Granny is the new chic as they (I) say, with the rise of crochet and knitting, nights tucked in bed by 9 pm, and homemade, well, everything! But what are the grandmas reading, and why should we be reading the same?
Have you ever noticed the same books cropping up in every charity shop? The ones that must be good if everyone’s buying them, but surely not that good if they’re being donated immediately after reading? Or the books you see in every supermarket with the same generic picture of a girl in wartime clothing? Or the books by the same “award-winning” authors that seem to churn out book after book after book?
Well, I think there’s something there. Something has to be working for these books to get the attention they receive. The following recommendations were themselves recommended to me by the granny figures in my life, and I’m here to tell you that the grannies are onto something!
1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Name a book that’s more whimsical, more cottage-core, or more delightful, than The Wind in the Willows. I’ll wait.
While Mole is busy spring-cleaning his seasonal depression away, he bumps into Ratty, his carefree, picnic-lunch-loving friend. Together, with Badger, a no-nonsense control freak, they spend their summer trying to keep their wild-spirited and wealthy friend, Toad, out of trouble. Mission failure. Toad, A.K.A. the original Diva, basically spends the whole book giving them the metaphorical finger and doing whatever he wants. Such fun!
The Wind in the Willows is a children’s book, but I’d argue that if it’s entertaining enough for a child, it’s got to be entertaining for an adult. After all, children’s films often include subtle jokes for adults.
Tell me how you could read, “Badger hates Society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing,” with a straight face! There are songs, too — one of which is written by Toad to be performed during the welcome home party that he organized for himself. ICON!
2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
This series singlehandedly removed any fears I had about growing old. We follow a group of pensioners, the Thursday Murder Club, who in their free time, look over old unsolved cases and then solve them. It’s all fun and games until one day, a very real murder happens in their residential village.
This is such a brilliant series to read if you need a laugh, a cry, or an assurance that life doesn’t stop after retirement. The characters are so lovable and fleshed out that you won’t forget about them easily, and the chapters are amazingly short, allowing you to fly through them.
And if you need further persuading, a film adaptation with an all-star cast is in the making, and you don’t want to miss that!
3. The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
This is absolutely (no offense) the classic kind of “granny book” I’m talking about. If my own hadn’t recommended it to me, I never would have known about this series. And that would have been a real shame, because WOW is it good!
Each book follows the six (yes six, give me a minute) adopted daughters of a wealthy man, who, after his death, leaves each a clue to her past. As the daughters embark on their adventures, two questions linger at the back of their minds: who was their father, and where is their missing seventh sister?
Have I only read the first two books of the series so far? Yes. Will I eventually read the rest? Absolutely.
They are huge books, but having waded my way slowly through the first two, I can tell you that it’s absolutely worth it and you have to read this series. I’m fully invested in each sister’s story and can’t wait to learn more about their pasts! ESPECIALLY the pasts of the sisters I currently do not like at all (totally not looking at you CeCe) because if there’s one thing I love, it’s a redemption arc.
4. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I couldn’t do this list without including an Agatha Christie mystery, and this one is undoubtedly worth the read.
Poirot has retired to a typically quaint English village to grow marrows and get some well-deserved peace. Ah, the dream! That was the plan, until his friend, Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed to death in his locked study. It seems Poirot must once again resume his role as World’s Greatest Detective…
This murder mystery completely changed the game for all murder mysteries. Agatha Christie did something never done before, and there was public outrage after it was published. She was that girl! This is such a clever and evil book; I implore you if you’re ever going to read an Agatha Christie, try this one.
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
I feel confident in my choice of labeling this as a “granny book” given that the only people I’ve met in real life who have read it are women above the age of 60. But here’s why you need to read it…
A mysterious letter from Mr Dawsey Adams of the island of Guernsey shows up on writer Juliette Ashton’s doorstep. A friendly correspondence between the two is instantly born. Through this correspondence, she learns of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a group formed during the German Occupation of the island to keep spirits alive during a dark time. Juliette then begins writing to the other members and eventually sets out to meet them, hoping to write their story.
I’m not sure if my synopsis will sell to anybody, but just trust me that it’s actually a good book. It’s pure vibes. Ok? Ok.
The book is compiled entirely of letters and telegrams that are so beautifully written and so character-driven that they might just restore your faith in humanity. It’s exactly what you need if your favorite thing is found family and a romance that yearns.
There’s a film adaptation if your curiosity is mildly piquéd — I’ll warn you though, the book is way better.
6. Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Baugh Menuhin
This series was brought to my attention via my mom’s Facebook. Since then, I’ve found all that I own of this series in charity shops. Enough said.
A body is discovered on the doorstep of wildly unqualified, wannabe detective Major Heathcliff Lennox’s house. In all fairness, he only has to become a “detective” to save his neck, as it seems he’s the main person of interest in the series of murders that follow. Funny, clever, and charming, this is a typical English countryside murder mystery. Plus, there’s a really cute dog.
I’d say now is the perfect time to read this, right in the heart of winter. Or if your To Read pile is looking heavy (mentally). Or if you want a romp around snowy England with a character who is essentially a perfect mix of Captain Hastings, Bertie Wooster, and someone else with a bit of a brain.
So, Are The Grannies Onto Something?
There are so many books out there that I know I’m guilty of ignoring simply because I just saw a frail old biddy pick it up. Just like I’m guilty of accidentally recommending a smutty book to one of my church grannies. Never again. To both of those things.
I seem to magically acquire random books that I’d never buy for myself, but I can’t say no to the grannies!! So it’s safe to say I’ll never run out of books to suggest in this category.
*It must be said that I am in no way insulting readers by labeling them “grannies” (not an insult anyway). I’m a proud reader of these books and just wish they got more attention from younger readers or the likes of BookTok.
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