My summer reading recommendations have books for every taste: spellbinding stories, mystery, memoir, humor, and a walking guide. FICTION The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout Strout’s latest novel is one of her best: the [...]
Pat Taub
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I try not to think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered [...]
Pat Taub
“National Emergency” Action While vacationing in Palm Springs I’m trying to keep my activist spirit alive. Last Monday I joined in the national action to protest Trump’s “national emergency” where cities across the country mobilized to protest Trump’s manufactured emergency. In Palm Springs several hundred turned out with signs [...]
Pat Taub
If you’re like me, evenings set aside for video watching frequently spiral into frustration. You make a selection but three minutes in, you know it’s not for you, so you try another film followed by another and another until after multiple failed attempts, you throw the remote across the room, give up on the video hunt and/or re-watch [...]
Pat Taub
Several years ago when I grew weary of my unpartnered Valentine’s Days limited to red construction paper hearts from my grandchildren or Internet offers of bargain chocolates, I decided to make a ritual of doing something special for myself on Valentine’s Day so I wouldn’t feel left out. That first year I indulged in a longtime [...]
Pat Taub
Contemporary Suffragettes I was buoyed by the sea of white during the Orange Monster’s State of the Union address. I’m thrilled by the boldness of the newly elected Congresswomen and by their initiatives like the “Green New Deal.” Establishment Democrats are pushing back against the new progressives in their midst. It’s up [...]
Pat Taub
Older women are feeling powerful as they discover a voice they didn’t possess in their previous decades. They’re speaking up with a boldness and confidence unknown to their younger selves. Writer and blogger, 80 year-old Elaine Soloway has shed her passive aggressive self to take on verbal bullies. The popular Australian writer, [...]
Pat Taub
My Desert Vacation Update As I continue to enjoy my Palm Springs respite from the polar vortex, I’ve been exploring the desert, developing a new appreciation for its magnificent landscapes. This week my friend Ily and I went to Indian Canyon where we did the easy hikes and took lots of photos. Hot Mineral Baths This week I also [...]
Pat Taub