Monday, November 8, 2010

BOOKS FOR A HAPPY RETIREMENT


Quite often I come across books that cater specifically to retirees. For many, the transition from employment to retirement isn't as smooth as they would like it to be. How does one fill up those long hours with nothing much to do? Where can one find new friends with common interests? What opportunities are there for re-employment? Where can one find passive sources of income? Questions, questions and more questions confront the newly retired.

Fortunately, there are plenty of books that provide answers to these questions and more. "How to make the rest of your life the best years of your life" is one of my all-time favourites on the subject of retirement. Written by Mark Hansen and Art Linkletter, it offers practical advice on how to manage and enjoy your retirement. I found it very motivating. I got my copy two years ago from Kinokuniya. I'm sure it's still available.

Another book I would recommend is "The Rainbow Years" by Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally. It's actually a workbook that examines the seven major life themes (hence the rainbow) of work, money, relationships, learning, leasure, health and spirituality. There are plenty of exercises and questions to work through, and action plans for each of these themes. My copy came all the way from the UK, through a friend. I am not sure if the book is available here in Malaysia.

The National Library of Singapore has a whole section on retirement topics. I recently spent a pleasant afternoon browsing the shelves of books and finally selected these four below for further reading.


If you think no one here has written a book about the golden years, think again. Here are two that I have in my collection. Both are a joy to read and will certainly put a smile on your face as you recognize all the familiar idiosyncracies of older adults. I bought my copy of "Help! I'm Growing Old" from MPH early this year. The author, Chuah Tong-Ik, is a lecturer and pastor. His book is a delightful read. To order "He Who Laughs, Last", you will have to visit David Tong's website. He is a retired Kirkby-trained teacher and this is his second book.

Support local writers and get a copy of each book.

If you have read any good books on retirement that you would like to share, do let us know. Email us at seniorsaloud@gmail.com

3 comments:

chuah said...

Thank you Lily for promoting my book! Folks can write to me directly at chuahtongik@gmail.com if they cannot find a copy at MPH.

seniorsaloud said...

Cheah, my pleasure. Good books, like good news, should be shared.

Andews Hayes said...

My friend's mother is now approaching retirement, and she's also reading good books in order for her to maintain her positive outlook in life as she retires. I'll share this link to her so she can read more books about retirement. =)