Why am I passionate about this?

As I’ve reached middle age, I’ve found that many books about this period are about trying to regain lost youth or the hardships that aging can bring. I want to read more books about women who have lived through some things and are more powerful (and funnier!) because of it. In my writing, I try to highlight the stories of women with a little bit of history behind them and show that a long life–if we’re lucky–is also a full one. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have! 


I wrote

The Sirens of Soleil City

By Sarah C. Johns,

Book cover of The Sirens of Soleil City

What is my book about?

Everyone in Cherie Anderson’s life needs something from her. Dale, the mother who left her when she was five, is…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Late Bloomers

Sarah C. Johns Why did I love this book?

Midlife can absolutely mean new beginnings. In this book, Deepa Varadarajan introduces us to Suresh and Lata Raman, fifty-something parents who have divorced thirty-six years into an arranged marriage.

Varadarajan has written four strong characters in Lata, Suresh, and their adult children, Priya and Nikesh. But it’s Lata’s story that pulled me in the most. Truly independent for the first time in her life, Lata revels in her freedom but is unsure of how to make the most of it. Her realization that she is vibrant and alive is often forgotten in middle age when the responsibilities of parenthood and a long marriage can make life feel too routine. 

By Deepa Varadarajan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Late Bloomers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An Indian American family is turned upside down when the parents split up thirty-six years into their arranged marriage​ in this “heartwarming journey of self-discovery” (Southern Living).

“Touching . . . both funny and moving—a family drama the entire family can enjoy.”—Reader’s Digest

A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"I have a soft spot for underdogs. And late bloomers. You’ve told me a lot of things about yourself, so let me tell you something about me."

After thirty-six years of a dutiful but unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman find themselves starting new paths in…


Book cover of Tired Ladies Take a Stand

Sarah C. Johns Why did I love this book?

Just because middle age can come with overwhelming demands, it doesn’t mean that talking about it can’t be fun. This is a realistic book and a really good time. The backbone of the book is another perk of middle age that is sometimes overlooked: close friends with whom you share decades of history.

The four fifty-something friends of this book are trying to figure out how to get back some of the joy they shared as twenty-somethings when they weren’t yet drowning in responsibilities. It turns out that it can be as simple and as hard as saying “no.”

I love a book about women who have been “through it” and come out stronger on the other side.

By Gretchen Anthony,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tired Ladies Take a Stand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Do yourself a favor and say yes to the perfect bookish escape." —Lucy Gilmore, author of The Lonely Hearts Book Club

You've heard of Year of Yes. Introducing... Year of No.

During one unforgettable year in their twenties, best friends Emma, Fern, Carolina, and Andi make a pact to embrace whatever life throws at them, inspiring Fern to write a memoir detailing their escapades and the magical power of saying Yes.

But fast forward twenty years and they have reached their bandwidth of responsibilities. Fern is a full-time writer struggling to pay the bills. Carolina is a fitness-obsessed workaholic. Andi…


Book cover of Sandwich

Sarah C. Johns Why did I love this book?

Family life doesn’t get easier as you age. Having older parents and young adult children who all need something from you can be exhausting. Throw in your own changing body and a well-seasoned marriage; even a week in Cape Cod can’t fix it all. 

This book is funny, sad, and slightly too realistic. (It's especially so since the daughter in the book has the same name as my daughter!) But reading can give a different perspective, and reading really great writing can give you something else altogether.

By Catherine Newman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Sandwich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover the joyful summer read from the bestselling author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Nora Ephron

'Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life.' ANN PATCHETT, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

'A holiday reading gem for summer' STYLIST

'Funny, wise, poignant and beautifully written' NINA STIBBE, author of Love, Nina

'If you are after a book to pack on your next…


Book cover of Tom Lake

Sarah C. Johns Why did I love this book?

It’s hard not to love an Ann Patchett book. The idea of a middle-aged protagonist recounting a moment from their past isn’t new, but putting that long-ago life into the context of family life and motherhood gives Tom Lake its power. Do our children really get to know who we were before they were born? What if we don’t tell them everything?

I read criticism about it that said there wasn’t enough conflict in this family, and everyone got along too well.

If that’s the worst you’ve got…

By Ann Patchett,

Why should I read it?

32 authors picked Tom Lake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER * THE NO. 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE WITHERSPOON AND BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'A new Ann Patchett novel is always cause for celebration ... and Tom Lake is one of her best' i 'This comforting summer read has it all ... Young love, sibling rivalry and deep mother-daughter relationships' REESE WITHERSPOON 'Filled with the moments I live for in a story' BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry 'One of the most beloved authors of her generation' SUNDAY TIMES ----------------------------- This is a story about Peter Duke who went on…


Book cover of Miss Benson's Beetle

Sarah C. Johns Why did I love this book?

This isn’t a book about middle age as much as it is a book about a middle-aged woman. Margery Benson, schoolteacher and spinster, has been overlooked and overworked. She’s ready for an adventure and to find the beetle she’s been obsessed with since childhood.

Margery doesn’t go on this adventure alone, and the friendship between Margery and the younger, flashier Enid Pretty is the real heart of this novel. Adventure, friendship, women finding their strength: it’s exactly what I want from a book.

By Rachel Joyce,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Miss Benson's Beetle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE | BEST PUBLISHED NOVEL
WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR and A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'The perfect escape novel for our troubled times.' PATRICK GALE

It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.
Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in…


Explore my book 😀

The Sirens of Soleil City

By Sarah C. Johns,

Book cover of The Sirens of Soleil City

What is my book about?

Everyone in Cherie Anderson’s life needs something from her. Dale, the mother who left her when she was five, is facing eviction from her budget apartment complex. Marlys, the mother who raised her from that moment on, is dying but won’t admit it. Her pregnant daughter’s marriage is falling apart. Cherie needs to find something to give Dale the help she’s finally asked for, Marlys the help she clearly needs, and her daughter a way to help herself.

Enter the South Florida Senior Synchronized Swimming Competition. Over the course of a month in an apartment complex filled with feisty, funny, strong-willed women in their 70s, three generations of women realize that in life and motherhood, there isn't good and bad. There's only trying to get it right.

Book cover of Late Bloomers
Book cover of Tired Ladies Take a Stand
Book cover of Sandwich

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I Meant to Tell You

By Fran Hawthorne,

Book cover of I Meant to Tell You

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Museum guide Foreign language student Runner Community activist Former health-care journalist

Fran's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

When Miranda’s fiancé, Russ, is being vetted for his dream job in the U.S. attorney’s office, the couple joke that Miranda’s parents’ history as antiwar activists in the Sixties might jeopardize Russ’s security clearance. In fact, the real threat emerges when Russ’s future employer discovers that Miranda was arrested for felony kidnapping seven years earlier—an arrest she’d never bothered to tell Russ about.

Miranda tries to explain that she was only helping her best friend, in the midst of a nasty custody battle, take her daughter to visit her parents in Israel. As Miranda struggles to prove that she’s not…

I Meant to Tell You

By Fran Hawthorne,

What is this book about?

When Miranda’s fiancé, Russ, is being vetted for his dream job in the U.S. attorney’s office, the couple joke that Miranda’s parents’ history as antiwar activists in the Sixties might jeopardize Russ’s security clearance. In fact, the real threat emerges when Russ’s future employer discovers that Miranda was arrested for felony kidnapping seven years earlier—an arrest she’d never bothered to tell Russ about.

Miranda tries to explain that she was only helping her best friend, in the midst of a nasty custody battle, take her daughter to visit her parents in Israel. As Miranda struggles to prove that she’s not…


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Interested in middle-aged women, Michigan, and explorers?

Michigan 69 books
Explorers 112 books