Recommended Books 

Books inspire us to examine what we think we know and believe. They may even encourage us to try new things, take risks, and be fearless.  That's a lot of power packed into a handheld tool.  Books can open our minds and sometimes change them.  They can change our lives.  Here's our list of must reads in the great adventure called the rest of your life.  Just click on the link.

The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife (Public Affairs, 2011) Marc Freedman.  The latest from “the voice of aging baby boomers [seeking] meaningful and sustaining work later in life." New York Times

The Power of Purpose: Finding Meaning, Live Longer, Better (Berret-Kohler, 2010), Richard J. Leider

The Wellness Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining Health and Treating Stress-Related Illness. (Birch Lane Press, 1992)  Herbert Benson, M.D.

The Joy of Working From Home: Making a Life While Making a Living (Berrett- Koehler Publishers, Inc. 1994), Jeff Berner.  Packed with great ideas for entrepreneurs and independent contractors. 

What Color is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed Press, 2006) Richard Nelson Bolles.  

How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (Oxford University Press, 2003), David Bornstein.  A classic.

Retire on Less Than You Think : The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future.  (Times Books, 2004), Fred Brock. Debunks the usual financial projections and offers peace of mind.

What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up: Starting the Next Chapter of Your Life (Little Brown & Company 2001), Dorothy Cantor with Andrea Thompson.  Exercises to help you sort yourself out.

The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life. (HarperCollins, 2001) Gene D. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D.  Dr. Cohen champions the idea that creativity is the key to vibrant aging.

The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Rodale Books, 2004), Jan Cullinane, Cathy Fitzgerald.  Comprehensive, popular guide.   

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. (Berret-Koehler, 2001), DeGraaf, John. David Wann, Thomas H. Haylor.  See also: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/

Six Months Off. How to Plan, Negotiate, & Take the Break You Want Without Going Broke or Burning Bridges (Owl Books, 1006), Dlugozima, Hope. James Scott, David Sharp.

Your Money or Your Life., new edition (Penguin Books, 1999) Joe Dominquez and Vicki Robin. Required reading for any one in debt or with serious money issues.

Age Power: How the 21^st Century Will be Ruled by the New Old  (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1999). Ken Dychtwald, Ph.d.  Also his new book, The Power Years. (John Wiley, 2005).

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World (Crown 2001), Rita Golden Gelman.  An eye-opener about alternative ways to live frugally yet rich in experience.

Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life: A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal  (Ballantine Books, 2001).  Bob Griffiths. The title says it all. 

Best Home Businesses for People 50+ (Tarcher, 2004) Paul Edwards and Sarah Edwards, authors of numerous columns on working from home.  See also, Home Based Businesses for Dummies (For Dummies, 2000).

Prime Time: How Baby-Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America (Public Affairs, Perseus Books Group, 1999), Marc Freedman.  Groundbreaking research and a passionate voice for renewal after 50. Freedman also heads Civic Ventures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to capturing the 'windfall' of a generation of educated, healthy and motivated elders for social good.

Get a New Life: How to Change the Way You Live (Allen & Unwin, NSW Australia), Kaye Fallick.  Available at http://aboutseniors.seekbooks.com.au/

Fountain of Age. (Simon and Schuster, 1993), Betty Friedan.  From the author of The Feminine Mystique. 

Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society. (Norton, 1995), John Gardner.  As fresh as when it was first published.

Wisdom Circles: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Community Building in Small Groups, (Hyperion, 1998) Charles Garfield, et. al.  A compelling case for Big Talk.

Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road  Jamie Hall. For boomers itching to hit the road, this encyclopedic volume offers over 300 employment opportunities to support life on the road, from an author who has lived it.

Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry (Thin Book Publishing Company, 1998), Sue Annis Hammond. Very simply, the idea that change can be accomplished by focusing on what works instead of what doesn't.

Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century.  Helen Harkness, Helen. Her “Seven Steps for Resetting Your Career Clock” is as good a remedy for the About Schmidt syndrome as can be found.

Unstoppable: 45 Powerful Stories of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You (Sourcebooks, Inc. 1998) Cynthia Kersey.  If they could do it, you can too!  One of our favorites for the collection of great stories alone.

The Seven Stages of Money Maturity: Understanding the Spirit and Value of Money in Your Life.  (Dell/Random House, 1999), George Kinder. Money and spirituality.

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. (Broadway Books, 1998), Karen Kingston. More than a de-cluttering book, a tool to create space for creativity, clearer thinking and planning.  Perfect for people 50+.

The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Adventures (Ten Speed Press, Third Edition, September 2002), Michael Landes

The Simple Living Guide (Broadway 1997),Janet Luhrs -- a clear, compelling answer to our complicated times, this book covers everything you might want to simplify: time, money, work, holidays, cooking, housing, health and exercise with a lively touch.   

How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation (Nolo Press, 1998), Anthony Mancuso.

Boom or Bust!  New Career Strategies in a New America (Cambridge Media,  2006), Carleen MacKay, Brad Taft

Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself (Warner Books, May 2001), Daniel H. Pink.  Going solo?  You're not alone.  Provocative reading about an important trend from one of our most original thinkers.

Longevity Revolution: As Boomers Become Elders (Berkeley Books, 2001) Theodore Roszak.   Understand the social revolution that you are a part of, and stand tall!  This remains one of the classics.  

Guerrilla Marketing : Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Houghton Mifflin, 3^rd Edition, 1998). Jay Conrad Levinson. 

The Renaissance Soul. (Broadway Books,2006), Margaret Lobenstein.  Life design for people with too many passions to pick just one. Loaded with cool exercises and ideas.

Cool Careers for Dummies®, 2^nd Edition (IDG Booms, 2001) Marty Nemko, Sarah and Paul Edwards.  

Living to 100: Lessons in Living to Your Maximum Potential at Any Age (Basic Books, 2000) Thomas Perls., et. al.  Living to 100 calculator http://www.agingresearch.org/calculator/.

Die Broke: A Radical Four-Part Financial Plan  (HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), Stephen M. Polan and Mark Levine. This team also wrote Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You Truly Desire. (HarperCollins, 2003.)

Take Time for Your Life. (Broadway Books, 1999.) Cheryl Richardson, coach to the stars.  

Longevity Revolution: As Boomers Become Elders (Berkeley Books, 2001) Theodore Roszak.   Understand the social revolution that you are a part of...and stand tall!  This remains one of the classics.  

Third Age: Six Principles for Personal Growth and Regeneration After 40 (Perseus Books 2001), William A. Sadler.  Another cheerleader for renewal.

Don't Retire, REWIRE!  (Alpha Books, 2002), Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miner.

Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older (Warner Books, 1997), Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.  From the creator of "Spiritual Eldering." 

It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: How to Create Your Second Life at Any Age (Dell 1998), Barbara Sher.  Like one of her workshops in print.

The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need  (Harper Paperbacks, 1999), Juliet B. Shor.

Make the Leap: A Practical Guide to Breaking the Patterns that Hold You Back (Marlowe & Company 2005), Farrell Silverberg.

Book Marketing From A to Z (Infinity Publishing 2005), Francine Silverman.  If you are an author, you know that getting the word out about your book is up to you.  In this book, authors share their secrets.  Edited by Silverman who also puts out a well-respected newsletter on the subject.  To subscribe: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=12216r

Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways to Start the Rest of Your Life (Plume 2004), Marika and Howard Stone, now available on line and bookstores nationwide. 2young2retire Courses with qualified coaches, nationwide. 

The 50 Best Small Southern Towns (Peachtree Publishers, 2001), Jerry Sweitzer.  How to relocate for a better, more peaceful, less expensive life. 

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. (New Press, 1997), Studs Terkel.  Imitated but never equaled, Terkel's interviews with working people is a treasure trove of examples that give meaning to how we spend most of our waking hours.

The Okinawa Program (Three Rivers Press, 2001.) Bradley J. Wilcox, et. al.  One of the most enlightening books on how and why people age well and live long. Essential ingredients: exercise, diet, community and something to do.

True Work: Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do (Bell Tower/Harmony 1998), Michael Toms and Justine Willis Toms, co-founders of New Dimensions Radio.  Work and love -- a winning combination we all deserve. 

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