Hi! I am in a multigenerational book club with the women in my family. This month is our late grandmother’s/ mother’s birthday month. She was born on Earth Day so we are looking for recs that have themes of nature, matriarchs, family, or older women. She was pretty fun (for instance, she famously got her first tattoo on a nursing home outing at age 79) so think spunky grandma vibes.
Book club favorites through the years have been The Bell Jar, I Who Have Never Known Men, The Summer Book, and Evelyn Hugo.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
by GreenPiglet42
5 Comments
That’s lovely! Here are some book recommendations to celebrate your grandmother’s birthday month that fit the themes of nature, matriarchs, family, and older women with a touch of spunk:
* *Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg*
This heartwarming Southern novel features strong female characters and a celebration of unlikely friendships. It follows Evelyn Couch, a lonely housewife who finds solace and adventure in befriending an eccentric older woman named Ninny Threadgoode.
* *The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C Morais*
This feel-good novel combines food, family, and cultural clashes in a heartwarming way. It’s the story of an Indian family who opens a restaurant in a small French village, much to the disapproval of a renowned Michelin-starred chef next door. The book explores themes of family, following your dreams, and finding common ground.
* *Wild by Cheryl Strayed*
A memoir about self-discovery and resilience, Wild follows Cheryl Strayed’s solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail after her mother’s death. It’s a powerful story about overcoming challenges and finding strength in nature.
* *Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly*
This historical novel is inspired by the true story of the Ravensbrück concentration camp during WWII. It follows three women from vastly different backgrounds whose lives intersect at the camp. It’s a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit.
* *The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd*
Set in the segregated South during the 1960s, this coming-of-age story follows a young girl named Lily Owens who runs away from her abusive home to live with three beekeeping sisters. It’s a beautiful story about female friendship, self-discovery, and the power of connection.
These books offer a variety of genres and themes, but they all celebrate strong women with a zest for life, something your grandmother clearly embodied!
The Thursday Murder Club has a cast of older characters that solve mysteries! Girl, Woman, Other also has a bunch of characters that are spread out over generations which I found fascinating to read. Also try Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo! I haven’t got to it yet but it sounds bang on for your book club!
Barbara Kingsolver —Prodigal Summer:
Over the course of one humid summer, as the urge to procreate overtakes the lush countryside, this novel’s intriguing protagonists—a reclusive wildlife biologist, a young farmer’s wife marooned far from home, and a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors—face disparate predicaments but find connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they necessarily share a place. Their discoveries are embedded inside countless intimate lessons of biology, the realities of small farming, and the final, urgent truth that humans are only one piece of life on earth.
Oh, please check out [North Woods by Daniel Mason](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/71872930). There are heavy themes of nature and family, and the writing is beautiful. Characters are multigenerational.
The books that come to mind are the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, the first book is [One For The Money](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6853.One_for_the_Money), Grandma Mazur is a great character. And not a grandma but spunky older ladies are featured in the Miss Fortune Mysteries series by Jana DeLeon, the first book is [Louisiana Longshot](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18663492-louisiana-longshot), also very fun books.