endearingly grumpy old people and their found families
books whose main characters are older and disillusioned with life and go on a little adventure that melts their hearts (and heals yours)
created by seema
last updated October, 2025
Comments
Remarkably Bright Creatures was one of my favorites reads of 2023
I loveee this book, the audiobook version is also so good!
Yes, totally agree! I was sceptical about it when starting but Marcellus has my heart!
Is anyone here watching A Man on the Inside? It's got the same vibes as these books!
Omg 95% on rotten tomatoes! Going to watch right now đ
I'd say the only thing it's missing is grumpiness from the MC but fear not there is definitely grumpiness amongst some of the other characters
OMG TOTALLY!!! i binged it not long ago and it was such a lovely show. very excited for the second season because it's so nice and lighthearted <3
I loved the show!!!!
Iâd recommend âWelcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshopâ for this vibe as well!
I love this haha, I feel like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches would fit if you're interested!
I looove that book and it definitely has the found family aspect, but I think Mika doesn't quite fit the old+grumpy bill for this particular list. Appreciate the rec though and definitely let me know if you come across any others!!
True true I was thinking of all the adults in the book not just Mika haha
Under the Whispering Door was one of my favorite books last year!
Have you read House in the Cerulean Sea? I read that one first and felt like Whispering Door was so similar that I didnât end up enjoying it as much as I had hoped :( just curious if anyone has had the opposite experience starting with Whispering Door and finding Cerulean Sea to not hit the spot đ€Ł
I highly recommend The Borrowed Life of Fredrik Fife by Anna Johnston đ
Wait I'm obsessed by the fact he's stepping in for a grump, what a twist! This is a perfect suggestion for this list
My partner loves these types of books, and another favorite of his is The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. It's a fun, ridiculous sort of read - he definitely goes on an adventure!
I'm reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont right now, and it totally fits this vibe!
The Housekeeper and the Professor by YĆko Ogawa would be perfect for this list. What do you think?
I haven't read it but I'll take your word for it! Added!
I would definitely add The Elegance of the Hedgehog to this list! :)
This looks perfect, thank you!!
I think Brit marie was here by Fredrik backman would fit this list!
That looks so good and I adored a man called Ove, added!!
I just read How to Age Disgracefully and it embodies the name of this list!
Oooh I haven't heard of that, this list is for fiction but it's good to know there are actually nonfiction options on the same topic!
Itâs actually fiction! A very cozy read that takes place in the UK and follows a rag tag group of older folks!
Wait, who is it by? I think I must have looked up the wrong book!!
Itâs by Clare Pooley!
you could look into How to Read A Book by monica wood! itâs three person POV & itâs a retired teacher who has a book club at a womanâs prison, a retired factory worker, & a woman in the prison. wholesome found family & second chances book!
Omg, I already had this on my TBR and didn't even realize it !
Submitting The Road to Tender Hearts for Consideration đ«Ą Thereâs a grumpy old man, a cross country roadtrip, a (literal) found family , and most importantly a cute cat đ â€ïž
PERFECT thank you
Recently discovered The Thursday Murder Club, and LOVING it. This is such a cute list idea!
Ahhh I'm glad you like it, I haven't read that one just yet, it comes so highly recommended but the show didn't quite jive with me đŹ Have you watched?
I actually decided to skip the adaptation and go straight for the books because everyone I knew who loved the books was very disappointed by the Netflix adaptation. Apparently they made quite a few changes for the worst. So I can't speak to the adaptation, but that's why I ended up passing it. The books are very snappy reads with quick wit, multi-layered murder/crime mystery vibes, lots of humour and lots of heart. For me, a great combo!
The book just has a really big cast of characters with a lot going on for each of them (in the plot and emotionally) so I didnât really go into the movie expecting them to nail it (they definitely didnât) but I think itâs a good time in its own right! Just not really a toooon of overlap with the book other than the broad strokes and character names đ€·đœââïž
I know that she doesn't actually fit the criteria, but special shout out to El from Naomi Novak's Scholomance Series.
Endearingly grumpy [teenager, with the air and attitude of an] old person with their found family. â€ïž
Hahaha yes but alas, she found her family too early in life to qualify. Suffer longer next time girl!
i think one of the characters in cascade failure (and the second book gravity lost) would fall into this category for sure!
This list is intended to capture books where that is the primary focus of the story, would you say that's the case for cascade failure or is it more a side character?
itâs like a found family story with 5 POVs (one is this character) but itâs clear from all POVs that this character is kind of a caring grumpâif that makes sense?
Okay cool thanks for clarifying! I'm sure this is a lovely book, I think the old grump being only 1/5 MCs makes it just a smidge outside the focus of this list đ«¶
If you like this style, you will love Blue Sky Joe by Marie-Renée Lavoie, it's French Canadian and set in Québec city in the 1980-1990's
Hmmm is there an English translation? I'm not seeing it come up when I search here or on goodreads
Just realized they only made an English version of the movie and not the book đ©
Booo!!
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