Wendy

Women who are neither young nor old fall into what this book calls the "certain age," and it treats that stage as a time to take things easy. It celebrates the pleasures of shapeless cardigans, well-worn slippers, ready-made meals, and the harmless fantasy of swapping a husband for a Daniel Craig lookalike.

The book also takes in the less cozy side of middle years: choosing among fashionable diets, fretting over a spreading waistline on your partner's side and your own, and getting through a wedding dance floor without clearing it.

Written by the team behind Grumpy Old Women and illustrated throughout, the guide covers a wide range of subjects. Among them are spotting thrush in the garden, assembling a sensible packed lunch, keeping up appearances on a tight budget (lard included), the Cardboard Diet, Excessive Cleaning Disorder (ECD), the appeal of a comfortable tunic, and thrift as a neglected pastime.

For readers who want something more eye-catching, there are pictures of middle-aged television personalities: Bill Turnbull gardening, James Nesbitt in tennis whites, and Richard Hammond playing the guitar.