BoomerGirl Diary

I'm spending my down time - what there is of it - with two tomes: Lonely Planet's guide to New Mexico (as prep for imminent vacation) and "Up for Renewal" by Cathy Alter, a surprisingly entertaining read.

I love Lonely Planet travel guides. They're well-researched and organized, unintimidating in tone, and they give you a real sense of a place as well as the "who, what, where and how much" basics. In addition, the books are the perfect size to drop in your handbag or backpack when you're playing tourist. In a week, I'll be off with the hub to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, for a working vacation (read: "Have blog, will travel and post once a day.") If you've got restaurant, gallery or other "must-see" recommendations from those two locales, I'm all ears.

"Up for Renewal" tells the transformative tale of a freshly-divorced, 37-year-old woman who turns her wretched life around, by turning herself over to the wisdom of Cosmo, Glamour and other popular women's glossies. If you're a magazine junkie, you'll love this book.

A description from Simon & Schuster's Web site where you can watch a video of the author:

By age thirty-seven, Cathy Alter had made a mess of her life. With a failed marriage already under her belt, she was continuing down the path of poor decisions, one paved with a steady stream of junk food, unpaid bills, questionable friends, and highly inappropriate men. So she sat down and asked herself what she truly wanted. A decent guy. A nicer home. More protein. When she took a closer look at her wants, she noticed something that seemed very familiar -- with the addition of exclamation points, her list could easily be transformed into the cover lines on every women's magazine: Find the love you deserve! Paint to the rescue! Eggs-actly perfect meals!

So Cathy gave over her life to the glossies for the next twelve months, resolving to follow their advice without question. By the end of her subscriptions, she would get rid of upper-arm jiggle, crawl out of debt, host the perfect dinner party, run a mile without puking, engage in better bathtub booty, ask for a raise, and rehaul her apartment.

Well, at least that was the premise of her social experiment. What actually happened was much less about cosmetic change and much more about internal transformation. Singular in its voice and yet completely universal, Up for Renewal will appeal to all who have ever wondered if they could actually make their life over.