Can anyone suggest a book for my 90yr old mum

[KurriKurri]

Not sure why I put her age - its not really relevant, but I wouldn't want to give her anything with explicit sex scenes or excessive bad language (she's not a prude though and can handle a bit of swearing)

She's very with it mentally, used to be a scientist so enjoys scientific themes, likes strong women characters, like a bit of humour -- books I've given her recently which she's enjoyed have been Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier, Solar by Ian McKewen, and Deaf Sentence by David Lodge, she enjoyed Mark Haddons Curious Incident too.

I'd prefer to avoid anything that deals with widowhood, losing your spouse or dementia, as we lost my Dad a few months ago.

meant to say thanks in advance - clicked too quickly!

Not read any of those sorry so can't be of much help but have you tried What should I read next?. Its a great little website .

Ok - these are my recommendations - my 85 year old mum has liked these,

Wolf Hall and Bring up the bodies by Hilary Mantel, anything by Laurie Graham, though maybe not the 10 oclock horses, The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry, Joanne Trollope books, Tracy Chevalier books, Jane Smiley books (maybe need to check the themes as I don't remember them all) the Tractors in Ukranian one (can't remember title) The Help, Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale. The unfixed stars by Michael Byers is fab and very memorable but has the most graphic account of mental illness (not dementia) that I have ever read so you might want to preread.
I bought my mum a Kindle which she finds easier to hold and to read with the larger fonts so we 'share books as i read them on my kindle app as well.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks would cover your science and strong women angles. Havent read it myself yet, but it is on my TBR pile and has good reviews.

That's a great site julie - thank you

bluehorizon - thank you - some great suggestions, The Patrick Gale and Michael Byers ones sound her sort of thing, and the Laurie Graham ones too.

I'd love to get her a Kindle, she's hoping to move into a sheltered apartment and won't have a lot of space for books. But she's hopeless at anything technical, (despite the scientific background! - she just gets cross with things if they won't work and takes them to bits) Are Kindles fairly robust? - she often falls asleep and drops whatever she's reading on the floor

ninjanurse - I have read Henrietta Lacks, and have already passed it on to her - so good suggestion, she enjoyed it. Do read it, it's a fascinating and moving book.

Hmm - re the Kindle. DP was saying def don't get it as she is so non-technical - always has been, and we have been amazed at how well she got to grips with it. Just goes to show she can do it when she wants to! She wouldn't have done it if she didn't need to though - her eyesight was getting too poor for large print books. We bought a leather case with it - I think it would be reasonably robust....

My Mum is 78 and can't even work the remote control. My DSister bought DM a kindle for her birthday and she is fine with it. It's linked to my account so I get her any books she asks for and make sure she can see them in her list. Not that robust though, you may want to get her a decent kindle cover.

thank you all. It sound as if a Kindle might be able to withstand her abuse then, if it had a leather cover - I'll definitely think about getting one.

Julie - my mum can't work the remote control either, and my nephew is always having to go round and adjust her telly because she's fiddled with the controls and it's all gone green. She also pulls the back off cameras and yanks the film out to 'see if it's in properly' - she's got a digital one now though so can't do that. It's not an age thing - she's always felt compelled to fight with machinery

Well for something humourous, I'd recommend The 100 year old man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared I couldn't put it down and it's bloody hilarious but written in quite a dry tone.

Very funny, The uncommon reader by Alan Bennett. Short and beautifully written. My 86 year old mother loved it.

Bill Bryson's book on the house , can't recall its name. She'll recognise lots of stuff from her youth. And if she hasn't read it his short history of everything , best science I've read for a time.

None if these new I'm afraid.

I loved The Uncommon Reader (disclaimer, I am not over 80) and it was one of the few books I think all of my book club actually liked. Also The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was good too.

My Nan (90) laps up anything by Maeve Binchy.....

This might be a bit soon for her, given her recent loss but I would recommend Major Pettigrew's Last Stand which is about an elderly retired widowed major (funnily enough!) and the elderly widow who runs the village shop (Mrs Ali). It's very lovely and gentle but also slyly undermines stereotypes in a really good way).

If she is interested in science and strong women, she might like the Dark Lady of DNA which is about Rosalind Franklin (the not terribly feted contributor to the discovery of DNA)

I like the look of The Hundred Year Old Man ViKing - I haven't heard of it before. (might get it for myself!)

The Alan Bennett I'm sure she'd like.

She's read the Guernsey Literary and Potato peel Society and I gave her the Bill Bryson a little while ago - she liked them both - so you are on the right tracks.

Bouncy - is Maeve Binchy romantic type of thing? - not sure that's her cup of tea, but thanks for the suggestion - I'll look them up on Amazon

Dowager - I've heard good things about Major Pettigrew and I think she'd like it by your description, - but maybe I'll leave it a little while - although I think mention of widowhood is fine as long as its not the main theme of the book.

The one about Rosalind Franklind she would love - she's one of her heroines, along with Marie Curie. Off to look that up now.

Iris Murdoch novels?

Fifty Shades of Grey?

I was about to suggest The Uncommon Reader too. As recommended to me by my MiL 's book club.

I was going to recommend The Uncommon Reader too OldGreyKnickerTest (great nickname by the way!) I've recommended it to both DM and MIL and they both loved it.

What about Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks, or The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro? Or something by Margaret Atwood? I enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, and Alias Grace.

My 93 year old granny loves Catherine Cookson - very safe and generally heartwarming, (okay and a little bit naff)

KurriKurri,on a diversion to your thread,cant think of the right words for that,
I was very impressed a few days ago by your thread where anybody could ask you questions,while you were laid up in bed
Some of your answers were hilarious,and many many were very knowledgeable and informative.

Are you feeling better now?

thank you amillionyears - I'm still a bit under the weather but out of bed now, how sweet of you to ask

Oops just read the OP properly - sorry your mum is nothing like my granny - please carry on with all your sensible suggestions.

No problem Emphatic - thank you for answering anyway (I like a bit of Catherine Cookson myself if I'm in the right mood, naff isn't necessarily a bad thing )