Saturday, September 22 1. Get a dog cat. 2. Get a man. 3. Get adventurous (go skinny-dipping!) 4. Get a life! She'd been the pampered and protected wife. Now she was a widow with both daughters off at college and she was suddenly desperate to fill her empty nest with something—anything. So when Jill Townsend finds a mysterious key in her late husband's office she sets out to find the door it opens. Saying so long to suburbia, she heads for the wilds of Manhattan, where new friends and career opportunities loom—and sexy men are hitting on her! But will Jill ever be able to step beyond the safe and secure world she's always known and take that leap into merry widowhood?

This wise, humorous and highly entertaining book brings compassion, pithiness and excellent practical suggestions to the vital task of advising widows how to make themselves merry despite having lost the love of their life. After all, as Mary Essinger points out here in 'How to be a Merry Widow'...'Look on the positive side, no shirts to iron for a start. Rejoice in your independence. You can do exactly as you like; paint the house pink, invite your chain-smoking brother to stay or relocate to anywhere on the planet. Consider the good things about being alone. For the first time in your life you are free. Spoil yourself; spend his money on chocolate and taxis. You're worth it.Remove yourself from the place of loneliness, your home. Plan at least one social event every day and plan outings to look forward to. Unless you are dying, staying in all day is a bad idea and will make you morose. You may have demanding things to do in the home but go out at least for some part of the day. Too cold? Wear three coats but go out. Raining? Big umbrella but go out. Not feeling too good? Try fresh air and a walk. Fight any temptation to hide away feeling sorry for yourself.'Ultimately, Mary urges widows to follow her advice because their dear departed one would want them to be happy. As she says:'I wrote "e;How to be a Merry Widow"e; because it's great to be cheerful and widows should support each other. Being a widow has a positive side and the purpose of this book is to tell you about it.'

Based in large part on the author's exclusive access to MacDonald's private papers, including her unpublished memoir, this vivid, often touching biography details the actress's fearless efforts to break down the distinctions between high art and mass-consumed entertainment. 60 illustrations.

THERE WAS A HOT-LOOKING MAN IN HER KITCHEN. AND HE WAS COOKING! Maureen Hart had never had a summer so crazy…not even the year she'd become a teenage unwed mother. Now her life was on track with a steady boyfriend and a big promotion looming. And the one person who could derail everything was now waiting on her doorstep! Maureen's estranged daughter desperately needed her to care for her six-year-old son for several months. She just never imagined when she said yes that the child's gorgeous paternal grandfather, Daniel, would insist on staying, as well. Quarters were getting interestingly close. But Maureen was technically almost engaged…and a workaholic…and a control freak. And totally about to cut loose and indulge in a little fun with a man capable of doing his own laundry!

It all began at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, New York, in 1961 - Two Princeton graduates - John Hopkins and Joe McPhillips - have returned from Peru. Loathe to return to a life of work, marriage and mortgages, they are tempted by a mysterious letter from Kenya. Hatching a plan to ride a motorbike across North Africa, they buy a sleek, white R50 BMW and paint her name - 'The White Nile' - on the fuel tank, in honour of the route they plan to follow. In limpid, elegant prose, Hopkins describes deadly salt deserts and fig-laden oases, disappeared travellers and the funerals of young Tunisians killed in the battle for independence. He conjures up the ghosts of ancient Rome in Leptis Magna and of Homer's Lotus Eaters in Djerba . They encounter armed vigilantes in the Tunisian desert and outrun Libyan border patrols, barely escaping with their lives. They climb the pyramids of Giza at dawn and ride the 'Desert Express' across the wastelands of the Nubian Desert, but their final adventure, at Sam Small's Impala Ranch, is perhaps the most surreal of all -