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Books to Give Grandparents
Chosen without condescension, and with the one practical thing almost nobody checks.
Updated September 2026 · By Sawyer V.
The short version
Check the type size before you check the genre. A large-print edition or an e-reader with adjustable text is the difference between a book that gets read and one that gets abandoned quietly, and it is the single most common reason a well-chosen gift fails here.
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How we picked
We chose books with wide appeal that do not talk down to their reader, and we lead the page with the format question, because it is the practical issue that decides whether any of them get finished. We have not read all seven.
What we do on every list: read the publisher’s own description rather than a summary of it, check print length and first publication year against library catalog data (last refreshed September 8, 2026), confirm the book is still sold in the format we suggest, and write the match line before the blurb. What we do not do is claim to have read every book here cover to cover. The full method is published, and it is written so anyone can check it.
The short answer
Who each book is for, at a glance. Select a row for the full write-up.
| # | Book | Give this if | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Thursday Murder ClubRichard Osman · 382 pagesThe obvious one, and it is right | they like crime and have a sense of humor about age | |
| 2 |  A Gentleman in MoscowAmor Towles · 511 pagesElegant and unhurried | they like good prose and are not in a hurry | |
| 3 |  The Boys in the BoatDaniel James Brown · 410 pagesHistory with people in it | they lived through part of the century and like reading about it | |
| 4 |  Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt · 368 pagesGentle but not empty | they have been widowed, or are living alone | |
| 5 |  Lessons in ChemistryBonnie Garmus · 464 pagesFor a grandmother who was underestimated | she had a career in the 1960s or 1970s | |
| 6 |  The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas · 1240 pagesFor a big stretch of reading time | they have time and want to be absorbed | |
| 7 |  The Comfort BookMatt Haig · 272 pagesFor dipping in | they are unwell, or their concentration is not what it was |
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Seven books that respect the reader
1. The obvious one, and it is right
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
Give this ifthey like crime and have a sense of humor about age
Four residents of a retirement village meet weekly to review cold cases, then get a live one. The reason it works is that the older characters are sharp, funny and competent rather than sweet, which is a much rarer setting than it should be.
- Print length
- 382 pages
- First published
- 2020
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
2. Elegant and unhurried
A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles
Give this ifthey like good prose and are not in a hurry
A count is sentenced to house arrest in a Moscow hotel in 1922 and spends decades there. It is charming without being slight, and its structure — a life told in episodes — suits a reader who reads in sittings.
- Print length
- 511 pages
- First published
- 2016
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
3. History with people in it
The Boys in the Boat
Daniel James Brown
Give this ifthey lived through part of the century and like reading about it
The University of Washington rowing crew that went to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It is a sports story, a Depression story and a 1930s story at once, and it is one of the most reliably enjoyed nonfiction gifts in this age group.
- Print length
- 410 pages
- First published
- 2013
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
4. Gentle but not empty
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt
Give this ifthey have been widowed, or are living alone
A widowed aquarium cleaner and a giant Pacific octopus who has worked out what happened to her son. It is about loneliness and it is genuinely comforting, which is a hard combination to get right.
- Print length
- 368 pages
- First published
- 2022
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
5. For a grandmother who was underestimated
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus
Give this ifshe had a career in the 1960s or 1970s
A 1960s chemist pushed out of her lab ends up teaching chemistry on a cooking show. Readers who lived through that period tend to have a sharper reaction to it than younger ones, and usually a good one.
- Print length
- 464 pages
- First published
- 2022
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
6. For a big stretch of reading time
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
Give this ifthey have time and want to be absorbed
A sailor is imprisoned on a false charge, escapes with a fortune, and spends a thousand pages being extremely patient. Retirement is one of the few periods in life with room for it, and it is far more fun than its reputation suggests.
One caveat: Buy a good translation and a large-print or e-reader edition. A thousand pages of small type is a physical problem.
- Print length
- 1240 pages
- First published
- 1920
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
7. For dipping in
The Comfort Book
Matt Haig
Give this ifthey are unwell, or their concentration is not what it was
Short fragments arranged so the book can be opened anywhere. For a reader who has lost the stamina for a novel but has not lost the wish to read, a book with no thread to lose is a considerable kindness.
- Print length
- 272 pages
- First published
- 2021
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
Format first, genre second
The most common reason a book gift fails with an older reader has nothing to do with taste. It is that the type is too small, the hardback is too heavy to hold for an hour, or the paper is too thin and gray to read under a normal lamp. None of that gets mentioned, and the book quietly stops being picked up.
- Large print exists for most popular titles and is easy to filter for on any listing. It is not a lesser edition; it is a bigger one.
- An e-reader solves the problem permanently: the type size is adjustable, the device is lighter than a paperback, and it is front-lit for reading in the evening. For a reader whose eyes have changed this is the best gift on this page, and we cover it here.
- Audiobooks work for anyone whose eyesight has changed more than their appetite for stories. How Audible works covers the mechanics; most public libraries also lend audiobooks free.
Do not buy down
The second most common failure is condescension. Gentle books about a village where nothing happens, or nostalgia collections about the decade someone was young in, are bought far more often than they are wanted. Grandparents are not a genre.
The person you are buying for has been reading for sixty years and has more sophisticated taste than you probably think. Ask what they last enjoyed, buy in that direction, and pay attention to the format instead of the tone. If they are a serious reader, everything on the flagship gift list applies to them exactly as it does to anyone else.
What we would skip
A memory book with blanks to fill in
Tell me about your life journals are given constantly and completed rarely, because they arrive as homework with a deadline nobody wants to name. If you want their stories, the thing that actually works is asking them and recording it on a phone. Give them a book to enjoy, and do the memory project as a conversation.
Questions people ask
What is a good book gift for a grandparent?
Something they would have chosen themselves, in a format they can comfortably read. The Thursday Murder Club and A Gentleman in Moscow both work widely, but check for a large-print edition before you check the genre.
Should I buy large print?
If there is any doubt, yes. Most popular titles have a large-print edition and it costs little more. It is a bigger book, not a lesser one, and it is the difference between a book being finished and quietly abandoned.
Is an e-reader a good gift for an older person?
Often the best one on this page. Adjustable type, lighter than a paperback, and front-lit for evening reading. The setup is the only hurdle, so do it before you wrap it.
What about a book to read with a grandchild?
A picture book with rhythm and a joke for the adult is the right shape — see book gifts for kids. Read-aloud is a shared activity, so buy something the grandparent will enjoy saying out loud.
Sources
- Open Library Search API — First publication year, median print length and cover art for every book on this page. Queried 8 September 2026.
- Audible Premium Plus membership page — The only authoritative source for current Audible plans, prices and terms.
Read next
- Best Book Gifts for Mom
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- Best Books for Someone Who Just Retired
Seven books for the first stretch of real reading time in decades, including the long one.
- Best Book Gifts for Kids
Eight books by age band, chosen on whether they survive the fortieth reading aloud.
- How Audible Actually Works
Credits, included titles, gifting and cancellation — Audible explained without the marketing.
- Gifts for Book Lovers That Aren't Books
For the reader who owns everything: what gets used, what gets re-gifted, and why.