My mum picked out 59 Memory Lane from the local library’s selection of cosy reads. She enjoyed it so much that she insisted I read it before it was due for return. Fair is fair, I push quite a few books on to mum, so I’ve been due one back.

Set in a picturesque Cornish village, this book has a number of different storylines woven among the residents. The main centres around May, a 110-year old lady who has the ability to harvest memories from objects. Around her are neighbours Andy, a widowed father of Tamsin, and Julia, a widowed grandmother of Emily, a publishing agent who lives in New York.

There are plenty more side characters, with many being over retirement age. I have noticed more and more books being published with mature characters – The Red Address Book, The Six Loves of Billy Binns, Grandmothers, Three Things About Elsie, Saving Missy, Mr Doubler Begins Again and so on.

59 Memory Lane contains hidden family secrets, old grudges and a mystery surrounding a lost ring. All the various stories ease nicely along to their conclusions, with a few more surprising revelations along the way. This is a lovely gentle fiction that has appeal across reading generations. There’s bit of everything to keep you smiling sprinkled inside!