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More Rules for Aging: Making the Most of Your Ridiculous, Wondrous Life
A perfect dose of wisdom and wit for anyone who refuses to age quietly
Roger Rosenblatt’s Rules for Aging was a major national bestseller when it burst onto the scene “the humorous, thinking man’s self-help book” (Newsday) twenty-five years ago. Now, Roger is back with even more bang. More Rules for Aging contains nearly twice as many rules, so is nearly twice as instructive and nearly twice as funny.
As with the original, the laughs engendered are laughs at “Nobody is thinking about you,” “Run when they say, ‘We must do this again,’” et al. The key to enjoying this book is a willingness to turn every commonly held supposition on its head. A rule such as “The three 'reallys' rule” shows how to spot when people don’t mean what they say. “Screw it up royally” speaks to the indispensable value of making mistakes.
Roger very much hopes that you will buy this book, for yourself, your loved ones, your friends young and old, so that he may live the luxurious life to which he has yet to be accustomed. Of course, that would require that you think about Roger, and not about yourself. Thus Roger violates his own rule. He is already thinking about you.
Roger Rosenblatt’s Rules for Aging was a major national bestseller when it burst onto the scene “the humorous, thinking man’s self-help book” (Newsday) twenty-five years ago. Now, Roger is back with even more bang. More Rules for Aging contains nearly twice as many rules, so is nearly twice as instructive and nearly twice as funny.
As with the original, the laughs engendered are laughs at “Nobody is thinking about you,” “Run when they say, ‘We must do this again,’” et al. The key to enjoying this book is a willingness to turn every commonly held supposition on its head. A rule such as “The three 'reallys' rule” shows how to spot when people don’t mean what they say. “Screw it up royally” speaks to the indispensable value of making mistakes.
Roger very much hopes that you will buy this book, for yourself, your loved ones, your friends young and old, so that he may live the luxurious life to which he has yet to be accustomed. Of course, that would require that you think about Roger, and not about yourself. Thus Roger violates his own rule. He is already thinking about you.
- GenresNonfictionHumor
152 pages, Hardcover
Published June 9, 2026
About the author
Roger Rosenblatt
58 books155 followersROGER ROSENBLATT, whose work has been published in 14 languages, is the author of five New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and three Times bestsellers, including the memoirs KAYAK MORNING, THE BOY DETECTIVE, and MAKING TOAST, originally an essay in the New Yorker. His newest book is THE STORY I AM, a collection on writing and the writing life.
Rosenblatt has also written seven off-Broadway plays, notably the one-person Free Speech in America, that he performed at the American Place Theater, named one of the Times's "Ten Best Plays of 1991." Last spring at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, he performed and played piano in his play, Lives in the Basement, Does Nothing, which will go to the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook, and the Flea Theater in New York in 2021. He also wrote the screenplay for his bestselling novel LAPHAM RISING, to star Frank Langella, Stockard Channing, and Bobby Cannavale, currently in production.
The Distinguished Professor of English and Writing at SUNY Stony Brook/Southampton, he formerly held the Briggs-Copeland appointment in creative writing at Harvard, where he earned his Ph.D. Among his honors are two George Polk Awards; the Peabody, and the Emmy, for his essays at Time magazine and on PBS; a Fulbright to Ireland, where he played on the Irish International Basketball Team; seven honorary doctorates; the Kenyon Review Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement; and the President's Medal from the Chautauqua Institution for his body of work.
Rosenblatt has also written seven off-Broadway plays, notably the one-person Free Speech in America, that he performed at the American Place Theater, named one of the Times's "Ten Best Plays of 1991." Last spring at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, he performed and played piano in his play, Lives in the Basement, Does Nothing, which will go to the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook, and the Flea Theater in New York in 2021. He also wrote the screenplay for his bestselling novel LAPHAM RISING, to star Frank Langella, Stockard Channing, and Bobby Cannavale, currently in production.
The Distinguished Professor of English and Writing at SUNY Stony Brook/Southampton, he formerly held the Briggs-Copeland appointment in creative writing at Harvard, where he earned his Ph.D. Among his honors are two George Polk Awards; the Peabody, and the Emmy, for his essays at Time magazine and on PBS; a Fulbright to Ireland, where he played on the Irish International Basketball Team; seven honorary doctorates; the Kenyon Review Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement; and the President's Medal from the Chautauqua Institution for his body of work.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 15, 2026
Author provides over 100 pithy, thoughtful snippets of advice for aging as a followup to an earlier collection. Most are humorous, some very clever, but all amusing. It's a very quick read but the prudent reader will digest each one rather than gobble them down like so much quick-advice popcorn.
A couple favorites summarized:
#75: Learn something even if you make no use of it.
#84: For older folks there is nothing more energizing than the company of the young. They're bright enthusiastic, informative, brimming with life, and they do not know when you're telling them lies.
#105: You're not the person you used to be. Isn't that wonderful?
A couple favorites summarized:
#75: Learn something even if you make no use of it.
#84: For older folks there is nothing more energizing than the company of the young. They're bright enthusiastic, informative, brimming with life, and they do not know when you're telling them lies.
#105: You're not the person you used to be. Isn't that wonderful?
October 7, 2026
Hmm, i have Bruce Cole’s booklet, Ageing: Lessons I’ve Learned which is much more honest and straightforward. I agree with making the most of your ridiculous wondrous life, but maybe without the glib self serving humor. Or maybe that is part of getting older, too, needing to share your life’s lessons and opinions with others as facts. Amusing with a few good things to remember and think about, mainly, say less, be kind and appreciate life. Oh, and read good books.
September 10, 2026
It is surprising how often a book can be likened to poetry. There is no effort to rhyme, but there are many short entries that allow for occasional reading. And as with poetry, I am tempted to liken it to box of assorted chocolates: some I absolutely love, others are good, a few are meh. My favorite was No. 9, In Fact, Just Don't Say Anything.
August 8, 2026
A small confection; readable in an hour. But Rosenblatt's gentle humor is omnipresent and he does propose a few "rules" for happily aging. I always look forward to his occasional guest essays in the NYTimes. Some of his personal anecdotes are quite sweet.
October 7, 2026
Read this knowing I am not reviewing the book but rather leaving notes and asides to remind me of my readings year to year. A lifetime of prolific reading lost from childhood on was never stored, but today’s children can use the tools now available and be more vigorous in their list keeping.
August 7, 2026
I read the whole thing, but no zing there like Rules for Aging.
October 4, 2026
These are not my rules!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews