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
“Grief is the price you pay for love.” Amy Bloom When I was young funeral attendance was largely confined to grandparents and ancient uncles and aunts. As an elder, funerals and memorial services routinely fill my calendar. In spite of death’s regularity, I remain awkward around a grief-stricken friend or relative. My discomfort is [...]
Pat Taub
This past weekend, I attended a screening of Earth’s Greatest Enemy, Abby Martin’s jarring documentary, exposing how the US Military has become the world’s biggest polluter. In the small, funky Brunswick, Maine theater, with admiration and certainly some nostalgia, I connected again with individuals who’d carried and continue to carry [...]
Pat Taub
I’d gotten used to fooling nature; people frequently assumed I was ten years younger than my age. Overnight that changed. Store clerks, strangers, and family members began recasting me as a little old lady needing assistance. At Walgreens, in search of a shower cap, I approached a clerk for help. The pleasant young woman escorted me [...]
Pat Taub
Research findings reveal reading poetry lowers blood pressure, improves brain functioning and enhances well-being, signaling poetry as a valuable resource for managing our turbulent times. Poetry reminds us that beauty coexists along with the world’s dark forces. Poems offer companionship; when a poem speaks to us, we feel less alone; [...]
Pat Taub