminders not to do the dumb stuff, like sleep with your sister's husband. Or date royalty. Or even worse, sleep with your sister's husband the prince. The book is light, bright and fun, and it comes in a cute gift format that's perfect for A Woman of a Certain Age to flip through with one hand while holding her cocktail in the other and enjoying an expert massage from a Nobel Prize-winning Liam Neeson lookalike. Of course it's also the perfect size for flipping through while you're juggling a toddler, two grocery bags and the car keys, but, in the spirit of Joan Sauers, let's enjoy the fantasy, shall we?
For fans of David Sedaris and Nora Ephron, a humorous, irreverent, and poignant look at the gifts, stereotypes, and inevitable challenges of aging, based on award-winning journalist Steven Petrow's wildly popular New York Times essay, "Things I'll Do Differently When I Get Old." Soon after his 50th birthday, Petrow began assembling a list of “things I won’t do when I get old”—mostly a catalog of all the things he thought his then 70-something year old parents were doing wrong. That list, which included “You won’t have to shout at me that I’m deaf,” and “I won’t blame the family dog for my incontinence,” became the basis of this rousing collection of do’s and don’ts, wills and won’ts that is equal parts hilarious, honest, and practical. The fact is, we don’t want to age the way previous generations did. “Old people” hoard. They bore relatives—and strangers alike—with tales of their aches and pains. They insist on driving long after they’ve become a danger to others (and themselves). They eat dinner at 4pm. They swear they don’t need a cane or walker (and guess what happens next). They never, ever apologize. But there is another way... In Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old, Petrow candidly addresses the fears, frustrations, and stereotypes that accompany aging. He offers a blueprint for the new old age, and an understanding that aging and illness are not the same. As he writes, “I meant the list to serve as a pointed reminder—to me—to make different choices when I eventually cross the threshold to ‘old.’” Getting older is a privilege. This essential guide reveals how to do it with grace, wisdom, humor, and hope. And without hoarding. Praise for Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old: “Unbelievably witty and relatable, I alternated bursting into laughter and placing my hand over my face in horror thinking, Oh my God, is that me? I often say, at this age we have something young people can never have…wisdom. My dear friend, Steven Petrow, has wisdom to share in this honest, funny, wry guide to keep us young at heart, without desperately hanging onto our youth. I am buying this book for all of my friends!” —Suzanne Somers, New York Times bestselling author of A New Way to Age “Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old is an irreverent, funny, honest look at aging and all the things we take for granted as normal parts of aging. They don’t need to be. If you struggle with getting older and want to find a fresh perspective on lessons learned about what NOT to do as we age, and what TO do to stay young in heart, spirit, mind and body, read this book.” —Mark Hyman, MD, #1 New York Times bestseller author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, and Head of Strategy and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. “Steven Petrow resolved to do things differently than his parents had when he gets old because he wished they’d been able to enjoy life more. His solution? He created a list! In this book, he shares the secrets to living a full life regardless of our age. It's all about the decisions we make every day. My advice in a nutshell: Read this book and keep it handy.” —“Dear Abby” (Jeanne Phillips), nationally syndicated advice columnist “It’s never too early to imagine what your life will look like as you age. And as I once wrote, ‘We are not hostages to our fate.’ Petrow’s book will help you plan, think, and redefine what it means to get older—and even laugh while doing it.” —Andrew Weil, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Spontaneous Healing and Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being “Steven Petrow not only has a great attitude about life, he is wise about how to live it. Like me, he says we should embrace our one life 100% and not let a number—our age—get in the way of anything! Steven’s book will help you rethink the word “aging” and approach this next chapter with a positive and proactive attitude. Plus, this book is fun!” —Denise Austin, renowned fitness expert, author, and columnist “Steven’s writing feels like sitting with a friend—one who is unusually gracious, warm and frank.” —Carolyn Hax, author of the nationally syndicated advice column, Carolyn Hax Praise for Steven Petrow: "Steven Petrow's Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners helps gays and straights navigate the subtleties of the same-sex world." —People "Move over, Emily Post! When it comes to etiquette for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community—as well as their straight friends, family members and coworkers--author and journalist Steven Petrow is the authority." —TIME "What could've easily become a novelty book has emerged as an exhaustively researched, essential resource thanks to advice columnist and etiquette expert Steven Petrow." —The Advocate "From having kids to planning funerals, Steven Petrow's Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners has most facets of gay life covered. Ms. Post would approve." —Entertainment Weekly "An indispensable refresher course...on what's proper in modern...life." —Kirkus Reviews
Joanna Nell's life-affirming debut is a moving, funny, heartwarming tale of love and community in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Grace and Frankie The life of 79-year-old pensioner PEGGY SMART is as beige as the décor in her retirement village. Her week revolves around aqua aerobics and appointments with her doctor. Following a very minor traffic accident, things have turned frosty with her grown-up children and she is afraid they are trying to take away her independence. The highlight of Peggy's day is watching her neighbour Brian head out for his morning swim. She dreams of inviting the handsome widower - treasurer of the Residents' Committee and one of the few eligible men in the village - to an intimate dinner. But why would an educated man like Brian, a chartered accountant no less, look twice at Peggy? As a woman of a certain age, she fears she has become invisible, even to men in their eighties. But a chance encounter with an old school friend she hasn't seen in five decades - the glamorous fashionista ANGIE VALENTINE - sets Peggy on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. 'Lively and whimsical ... with some serious points to make about ageing, love, community and friendship' Sydney Morning Herald 'This heartwarming story about growing old gracefully - and disgracefully ... is a funny, witty and thoroughly enjoyable read for all ages' Daily Telegraph 'I haven't been this entranced by a character since Eleanor (Oliphant, of course). This book is a joy - it's a celebration of age instead of an apology for it, and a reminder that life is always an adventure if you let it be. I loved this uniquely endearing book' KELLY RIMMER 'I loved it! I want to be Peggy when I'm older. With many laugh-out-loud moments, this book is sure to make you see "getting old" in a different light. A refreshing, funny, realistic and warm read' FIONA PALMER 'The perfect blend of funny and moving: had me laughing and crying in this ultimately uplifting story' NATASHA LESTER **Contains bonus extract from new novel THE GREAT ESCAPE FROM WOODLANDS NURSING HOME**
A festively funny cartoon collection by Whyatt. Have you drunk too much and fallen asleep on the sofa? Have you eaten your weight in food and had to undo the button on your trousers? Are you stuck with a certain family member you've been avoiding all year? Yes, it's... Christmas! The festive time is finally here and what better way to depict the good humour of Christmas than Tim Whyatt's Senior Moments: Christmas. Filled with hilarious illustrations this is a book that will have you laughing around the Christmas table. See a side to Santa you never new, snowmen with a sense of humour and of course the priceless, festive family moments we all love.
This is not the tale of a cathartic journey on the joys, or not, of acquiring grey hair. It is, quite simply, advice on what to do with your grey hair when you've got it. This book will take you through ...Why Hair Turns Grey?Busting Myths About Grey HairColouring Tips for Greying HairThe Right Way to Bleach Grey HairMaking the Transition from Dyed to Grey HairTips for Taming Wiry Grey HairHelping your Grey Hair to Look ThickerMake-up Tips for Looking Great with Grey HairTips for Colouring Grey EyebrowsEverything you always wanted to know!Throughout the book, there are images of 50+ ladies, all looking gorgeous, all grey haired or salt-and-pepper, and all doing something about it!
