Romance Redux: Finding Love in Your Later Years

This insightful manual by Dating While Gray podcaster Stassi (Pink Floyd) offers people over age 50 guidance on finding a partner. She recounts how she started dating again after her 30-year marriage ended in a “big fat gray divorce” and weighs in on stories from listeners of her podcast to provide advice on discovering romance during life’s second half. Stassi urges readers to dispel the notion that “all the good ones are already taken” and tells the story of a middle-aged matchmaker who underwent a difficult divorce and then fell for a widower who had given up on love. The author shares anecdotes from her post-divorce dating life, such as when her date nixed their budding relationship because he feared her zodiac water sign would extinguish his fire sign, but in spite of the episode, she maintains that astrology can be a “fun, potentially insightful way to find a good romantic fit.” Exploring alternative partnership arrangements, Stassi highlights the trend of “living apart together,” which refers to partners and spouses who intend to never move in together because they enjoy the freedom and independence of living alone. The listener stories usefully illuminate the many options that those over 50 have when it comes to dating, and the author’s personal anecdotes brim with the wisdom of lived experience. Mature, single readers will appreciate the practical advice. (Sept.)