When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams...

May 29, 2012 by

When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams

What does it mean to live past the age at which a loved one died? We are guided and shaped by the important people in our lives, both by their lives and by the confusion of losing them.  In two years I will be 45, the age at which my late husband, the most profound influence on my adult life, passed on.  Even now I wonder what it will mean to live past the age he attained.  How do we grow beyond what our mentors could offer? I am not the only one to note the significance of an age. “I am fifty-four years old, the age my mother was when she died” begins Terry Tempest Williams in her new book, When Women Were Birds. Her mother had pointedly bequeathed her two shelves of...

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atsGf A Pithy Book Review

Jul 14, 2011 by

atsGf A Pithy Book Review

atsGf A Pithy Book Review is the idea of Gf Dorothéa Bozicolona-Volpe who suggested we supplement traditional book reviews with ones that are 2 lines and a strong opinion. Hope you enjoy! Dorothéa Bozicolona-Volpe – This book is incredibly insightful and very well researched. The contributors and content that Ms. De Paulo has woven together in such an astute fashion makes this a good read for both men and women. It should be distributed by every single person that has been discriminated against in the workplace, advertisers, financial institutions, amongst married/ coupled-off friends, and society as a whole. Marianne Richmond –  Bella DePaulo’s book is based upon the definition of singlism as a social concept; “negative stereotypes and discrimination faced by singles.” She and her co-authors find this marginalization of and discrimination against single women in all...

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“Singlism” by Bella DePaulo – The plight of the 40% of adults...

Jul 13, 2011 by

“Singlism” by Bella DePaulo – The plight of the 40% of adults

Singism by Bella DePaulo could be the sophisticated Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Like that iconic but sentimental work, Singlism might just call the right attention to the tragic treatment of those not in a legal marriage. The Census Bureau counts them as 40% of the adult population. If you are among them like I have been all my life, you probably have not had an easy time of it. The odds are that, like people of color and those with alternate sexual orientations once did, you sought therapy, tried to comply with whatever and fit in, and self-destructed through shame. In Singlism, DePaulo turns on all the lights about the bias and bad [perhaps illegal] behavior toward singles. We, for example, are refused rentals. Employers expect us to pick up the slack when the married leave...

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Patty Azzarello’s New Book On Business Success: Destined To Become A Classic...

Apr 12, 2011 by

Patty Azzarello’s New Book On Business Success: Destined To Become A Classic

True confession. Although I regularly read business books – everything from building a personal brand to using social media to having successful virtual teams – I don’t really like business books. For me, most are too theoretical and tend to paint an overly rosy picture of the benefits the reader will get if they follow the advice in the book. A few years ago I read Who Moved My Cheese? According to the book’s website I am one of 24 million people who bought this book. You would think with that many people reading the book it would have a dramatic impact on my thinking about business. Here’s what I remember about it. Not much. Oh, I remember it was a quick,easy read. I remember thinking it was clever. But, I didn’t note or...

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The Art of Eating

Apr 8, 2011 by

The Art of Eating

As M.F.K. Fisher said, in her introduction to The Art of Eating, “Let Thackeray provide our text: ‘Next to eating good dinners, a healthy man with a benevolent turn of mind, must like, I think, to read about them.’” She goes on to add, “I have been addicted to eating for half a century and to date show no sign of breaking the habit – or its kindred one of devouring food by courtesy of Gutenberg.” M.F.K. Fisher is one of my all-time favorite writers – for reasons you can infer from the above. The Art of Eating is a compilation of five of her books.  As one of her admirers noted, she writes about food, but she’s really writing about life.  Sadly, Ms. Fisher is no longer writing, having died in 1992.  However,...

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Is Susan G. Komen for the Cure Getting Too Big For Her Britches?...

Feb 24, 2011 by

Is Susan G. Komen for the Cure Getting Too Big For Her Britches?

A Review of Promise Me, by Nancy G. Brinker with Joni Rodgers After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that Nancy G. Brinker and I probably would not be girlfriends. And, as much as I thought I was going to admire her for the incredible job she has done bringing national attention to breast cancer, the book left me questioning if she is more like Mark Zukerberg or more like the Winklevoss twins. “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.” Brinker shares in the book. She goes out of her way to paint as realistic picture of herself as anyone can do.  If most of us are honest, we tend to like ourselves, weaknesses and all.  I assume Brinker is the same way. Nevertheless, she gives us a glimpse of her personality by...

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Beyond Giggles To Laugh Out Loud LOL!...

Feb 18, 2011 by

Beyond Giggles To Laugh Out Loud LOL!

Dear Lisa, This is the first time I have ever written to an author..so here I go ….I picked up your book serendipitously while traveling yet again on one of my many speaking tours this week about “What Women Want”...and was astounded by your book “Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog”. My personal theme song BTW. I was also born in 1955, am divorced twice and have too many dogs…Your stories made me laugh , cry and I felt like we were 1955 year old soul sisters throughout the book.  We have so many crazy traits in common: 1. I too work at home and write a ton 2. No bras except for public appearances and they never fit right. Was rolling on the floor over Spanks references…I had a trial pair...

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