Suggestions for books for mil birthday

[Topbird29]

Hi. Hope someone might be able to help me some recommendations for mil for part of birthday present. She will be 80, and past hits have been the books that brigerton were based on, she likes a bit of mills and boon, and also likes reading stories with family relationships in. Likes easy reading - and not into crime or thrillers to read (not even Richard Osman). My mind has gone blank. Please can anyone give me some inspiration!

Lady in waiting - Anne Glenconner

The Tour - Jean Grainger

Elizabeth Strout novels? Olive kitteredge or the Lucy Barton novels were popular with my mil. Or Kate Atkinson?

High Rising by Angela Thirkell is gentle and rather funny.

Have a look at Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap series. i think they would be perfect.

Mary Wesley is another author to look at, or Joanna Trollope?

Oh, and the Teacher Teacher series by Jack Sheffield are quite gentle stories based around a village school, as are the Miss Read novels. Although they're pretty tame if she prefers a bit of Mills and Boon romance!

Thanks - will take a look at these suggestions

My elderly mother just read the new biography of Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley and really enjoyed it.

If she enjoyed the Julia Quinn Bridgerton series, it might be worth nothing that the author did several other series which are a similar sort of thing and in the same vein - just a different family say, or era.

Something by Julian Fellows, who wrote Downton Abbey and the Gosford Park film? I have only read Snobs, I think, and it was easy reading but not rubbish.

Or by Anthony Quinn- Half of the Human Race maybe? Suffragette has romance with cricketer.
Lissa Evans' Crooked Heart trilogy are easy to read but brilliant, great characters. Their Finest Hour and a Half was good too although I liked the characters less.

Thanks all. Have gone for "the Cornish cream tea bus, "the keeper of stories" and "the salt path" - as she is familiar with some of the places in the last one, and it sounded quite interesting as is a real couple's journey. Will refer back to the suggestions near xmas!

Saw a comfort reads thread where some were mentioned. Think olive kitteridge may be quite close to home!

Maeve Binchy? Irish family stuff
Debbie McComber - American stuff often a bout small towns and families
Norah Roberts - Another American author
Miriam Keys - Has she read about the Walsh family? Watermelon Rachel's holiday etc etc