After 5 PM, I turn into an old man. I usually watch documentaries about WWII on the Military Channel and Channel 35, LA City View.

While watching Channel 35, I caught Connie Martinson Talks Books interview with L.A. author, Sonya Sones, whose current book is a local bestseller called The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus. At first I was startled to see a book show discussing fiction at all; that's a rarity.

As the interview progressed, I became intrigued by the subject matter. Sones has written a novel in verse about facing menopause in LA, combating empty-nest syndrome and coping with the pressures of caring for an ailing parent from a long distance. There's so much fiction about the travails of young women that it's nice to find new work that acknowledges life after 50.

Martinson's show is based in Southern California and this interview had a lovely local flavor to it. Sones even name-checked legendary UCLA poetry teacher, Myra Cohn Livingston, as a mentor. Martinson and Sones charmed me most when both women reached for their reading glasses to read passages from the novel. You never see that on TV. I wonder why Martinson didn't ask Sones why she was wearing a hat in the interview. What's up with that?

After watching the program, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

I leave you with Sones's advice for aging in LA, as shared during an interview with Elina Fuhrman in "Angeleno Magazine":

Three secrets for aging with grace in Los Angeles:

1. Keep your sense of humor.

2. Never look at yourself in the bathroom mirror with your reading glasses on.

3. Install dimmer switches in all your lamps.