Rescue Me, He's Wearing a Moose Hat and 40 Other Dates After 50

Widowed at 51 after 26 happily married years, Halperin, who owns a production company in California, bought a dog and swore to remain true to the memory of her late husband. Her resolve lasted until a friend fixed her up on a blind date less than a year later. It wasn't a whopping success, and neither were most of the next three dozen or so dates she recalls in this memoir–cum-advice book, but they are entertaining and even enlightening. Having decided she wanted to meet another man, Halperin turned to Internet dating services, personal ads and chance meetings at weddings and in chat rooms. On AOL Love Connections, she meets David, a multimillionaire who turns out to be her late husband's cousin, not to mention an overweight cheapskate. She pays a matchmaking service $5,000 and then learns of its practice of giving complimentary membership to "certain very eligible bachelors." Even when the men she meets fail to emerge as keepers, Halperin takes away a lesson about herself or human nature. Her conclusion that the dating world is a jungle isn't breaking news, and she has an occasional tendency to be corny or crude, but fellow daters will appreciate her engaging blend of humor and honesty. (Nov.)