want some recommendations please from some older ladies?

Isn't Jilly Cooper chick-lit?

We used to have an 80 year old member of our book group who enjoyed/disliked all the books just as much as the rest of us.

My aunt used to love d h lawrence for its eroticism, when in her 70s. And i remember her recommending John Fowles' The Collector to me with great fervour.

Miss Read is more suited to sheltered ladies in their 70s and 80s rather than someone in her 50s. I would definitely find out what sort of books she likes, whether literary or popular etc. She is more likely to enjoy Jilly Cooper or an Aga-saga than chick lit but who knows?

Miss Read is ok for a easy read but they are a bit saccharine. Why not ask your MIL what her favourite authors/genre are? That should give you some clues.

I hate being given books someone thinks I should/would like - often I don't.

The Miss Read collection is about a village school in the 1950's. Miss Read is the headmistress. I read most of the books when I was younger and really enjoyed them. Funnily enough I could never read them now! They just seem naff! They have been very popular and loads of people have read them. This tells you about them here Its hard to say if your mil would like them. If she likes "cosy" reads, then she will but if she's into more modern sophisticated reads, then she won't!

I recently bought for a friend approaching your mil's age a book on the menopause. Just go to the health section in your local bookshop and choose, if you've ever heard her moan about hot flushes etc and think she won't be offended by it.

Fiction: not only is it hard to know what she might like just from her age and the fact that she has a dil who posts on MN, but you also don't know what she has already.
I know it might spoil the surprise, but you could just ask her what she likes to read.

I know you are only wanting to be generous, but your question is ageist, because you are asking for recommendations based on your mil's age alone.

I don't know anything about Miss Read collection but all depends on how old MIL is and what she likes to read or what interests she has.

I love reading and will always go for anything by Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde or even something more serious like Jodi Picolt....but I'm not of the older generation but anything by those authors are great light hearted reading.

why assume that all older ladies like the same stuff?

not being funny, but its a bit ageist. Its like saying older folks only like classical music or music from their own youth.

Think you might be better off asking her what kind of things she likes to read (or scouring her shelves!)