This feel-good look at aging will have women approaching 50 running fearlessly toward the number. Credit for this fresh approach goes to the irrepressible Lu.

Recently divorced Lu writes a magazine column in New Jersey. She has two grown kids and a brand-new boss who wants to give her and her column an extreme makeover. Then Lu discovers she's pregnant and finds herself sans job. But when her employer capitalizes on Lu's late-life pregnancy, Lu is poised to become a media sensation.

This novel is fun without being fluffy. Castoro works humor into her premise, and Lu's unique voice infuses every page with energy. There's a bright edginess to Lu, who's been around the block and then some. Who says chicks only strut in spring? (Mar., 400 pp., $12.95)

—Cindy Harrison ( )