Gran-lit. At last!

Everything by Pym. And Muriel Spark, too. Grown-up novels.

My favourite is 'Quartet in Autumn' by Barbara Pym.
Written in 1977 about four colleagues who have just retired, funny, subtle, observant and readable at any age.

Are we "Grans" not supposed to be reading the Family Wartime Sagas set in the East End of London or Liverpool, and churned out in the sort of formulaic style of Mills and Boon? These seem to inhabit the shelves of my library and more worrying are the only sort of stuff in large print. God forbid that is all I can get if I need large print.

You can usually tell chick lit by the style of the cover illustrations. I am afraid judging books by cover is what the publishers seem to go for.

I really dont like the idea of Books clearly aimed at different markets. I like to peep between the covers and have a test read.

I found 'How it All Began', by Penelope Lively far more convincing, though in no way would I call it granny-lit. The main character was elderly, but her story is intertwined with the stories of the other characters, just as our own lives are intertwined with those of our families and friends.

I don't agree with putting books in "boxes" If a book is good it is good - it doesn't have to be gran-lit, chick-lit or whatever.

I read everything autobiographies, science fiction, thrillers, classic books, true crime etc. etc.

"small kids having a lot of sex"
I'm sure that's not what she meant.
Oh dear. How did that phrase survive her editing.
A sobering reminder for those of us who write - if you haven't got a proof reader to hand, then check, check, double check. And then find a friend to read it through.[there but for the grace of god emoticon]

What's more, we've already discussed the book here

Why grans? Surely it's about age and the perceptions of it, not just the fact that your children have had children? There are lots of women of a "certain age" that don't happen to be grandmothers.