Looking for the best books for women over 50? Whether you’re navigating menopause, rebuilding confidence, or rethinking what ageing really means, these 12 books offer clarity, reassurance, and a fresh perspective on midlife and beyond.
If you’re anything like me, when life shifts, you go looking for answers.
And very often, those answers begin in books.
This is a small selection from a wider collection I return to often.
📚 Explore My Midlife & Beyond Reading Library
If You’re Not Sure Where to Start
If you’re feeling:
unsettled by midlife changes
unsure about menopause
less confident than you used to be
or simply curious about what this stage can become
then one of these books will meet you where you are.
Menopause & Hormones
Menopausing – Davina McCall & Dr Naomi Potter
A clear, balanced and reassuring guide to what’s actually happening in your body, without fear or confusion.
This is one of the best books on Menopause that I've read. Keep it on your bedside table for information at your fingertips.
Available via Amazon
It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones – Nikki Williams
A practical look at fatigue, hormones, nutrition and how to support your body through midlife.
Hormone Replacement Therapy is helpful for many, but there are alos natural methods to alleviate the symptoms of peri-menopause which can either supplement or replace it. This book helps us to make an informed choice, in partnership with pur medical practitioners.
Available via Amazon
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Me and My Menopausal Vagina – Jane Lewis
An honest, brave and important book that opens up conversations many of us were never taught to have.
The more we talk about women's health, the less alone we feel , making it more likely that solutions can be found.
Available via Amazon
Brain Health & Memory
The Menopause Brain – Dr Lisa Mosconi
Explains brain fog, memory changes and why these shifts are not permanent.
You'll have many "aha" moments as you read the latest science in this ground-breaking research into women's brains.
Available via Amazon
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The Upgrade – Dr Louann Brizendine
A fascinating look at how the female brain evolves – and often strengthens – in midlife.
This is a book to give you hope if you're suffering from brain fog and forgetfulness and are wondering, is this it?
Available via Amazon
Confidence and Reinvention
Creatrix Rising – Stephanie Raffelock
A deeply empowering reframe of midlife as a time of creation, not decline.
This is a beautiful evocation of elderhood as a period of unfolding, celebrating the wisdom, resilience and strength of older women.
Available via Amazon
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The Middlescence Manifesto – Dr Barbara Waxman
Introducing a new life stage, helping us to see midlife as an opportunity, not an ending.
I came away from this short, but powerful book feeling inspired.
Available via Amazon
Positive Ageing & Mindset
Breaking the Age Code – Dr Becca Levy
Ground-breaking research on how our beliefs about ageing shape our health and confidence.
If you're interested in how ageism affects us and how other cultures view and support older people, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Available via Amazon
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This Chair Rocks – Ashton Applewhite
A powerful, thought-provoking challenge to the cultural narrative around ageing.
Have you ever wondered where ageism comes from? Read this to find out and be inspired to call it out, in yourself as well as others.
Available via Amazon
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The Swedish Art of Ageing Well – Margareta Magnusson
Gentle, wise reflections on growing older with humour and perspective.
I love Margareta's wry humour as she offers "Life wisdom from someone who will (probably) die before you". Well worth a read.
Available via Amazon
Style, Visibility & Self-Expression
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Living the Life More Fabulous – Tricia Cusden
A refreshing take on beauty, confidence and being seen again in midlife and beyond from the founder of Look Fabulous Forever, a make-up brand created exclusively for women over 50.
Now in her 70s, Tricia Cusden continues to write about beauty and style, and recently published her first novel.
Available via Amazon
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Bolder Not Older – Nikki Hambleton-Jones
A practical and uplifting guide to rediscovering personal style and confidence.
This gorgeous book is as colourful as it's author, TV personality and Magazine Fashion Editor, Nikki Hambleton Jones.
Available via Amazon
Not sure which to choose?
Explore the Midlife and Beyond library for these and other books aimed at women in midlife and beyond. Sometimes the right book arrives at exactly the moment we need it.
If something here has resonated, trust that instinct. That’s usually where to begin.
If you’d like something that brings many of these ideas together in one place, I’ve written Ageing Wonderfully Well, which explores midlife, confidence, health and purpose, and examines what it really means to grow older in the 21st century.
You can explore the book here
If you would like to recommend a book you have enjoyed on any aspect of, Menopause - peri- or post-, please do let me know in the comments.
Affiliate Note:
Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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