Perhaps the best part of aging is the free time you have. You finally have time to pursue your favorite activity, start a new one in a group, or finally read all those pending books sitting in the library! Reading is fun, but it’s also good for you! According to a Yale University study of 3,500 people, people who read books live longer. And you don’t have to spend all day reading, just with about 4 hours a week, or one chapter a day, you get health benefits.
If you have elderly relatives and are looking for something they can read, or if you want to give a book to your parents or grandparents (and read it aloud to them, by the way), we have compiled this list just for you.
They will be able to experience new adventures through these unforgettable characters, some already famous, others yet to be discovered.
1- Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez, 1985)
Inspired by his parents, the Colombian writer confirms that love transcends time. This is the story of two old men who have a second chance. Friendship, death, time and of course love are the themes of this beautiful story.
2- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, 1922)
What would happen if a person was born old and grew younger with time? Would it be a blessing or a tragedy? A short story full of irony and melancholy. It is published with other stories by the author and, as more than 50 years have passed since its first edition, it can be read here for free.
3- The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway, 1952)
A classic to read at any age. Santiago struggles with a fish for 3 days while he takes stock of his life. Permanent suspension. Defeat and victory, old age, chance and fate will weave this immortal story. Its digital version is also free because of its age.
4- Noah’s Notebook (Nicholas Sparks, 1996)
This novel was a bestseller and launched the author to fame. Noah is an old man who visits Allie in a nursing home after 14 years without seeing each other. Memories he writes in a notebook about youth, passion and war. Characters that we fall in love with.
5- The Grandfather Who Jumped out the Window and Left (Jonas Jonasson, 2012)
On his 100th birthday, Allan Karlsson decides to run away, in slippers, from the residence where he is staying. Together with an unknown young man, he embarks on an adventure that the whole country follows on television. One of the last books for older adults, this is a bold story with a fine humor that will surprise you step by step.
6- I confess that I lived (Pablo Neruda, 1974)
Although it is not a fiction but a biography, we include it in this list of books for seniors because we cannot leave out the great Chilean author. This book is posthumous and collects Neruda’s impressions and experiences throughout his life, almost up to the moment of his death. You have certainly read many of his poems, but his prose has nothing to envy him. The direct language that tells of his nomadic life and the unknown aspects of his personality. The beauty of the prose.
7- Mental Gymnastics for Adults: 101 Games to Improve and Strengthen Memory and Attention (Jorge Batllori, 2014).
This geologist and environmental engineer has chosen a long title that challenges anyone’s memory. The author dedicates much of his life to the study of this game and its possibilities to educate and improve physical and mental health. Through these games you will be able to take care of, improve and strengthen basic cognitive abilities such as memory, attention and reasoning, while having fun playing with your friends or family.
There you go! With those 7 books you can be sure that your elders will enjoy a good read. Apart from books, what do you like to offer to seniors? Any other gift ideas? Share them with us in the comments below.
