November Suggested Reading: Focus on Caring for the Elderly and/or Isolated.

List compiled by Jessica Graham of Primrose Hill Bookshop

• The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Ageing Well by Daniel Levitin £18.99

• The Lonely Century by Noreena Hertz £20.00

• The Midlife Mind - Literature and the Art of Ageing by Ben Hutchinson £20

• Older: A Thought Diary by James Roose Evans £9.99

• How Not to Die by Michael Greger £10.99

• Be With: Letters to a Carer by Mike Barnes £8.99

• What Dementia Teaches us About Love by Nicci Gerrard £9.99

An invitation to reconsider our perceptions and understanding of growing older - particularly in regard to cognitive impairment. He offers practical tips- which can be practised at any age- for enhancing memory and cognitive skills to ensure that our minds thrive and are flexible well past retirement years.

Local author's widely researched and much praised examination of the problems of isolation and loneliness in the modern world (even before the pandemic began) which looks at our increasingly

fragmented communities and the negative consequences of being too much alone both at work and at home, and puts forward some ideas as to how we might change things for the better. Some focus on the elderly but also on the general population.

A look at creativity in mid life and beyond which draws on ideas and observations from the works of great writers ranging from Dante and Montaigne to de Beauvoir and Beckett - looking in particular at how our notions of time and experience change as we age.

Meditations and observations on the small details of everyday life together with insightful comments on the positive aspects of ageing as well as the increasing frailty of old age. A call to savour being part of the world while simultaneously acknowledging a readiness to let it go.

Internationally renowned physician examines the top causes of premature death (heart disease, cancer and diabetes) and explains how to implement nutritional and lifestyle changes to minmise the risks for those who feels they may be susceptible to illness. Practical and empowering.

Drawing on his years of experience of caring for his mother who had Alzheimer's, this is a series of letters written to anyone who faces caring for a patient or relative with dementia. Clear, supportive and a source of solace, they are thoughtful pieces offering useful practical tips alongside long-term emotional support.

A truthful and humane book about the illness with particular emphasis on the need for greater compassion in the care given to both patients and their (often very distressed) family members.

• Let's Talk about Death over Dinner: The Essential Guide to Life's Most Important Conversations by Michael Hebb £9.99

Lots of prompts on how to begin the conversation that so many of us dread with elderly family members, and on how to tackle these difficult issues with honesty and compassion. Full of wisdom and grace.

• Advice for the Dying ( and those who love them) : A Practical Perspective on Death by Sallie Tisdale £8.99

Frank and compassionate compilation of anecdotes and stories about death from cultures around the world by an award winning writer and nurse. Also addresses the concept of 'a good death' and how to communicate not just with the dying but also with their loved ones, doctors and care-givers. Clear, reassuring guidance on how to plan for the end of life and on what to expect physically and emotionally from the last months, days and hours.

• The Gran Tour by Ben Aitken £14.99

Very funny account of a series of day trips and short holidays taken by the author with groups of pensioners during which they discuss with candour and wisdom what experiences they have most valued and enjoyed during their lives.

• If I Could Tell You Just One Thing: Encounters with Remarkable People and their Most Valued Advice by Richard Reed £12.99

Very entertaining collection of life lessons and tips from a wide range of public figures, writers, actors, entrepreneurs and presidents, about all aspects of life from relationships and work to creativity and spirituality. Inspiring and comforting!

• Breakfast with Centenarians: The Art of Dying Well by Danielle Mari £10.99

FICTION

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson £8.99

• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout £8.99

• Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson £8.99

• The Grandmothers by Salley Vickers £8.99

Written by an Italian doctor who has cared for some of the oldest people on the planet, this is a charming and informative handbook for a fruitful and fulfilling old age which emphasises the importance of good lifestyle habits - diet, sleep and exercise - but stresses equally the crucial significance of keeping up interests, hobbies and passions.

An old man looks back on his life - his friendships, his family, his community and his faith. A masterly depiction of the workings of the heart, of the mind, of memory and of conscience.

A portrait of the contrary figure of Olive Kitteridge - a former maths teacher, now retired, still fully engaged in the lives of those around her and still struggling to understand herself, her neighbours

and her relatives. Absorbing, wise, often humorous and very shrewd.

An engaging and moving story, told mainly through letters, of finding shared interests, love and companionship late in life.

A novel about three very different grandmothers and their offspring which stresses and celebrates the importance of the extended family to each and all generations.

• The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson £8.99

Very funny story of Allan Karlsson who decides he really doesn't want to attend his 100th birthday party so escapes through his bedroom window (in his slippers) and takes off on a great adventure.