My favorite books on aging wisdom, loss, and spiritual rebirthing

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a spiritual seeker my entire life, drawn to the mysteries of life, the nature of the soul, the afterlife, intuitive knowing, higher consciousness, and psycho-spiritual transformation. Besides the numerous personal teachers who have enriched my path, personal/ spiritual growth books have been a powerful guide and inspiration. In my coaching practice “Touch The Soul”, I continually draw on my own 70 plus years of acquired elder wisdom as well as the wisdom of so many who have come before me, writers and wayshowers of expansive spirituality.I am grateful to share a few books which may enlighten and deepen your own spiritual journey.


I wrote...

The Elder Widow's Walk: A Personal Inner Journey and Guide for Bereaved Widows 65 and Beyond

By Lucille Ann Meltz,

Book cover of The Elder Widow's Walk: A Personal Inner Journey and Guide for Bereaved Widows 65 and Beyond

What is my book about?

When my husband and life partner of 49 years died, I became an isolated, invisible widow living on a remote peninsula in unimaginable solitude. I grieved deeply while trying to re-create my life at age 70. I faced the unique losses, fears, and endless daily struggles of an elder widow, none ever addressed in any grief and loss literature. My enduring pathway to survival and soul renewal led me to delve deeply into decades of my own life experience, inner wisdom, and belief in the eternal nature of love. What emerged is this guidebook, my personal inner journey balanced with useful emotional and spiritual healing practices for the bereaved elder widow and for those who wish to support her on her new life pathway.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death & Dying Teach Us about the Mysteries of Life & Living

Lucille Ann Meltz Why did I love this book?

I savor books that bring the spiritual into everyday life. This mastery description of fourteen Life Lessons gained through facing the realities of death and dying will touch your heart and revitalize your courage. Universal wisdom, all-encompassing love, and the unraveling of the mysteries of life are all here in these true, relatable life stories.

By Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life Lessons as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you only had a few days left, how would you live your life differently? Having now faced her own death the famous 'death and dying lady' takes on life and living, showing us how the lessons learned by many people - including herself - at the end, can teach us to improve and enjoy life at any time. Each one of us asks at some point, 'Is this really how I want to live my life?' This is a life-changing book, reminding us that the tragedy is not that life is short, but that we often see only in…


Book cover of Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women Over Fifty

Lucille Ann Meltz Why did I love this book?

What does it mean to become “a juicy crone”? Expanded mystical, intellectual, intuitive, and meditative wisdom as well as healing laughter, outrage, and compassion are all available to the elder woman in the goddess archetypes present in her psyche. I love the comprehensive and empowering recognition of the beautiful, priceless inner gifts possible in a woman's rebirthing after the age of 50.

By Jean Shinoda Bolen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Goddesses in Older Women as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of Goddesses in Everywoman comes a celebration of life past fifty.

At some point after fifty, every woman crosses a threshold into the third phase of her life. As she enters this uncharted territory she can choose to mourn what has gone before, or she can embrace the juicy-crone years.

In this celebration of Act Three, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Jungian analyst and bestselling author of Goddesses in Everywoman, names the powerful new energies and goddess archetypes of compassion, outrage, healing laughter, and new layers of wisdom that come into the psyche at this momentous time. Bolen…


Book cover of The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Lucille Ann Meltz Why did I love this book?

This transformational wisdom guide by a Toltec shaman teaches that all your beliefs, perceptions, and judgments are based on old agreements made with yourself, others, and your God. These agreements can dissipate your energy and keep you from your joy. Living the new Four Agreements returns to you all the power you lost in the drama, suffering, and pain of your old agreements. I consider this book a spiritual primer, the one I most recommend to my clients, and frequently re-read myself for its gems on how to live “the dream of heaven on earth.”

By Don Miguel Ruiz,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked The Four Agreements as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

•  A New York Times bestseller for over a decade
•  Translated into 46 languages worldwide
 
“This book by don Miguel Ruiz, simple yet so powerful, has made a tremendous difference in how I think and act in every encounter.” — Oprah Winfrey

“Don Miguel Ruiz’s…


Book cover of Never Say Goodbye: A Medium's Stories of Connecting with Your Loved Ones

Lucille Ann Meltz Why did I love this book?

I have had many “visitations” from passed-on loved ones, including cherished pets, so am always interested in a professional's take on connecting with those on the other side. This detailed guide by a nationally recognized medium covers effective strategies and fascinating stories of relating across the divide. It is also a well-explained basic orientation to the concept of meditation and an intriguing portrait of what the afterlife may be like for us all.

By Patrick Matthews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Never Say Goodbye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When he was six years old, Patrick Mathews came face to face with the spirit of his dead Uncle Edward. As an adult, Mathews serves as a vessel of hope for those who wish to communicate with their loved ones in spirit. He demonstrates that the living can continue on-going relationships with the departed. Here Mathews takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotional stories including the dead husband who stood by his wife's side during her wedding to a new man.


Book cover of Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying

Lucille Ann Meltz Why did I love this book?

An icon of the 60's spiritual revolution, Ram Dass, 30 plus years later, reveals the wisdom of his elder years following his stroke as he faced radical self-birthing. With sharp insight, humor, and humility he shares his fears of living and dying and the spiritual beliefs that sustain him. His chapter on “Learning to Die” is exceptionally poignant as he addresses three major questions: How do I deal with the process of dying, what happens at the moment of death and what will happen after death? As an elder woman myself, I treasure this as a truly comforting beacon for elders and for anyone who knows and loves them.

By Ram Dass,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Still Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than thirty years ago, an entire generation sought a new way of life, looking for fulfillment and meaning in a way no one had before. Leaving his teaching job at Harvard, Ram Dass embodied the role of spiritual seeker, showing others how to find peace within themselves in one of the greatest spiritual classics of the twentieth century, the two-million-copy bestseller Be Here Now. As many of that generation enter the autumn of their years, the big questions of peace and of purpose have returned demanding answers. And once again, Ram Dass blazes a new trail, inviting all to…


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Kanazawa

By David Joiner,

Book cover of Kanazawa

David Joiner Author Of Kanazawa

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My book recommendations reflect an abiding passion for Japanese literature, which has unquestionably influenced my own writing. My latest literary interest involves Japanese poetry—I’ve recently started a project that combines haiku and prose narration to describe my experiences as a part-time resident in a 1300-year-old Japanese hot spring town that Bashō helped make famous in The Narrow Road to the Deep North. But as a writer, my main focus remains novels. In late 2023 the second in a planned series of novels set in Ishikawa prefecture will be published. I currently live in Kanazawa, but have also been lucky to call Sapporo, Akita, Tokyo, and Fukui home at different times.

David's book list on Japanese settings not named Tokyo or Kyoto

What is my book about?

Emmitt’s plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of purchasing their dream home. Disappointed, he’s surprised to discover her subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo.

In his search for a meaningful life in Japan, and after quitting his job, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law translate Kanazawa’s most famous author, Izumi Kyoka, into English. He becomes drawn into the mysterious death of a friend of Mirai’s parents, leading him and his father-in-law to climb the mountain where the man died. There, he learns the somber truth and discovers what the future holds for him and his wife.

Packed with subtle literary allusion and closely observed nuance, Kanazawa reflects the mood of Japanese fiction in a fresh, modern incarnation.

Kanazawa

By David Joiner,

What is this book about?

In Kanazawa, the first literary novel in English to be set in this storied Japanese city, Emmitt's future plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of negotiations to purchase their dream home. Disappointed, he's surprised to discover Mirai's subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo, a city he dislikes.

Harmony is further disrupted when Emmitt's search for a more meaningful life in Japan leads him to quit an unsatisfying job at a local university. In the fallout, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law translate Kanazawa's most famous author, Izumi Kyoka, into English.

While continually resisting Mirai's…


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