How to Enjoy Your Retirement: Activities from A to Z [Paperback]

Tricia Wagner (Author), Barbara Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

How to Enjoy Your Retirement has over 1000 fun, exciting, inspired, and enriching ideas for making retirement a happy and rewarding time of life. It makes a great gift!

Many people today are unprepared for retirement when it arrives. Suddenly an abundance of time and freedom can actually seem stressful, and people complain they "don't know what to do" with themselves. To help these millions of Americans, the authors have filled this one-of-a-kind offering with A to Z listings of ideas, toll-free phone numbers, Web site and mailing addresses to help the reader investigate the ideas quickly and inexpensively.

Steve Allen, the comedian/composer/author absolutely loved the book--so much that he wrote the Foreword to it. He praises the authors Wagner & Day for "saving the rest of us a good deal of study time."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Retirement is near for many thousands of Americans, and this title is self-help for those who wonder, What will I do after I retire? Here are over 1000 ideas for new interests and activities to enrich those retirement years. Presented in alphabetical order, hundreds of ideas will jostle minds into renewed creativity. Before jumping in, says the introduction, readers should note the "Taking a Personal Inventory" section and then a section called "Getting Along with Each Other: Communication Tips." Eight appendixes cover a wide variety of supporting information about volunteering, grandchildren, travel, and additional resources. The index provides more access points. Public libraries will want to purchase.?Susan C. Awe, Jefferson Cty. P.L. Sys., Arvada, CO
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Imaginative, informative, and playful . . . A winner! -- So Young Newsletter

"Reviewer's choice! A marvelous compendium. One of the best resources around." -- The Midwest Book Review's Internet Bookwatch

"You'll find so many ideas in How to Enjoy Your Retirement [that] boredom won't be one of your choices. . . . -- Vim & Vigor Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Vanderwyk & Burnham (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889242020
• ISBN-13: 978-1889242026
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource!, July 3, 2002

By 

ellafan (MI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Enjoy Your Retirement: Activities from A to Z (Paperback)

Being newly retired at age 53,I figured I'd better find a way to keep out of trouble.This book is it! There are so many things,even little things,that I had not considered as part of my retirement activities. I have been engrossed in the book since it arrived,and as soon as I get organized,I will be off and running.I would recommend this jewel of a book to anyone who might need a little help getting used to a new life..retirement!!

33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a keeper!, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Enjoy Your Retirement: Activities from A to Z (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from the library and liked it so much that I had to buy it. It has ideas, quotes, resource leads, and an index. This book will continue to serve throughout life.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lots of pages don't translate into insightful ideas, September 9, 2008

By 

Voice of Reason (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Enjoy Your Retirement, Third Edition: Activities from A to Z (Paperback)

I am not sure if the authors deliberately set out to fill pages with fluff or if they genuinely believe they are adding value. The title of the book is so appealing -- but that's where the inspiration ends.

Here are some real nuggets from the "Let Your Imagination Soar" section (activities A-Z):
* Active. Stay active/alert/sociable. [nice idea? helpful?]
* Abroad. Travel to foreign countries. [Anyone ever think of traveling in retirement? Thanks for the insight.]
* Battery. Replace the battery in your car. [I'm not making this up.]
* ESP. Improve your extrasensory perception. [Again, not making this up.]
* Emmy. Watch Emmy awards on TV. [Watching TV? Really?]
* Fire Alarm. Replace the batteries in your fire alarms. [I'm not making this up. Shoot me now if that's what retirement is.]
* Friendship. To have a friend, be a friend. [Is this why you're thinking of buying this useless book?]
* Loaf. Spend some time lazily. [Thanks for the tip.]

The inspiration just isn't there. The appendices are even more insulting to the intelligence of the reader. Like the travel section. 6 pages listing phone numbers for airlines, hotels, cruise lines. Do you really need this book to get the phone number for United Airlines? 13 pages listing the addresses of the local visitors bureaus in all 50 states? Are you going to get an idea of how to create a fulfilling retirement by calling the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism's 800 number? If you're planning travel of any kind, why would you use this book for it in any way?

I thought about whether to donate my copy to the local library, but think I would be doing society a greater good by simply dumping it in the local recycling bin, so as not to cost some poor retiree time with such a useless collection of pages.

I credit the authors with a good title -- but shame on me for not browsing the fluff contents before buying.