If you ever thought that women in their fifties must lead dull, boring lives, Sudha Menon is here to bust your myths and show you that life indeed begins at fifty. Join this wise and witty fifty-something in pursuing middle-aged sexiness, nailing the work-life balance, taking on the FOMO, celebrating mid-life discoveries and generally feeling great about ourselves. Hilarious yet poignant, Feisty at Fifty is both a moving personal story and the ultimate guide to making the fifties the most fabulous decade of your life yet.

FROM FANTASY TO ECSTASY Ruby Scott is a beautiful, quiet event planner who leads an oh-so-respectable life. Yet the things that go on in her secret fantasies are anything but. She has every intention of keeping her hidden desires under wraps-until she meets a gorgeous, hard-muscled man ten years her junior. Mark St. Crow is a gifted, up-and-coming musician who collects erotic art and loves to "play" women as much as his piano. After one night of uninhibited passion, Ruby realizes there's no turning back. But as she surrenders to her deepest needs and lets Mark control every forbidden thrill, her passion for him builds. Can the wild, intoxicating nights they share lead to a love that will last forever?

Outlines ten lessons for maximizing creativity and personal satisfaction after the age of fifty and shares advice on such topics as confronting change, renegotiating one's relationships, and setting boundaries.

Brief entries advise women to appreciate the wisdom they have gained with age and experience and to apply it to everyday opportunities

In this heartwarming, spirited read about family and aging, big mid-life changes lead to big revelations for a woman who seemingly "has it all." As Hope Lyndhurst-Steele approaches her 50th birthday, she feels like she has it all: a top magazine job, a wonderful husband, a loving son, and tons of friends—yet fifty still feels like a four-letter word. When she returns to the office after her holiday break, she's shocked to be informed by senior management that she's out. As she starts spending her days at home, her relationship with her usually patient husband Jack starts to become strained, and her teenage son is more interested in chasing after a local single mom than spending his last year at home with her. And Hope's own mother, who she never got along with, has cheerily announced that she's got six months left to live. Hope is relieved when a solo trip to Paris wakes up her long-dormant libido, but when she returns, she finds that her husband is giving her more space than she'd like—he's decided to move out. As Hope wonders if she'll be able to make it to fifty-one with her sanity and her family intact, she discovers some interesting truths about herself and her age: that the best is yet to come.

While the rest of the world has taken great strides in mainstreaming the differently abled into the larger contours of their society, life continues to be an uphill struggle for the differently-abled in India. They continue to be burdened with their ‘handicapped’ status and live a life on the fringes, largely forgotten by a society which is galloping ahead at a fast pace. Born ‘different’ from the rest of us, they have been put in a position of disadvantage in a world where being ‘normal’ is at such a premium. Written by the bestselling author of Legacy and Leading Ladies, Sudha Menon, and the MD of SAP Labs India, V.R. Ferose, Gifted celebrates the journeys of these very Indians who are neither CEOs nor part of any influential power clubs, but special in their own way. These are stories that can inspire even the most ‘abled’ among us.

These empowering essays from leading women writers examine the power of the gendered language that is used to diminish women -- and imagine a more liberated world. Words matter. They wound, they inflate, they define, they demean. They have nuance and power. "Effortless," "Sassy," "Ambitious," "Aggressive": What subtle digs and sneaky implications are conveyed when women are described with words like these? Words are made into weapons, warnings, praise, and blame, bearing an outsized influence on women's lives -- to say nothing of our moods. No one knows this better than Lizzie Skurnick, writer of the New York Times' column "That Should be A Word"and a veritable queen of cultural coinage. And in Pretty Bitches, Skurnick has rounded up a group of powerhouse women writers to take on the hidden meanings of these words, and how they can limit our worlds -- or liberate them. From Laura Lipmann and Meg Wolizer to Jennifer Weiner and Rebecca Traister, each writer uses her word as a vehicle for memoir, cultural commentary, critique, or all three. Spanning the street, the bedroom, the voting booth, and the workplace, these simple words have huge stories behind them -- stories it's time to examine, re-imagine, and change.

“Wild, weird, hilarious, heartfelt, imaginative, and inventive. The spirit of Kurt Vonnegut is alive and well in its pages.” —Jeff Zentner, author of The Serpent King “A satisfying mix of mild adolescent angst and creature feature comedy.” —BCCB (starred review) “Frighteningly fun.” —Booklist (starred review) From the author of Cure for the Common Universe comes a monster-movie-like novel that bravely challenges perceived notions of beauty, identity, and modern voyeurism. Phoebe Lane is a lightning rod for monsters. She and her mom are forced to flee flesh-eating plants, blobs from outer space, and radioactive ants. They survive thanks to Phoebe’s dad—an invisible titan, whose giant eyes warn them where the next monster attack will take place. All Phoebe wants is to stop running from motel to motel and start living a monster-free life in New York or Paris. But when her mom mysteriously vanishes, Phoebe is left to fend for herself in small-town Pennybrooke. That's when Phoebe starts to transform… Christian McKay Heidicker returns with a book unlike any other, challenging perceived notions of beauty, identity, and what it means to be a monster.

If you think your forties were challenging—wait until you’re fifty. Just don’t wait until you’re fifty to read this book. It’s easier to handle this momentous change of life if you’re armed with good information, a sense of humor and, perhaps, a stiff drink. Fifty doesn’t happen overnight—the journey into midlife takes years and it’s different for everybody, female and male. Some start earlier, some start later, but in the end, it’s all the same: By the time you’re fifty adjustments are called for. This book is about helping women (and men, to some extent) navigate the changes that midlife brings. It gives credence, validity and voice to real concerns about entering middle age and practical advice on preserving and/or improving minds, bodies, desirability, confidence and creativity going forward. The book covers a broad range of topics from the perspective of midlife veterans, members of a silent majority of women that have a lot more to talk about than hot flashes and other physical manifestations of middle age. It is characterized by straightforward, conversational language, humorous anecdotes, helpful suggestions and an unwavering focus on reality, no matter how controversial or unorthodox. Women are hungry to hear about other women’s experiences in this area—and men are anxious to learn how to relate to the changing women in their lives as they are going through their own changes. They are all looking for relief—comic and otherwise. “Wait Until You’re Fifty” focuses less on menopause and more on the perspective changes, little murders and unexpected awakenings that midlife precipitates, such as: the permanently empty nest (farewell to fertility), midlife love (a whole other affair), and re-prioritizing friendship (who will be there for the back fifty?). MINDY LITTMAN HOLLAND wrote this book based on personal experience and interviews with dozens of women and men who had something to say about the joys and adversities of midlife. In addition to writing non-fiction, she writes long and short fiction. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A sexy and sparkling later-in-life contemporary romance about a woman who leaps out of her comfort zone and takes a chance on love by New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter. Paige Newsom is finally at a place in her life where she’s comfortable. She loves her job as a college professor in Southern California, lives close enough to her mother to visit her regularly, and has three daughters who are flourishing in their own careers. Paige has no plans to upend her life again after her divorce eight years ago, but she’s about to embark on a new adventure: co-teaching a course that includes a three-week international field study. Paige can think of a dozen reasons why she shouldn’t go, one being a dazzling Australian biologist who will be teaching alongside her. Professor Jack King is charismatic, a world traveler, and more like Indiana Jones than Indiana Jones, all of which unsettles Paige, who prides herself on being immune to any man’s charms. She isn’t looking for love, and it turns out, neither is he. But as the two co-professors lead the rigorous program together, first on campus, then in beautiful Tanzania, their biggest challenge will be working closely together while resisting the undeniable chemistry they feel when they’re with each other.