In 2009 I read a book, Without Reservations:The Travels of An Independent Woman, by Alice Steinbach that I absolutely loved. She was a journalist and had won a Pulitzer while working at the Baltmore Sun. She wrote Reservations about a rough time in her life when she was suddenly both an empty nester and an ex-wife. She had an option for recovery that not many of us have, she decided to take a year's sabatical and travel in Europe. The book is an account of that year.

I put the title of her frst book, The Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life, on my list then, and unbelievably ran across a copy just before Christmas 2020! Its a collection of pieces that were published in the Sun between 1985 and 1995. I so wanted to love them and probably would have if I had read them then, but many are just not relatable now, women's lives have changed so much. Those that are still timely are primarily about children. ( )

Alice Steinbach is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the Baltimore Sun (or was when this book was published in 1996). This book is a collection of her columns over the period of 1985-1995. These columns are the story of her life: her childhood, her single life after divorce, her raising of two sons, the illness and death of her mother. I read them all in one day. Except for the illness and death of a mother, I could relate to every one of her stories. It was like reading a book I had written, and I felt that I re-lived a portion of my life reading her book.
The book is divided into 12 sections, each with essays regarding specific topics: Women and Men, A Matter of Appearance, Raising Children, The Solo Life, and others. Ms. Steinbach comes across as totally down to earth, worrying about the same things I worry about and finding the joy in the same things I find joy in. I rarely re-read books, but I can see myself re-reading this book. ( )

This is a collection of essays published in the Baltimore Sun from 1985 to 1995. With wit and style Steinbach touches on the everyday things that turn out to be the things that matter. I like reading essays for their brevity and insights and the fact that they reflect our changing culture. Good book. ( )