want some recommendations please from some older ladies?

[chloesmumtoo]

I was wondering as my mil loves reading whether it may be a good idea to buy her some books for xmas. Noticed a large collection in the school link mag for only 9.99 for 10!! Called Miss Read Collection - anygood or not? What would you recommend honestly. No time for reading myself these days so have not got a clue on books now. Throw me some ideas please. What do you like to read?

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!)

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.

She doesnt live anywhere near me unfortunately so I have not got a clue! Not tring to be agest at all pigletmaker. Just trying to do a nice gesture. In my thirties myself and she is around fifty. Just wanted some kindly advice, as I have said with little time myself I am totally out of reading. Wondered if someone may take it wrongly after but not meant at all in a horrible way, just wannted to find something she would like. Many thanks minsalargeone, yeah its abit tricky living so far away from her. Dont like to ask really as would have loved to have got her something she didnt know about. Maybe its not such a good idea.

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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

i read miss read when i was 11. cmt what is she actually like? what sort of clothes does she wear? programmes she watches/ listens to? goes on holiday? cooks drinks gardens.....

Kate Atkinson. Nowhere near chick-lit but not too heavy. Enjoyable. here I would buy locally and keep receipts in case she has read any of them.

Oh God no, not Miss Read. Like being given Yardley English Lavender perfume when you have always seen yourself as a Je Reviens type or whatever. Like being given the Grumpy Old Woman's Guide to Life or something, which happened to me a few months ago I suppose I can see what they were aiming at but there was a smile failure at the factory that day i can tell you.

I think if you don't know her preferences, try In a Good Light by Clare somebody. EVERYBODY I KNOW LOVES IT including my mum, who is quite picky about what she will read now, though voracious reader earlier in life.

Kate Atkinson another good call.

I am the same age as your mil. I am also in a Book Group with people ranging from early 30's to early 60's and I have to say I have not noticed age being a factor in peoples' likes/dislikes.

Do not give a book on the menopause. , unless you want to patronise or insult her. She may be well past it or sailing unconcernedly through it. If I wanted a book on a topic like that I'd go to the library.

If she loves reading you'd be best picking something fairly new to make sure she hasn't already read it. I think it's more thoughtful to ask first - or give a book token, which may not be exciting but is always welcome.

.....AND what's more, a person in her 50's does not consider herself an 'older lady'...or this one doesn't.

Older ladies to me are those in their 80's.

My mum is 73 and likes the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Quite a few of my friends in their 40s like it too. It's usually somewhere up in the best seller list.

Second merlotmama - I'm also in a book group whose members range from 30-63. We all like the same sorts of books generally, and if we don't it rarely has anything to do with age.

The new Kate Atkinson is a good read. Other books that have been popular with our group recently are:

Ursula Under - Ingrid Hill
The Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson
Star of the Sea - Joseph O'Connor
Winter In Madrid - CJ Samson
Brooklyn Follies - Paul Auster

If you give her a book on the menopause, you can expect to receive from her "How to Cure Your Irrational Mood Swings And Stop Being a Bitch in 30 Days" (including relaxation CD).

My Mum has often got two or eight books on the go at any one time! She likes stuff varying from old Agatha Christies/Ngaio Marsh/Dorothy L Sayers for the whodunnits, to Enid Blyton/Noel Streatfield books to revisit our childhood to Maeve Binchy/Katie Flynn/Katie Fford for genteel chick-lit. She read a biography of Georgiania, Duchess of Devonshire when she was in hospital for a thyroid op. That was my brother's choice for her (he was in the midst of a history degree at the time) but she found it strangely engrossing.

I mis-read your nickname as MerlotDRama at first Merlot!

Well it's either the menopause or anger management you need a book on, Grumpyoldwoman!

m coming up to 50, and I love 'The Earth Children' Books the first one was Clan of teh Cave Bear they are by Jaen Auel.

Also love Lee Child, Jodi Picoult.

I used to read Miss Read in my lunch breaks when I was in my twenties - like mentioned below, I couldn't read them now. Avoid Wicked, the new Jilly Cooper like the plague.

I second The No 1 ladies Detective Agency books and anything by Alexander McCall smithh. My mum and MIL love them.
Also Katie Fforde is great for fun reading.

As an 'older lady' I wouldn't really want Miss Read books. They were fine when graduating from the Children's to the Adult section of the library but not my choice today.

As others have said, at my bookclub there's no correlation between book titles and age. My mum is almost 80 and gets the latest titles asap!

What about Anne Tyler's books for your mil? Or Bill Bryson, Anne Marie MacDonald, Margaret Forster, the chap-who wrote-Atonement-whose-name-I've-forgotten?

Don't give her a book on the menopause, fgs! Argh!

around 50? well I'm nearly 47 and love Terry Pratchett.

Thing is, if she loves reading theres a good chance she's already got a lot of things we might recommend. Either get her book tokens or ask her if theres anything she'd especially like, as you can get hold of anything from Amazon

My mum is 65 and mostly reads fantasy fiction, including Terry Pratchett. She also appears addicted to murder mysteries!

Can't you or your dh bring up books in conversation, like has she read any good ones lately she could recommend for you or a friend so then you'll have some idea of her tastes. Plus find out if she likes to read books more than once or is a one time only reader because if she likes to read them more than once it won't matter too much if you buy her something she's already read.