No, I Don't Want to Join a Book Club

By Virginia Ironside. Ridiculous title, wonderful book. Sort of a Bridget Jones for the 60-and-over set, our heroine, Marie Sharp, chronicles the wonders of becoming an official "oldie", as she calls it. No more pressure to look or behave in particular ways, no more pressure to learn Italian or become a photographer, freedom to give up sex entirely and just stop worrying about it. That all could be rather one note, but there is a plot here, and Marie is such a delightful narrator -- with her portraits of her down-market home in Shepherd's Bush, her shock at how incredible it is to become a grandmother, and her quiet bewilderment and acceptance of a friend's death -- the whole thing flies along. Plus, it's all so English. Loved it.