You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

One of the group reads for August is How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley. Please discuss the book in this thread.

Kristie will be leading the discussion.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during August 2025.
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favorite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

A note on discussion: Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favorite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc.

In addition to this, the group reads are meant to be a "read along" so it is preferable that you discuss the book as you read rather than wait until you've finished the book.

And finally, discussion is not about just listing your thoughts. Please interact with the other group members, comment on their thoughts, and if they comment on yours, respond to them. This is what makes a good book discussion!

You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread.

Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

I will be starting this book sometime tomorrow :)

I'm looking forward to this one. I will be starting as soon as I finish my current read. It should be within a couple of days.

Started the book a little earlier than planned and all I have to say is that if the rest of the book is as funny as the Prologue, this is going to be a great read. I already love the characters.

Glad to see that, Jayme! Can't wait. :)

Read to page 68 - 4th Daphne chapter in HB

The chapters aren't numbered it seems that there are 4 different POVs - Daphne, Art, Lydia and Ziggy

Daphne is quite the (view spoiler)[ character. She doesn't give a crap about anyone. Do not piss her off. I can't wait to discover more of her backstory. I am thinking she was a spy or assassin. I also think she is being set-up to have a heart of gold, but no.

Lydia wins the award for the worse first day on the job. I'm surprised that she went back. At first I was curious about what was on the text that she received, but then remembered from the prologue that her husband left her. Already didn't like him from her chapter introduction. Figures he would leave her in a text.

Art is a no-brainer character - could end up being Daphne's "hookup".

Zigggy - like Ziggy can see the rest of them helping him out to get to college. (hide spoiler)] on to read more.

Oh, that makes discussion difficult. Very frustrating when the chapters aren't numbered.

Full confession - I'm in love with Art - flaws and all.

Read to page 137 - Finished 6th Daphne chapter in HB

This a very enjoyable fast read. The banter is great and all the older characters are quirky, but "somewhat" realistic. They may be over the top, but what they feel is honest and heartfelt. I do think that (view spoiler)[ William is dying, but hasn't had the courage to tell Art yet.

I also think that the events that took place in the prologue may happen the night of the Christmas pageant. Somehow Daphne and Lydia are going to save the day - can't wait to find out how. <.spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

I love that, Jayme.

I'm still wrapping up my previous book, so I won't be starting this one until at least tomorrow or maybe the next day.

I will be wrapping it up sometime this weekend. I went and put a couple of the author's other books on my TBR.

Oh, that's a good sign!

Edit - Of course I had to go check out her other books. I have two of them on my TBR already and Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting is sitting on my nightstand from the library. lol

My hold came in today, so I'll be starting the book this evening. Can't wait!

I had a busy day, so am just finishing my current book now. I'll be starting tomorrow.

I finished the book and loved it. I gave it a 4.5 rounded to 5. I so needed this book. I think what I liked most about the story (view spoiler)[
is that Pooley could have made Daphne a kick ass spy type who had saved previously saved the world, but she made her a criminal on the lamb who uses her interesting set of skills to help lift others up. Not because she's altruistic, but because she has come to care for this specific group of misfits and doesn't want anyone to hurt them. "When they go low, we get revenge."
I also liked how the prologue was written back in, but with the perspective of Art and Daphne - very clever. (hide spoiler)]
Though I finished I will pop in to comment once people start to read - have to share the joy.

Excellent, Jayme!

I'm up to the 2nd Ziggy chapter, I think (16%). Just your page 68 spoiler, Jayme. I agree with everything you had to say.

(view spoiler)[ I was also thinking Daphne had some sort of spy/assassin background. I can see how that would make it hard to get to know people.

Lydia is certainly having a rough time of it. I can relate to her on some level. It is hard to go from mom and wife to empty nest and divorced, not to mention the worst day ever returning to work.

I had no idea there was going to be a death! I can't wait to see where the story goes. (hide spoiler)]

I'm going to try to get a physical copy of the book so I can keep better track of where I am and list page numbers along with percentages.

I've made it to page 156 (46% according to GR, 49% in the audio - I'm guessing the audio does not include the author's note and/or acknowledgment) (view spoiler)[ Poor Art has been caught and called out publicly! How's he going to get out of this one? I thought it was so funny that Daphne liked him the best when he was in trouble. lol
(hide spoiler)]

I went back and re-read the prologue again now that I have a feel for the characters and it is more funny knowing their personalities. I'm really enjoying this one.

Kristie wrote: "I've made it to page 156 (46% according to GR, 49% in the audio - I'm guessing the audio does not include the author's note and/or acknowledgment) Poor Art has been caught and called out publicly!..."

I also thought (view spoiler)[ it interesting that Daphne seems to like everyone a bit better once their flaws are revealed - a bit of foreshadowing? (hide spoiler)]

She seems to really not like (view spoiler)[ goody two shoes and thinks they all are until something happens to show her otherwise. (hide spoiler)]

I'm up to page 238 in the HB. I just finished Daphne's 12th (I think) chapter. (view spoiler)[ I love that she just spent 2 hours writing and rewriting an apology to Art. It obviously matters to her a lot.

She seems to have taken everyone's. problems on as her own. She has them all on her whiteboard to fix. I can't wait to see what she gets up to!
(hide spoiler)]

I'm really enjoying this one. It's an interesting cast of characters. I love books like this where you get to see everyone grow and the relationships develop and everyone is just such an individual.

Kristie wrote: "I'm up to page 238 in the HB. I just finished Daphne's 12th (I think) chapter.
She ..."

I think that everyone needs a Daphne in their life. Someone who will let you flounder and figure it out on your own, but when the "sh*t hits the fan" knows how to bury a body. 🤣

lol! Yes, that's for sure.

I finished! This was such a fun story. I loved the characters. (view spoiler)[ I loved Daphne and I agree hat I like how Pooley made her a criminal with a conscience instead of a hero.

I got a kick out of her and Art's relationship. I love that she helped out Ziggy so he can go to college now and not worry about his mom. I also love that she kept in touch even though she's hiding out.

Her whiteboard was the best! Lol

I also loved how she included the prologue in at the end and gave you the different perspective of it. That was so funny.
(hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed this one a lot. I loved watching the relationships grow and getting to all all the interesting characters. This seems to be the kind of book I lean towards lately. 4.5★ also rounding up

I'm at 24%, just after the 4th Art chapter.

I'm really enjoying this book. Daphne is a trip! (view spoiler)[I love her deciding that she needs to be nicer right after being so mean to Art, and getting Ziggy to help her with online dating was a stroke of brilliance. She's a fun character, and I'm excited to see where she goes. I like Ziggy a lot, too. He's in a hard place, and I'm wondering what's going to happen with him and the geriatrics. (hide spoiler)]

Kristie wrote: "I'm up to the 2nd Ziggy chapter, I think (16%). Just your page 68 spoiler, Jayme. I agree with everything you had to say..."

(view spoiler)[I also think Daphne has a background in covert something, which is a fun addition to her character. It will be interesting seeing what happens with that. (hide spoiler)]

Glad you're enjoying it too, Amanda. The characters are great.

I also have been leaning into books like this lately. I think we all need a feel good story and a laugh out loud.

Jayme wrote: "I also have been leaning into books like this lately. I think we all need a feel good story and a laugh out loud."

Absolutely! I've been reading a lot of cozy mysteries and humorous books lately, too.

I agree, Jayme.

48% in, at the 6th Lydia chapter.

(view spoiler)[The Christmas play was a hoot! I could just imagine all the kids in the nativity, causing chaos. I feel bad for Art, who seems to have been found out about the stealing. Although he shouldn't have brought the food to the play, and not just because it's old. (hide spoiler)]

Amanda wrote: "48% in, at the 6th Lydia chapter.

[spoilers removed]"

Yes, I thought (view spoiler)[ that play must have been so cute to watch! The kids were adorable. And poor Art. (hide spoiler)]

I just started reading this and the prologue is hilarious! This is exactly what I need for a rainy day. Already, I can tell that is going to be full of witty dialogue and curious escapades.

The prologue was great. I think it's even funnier once you know the characters.

I had high expectations for this book, but didn't like it at all.

Karin wrote: "I had high expectations for this book, but didn't like it at all."

Karin - Can you elaborate? What didn't work for you? Were there any parts you thought were done well?

Kristie wrote: "Karin wrote: "I had high expectations for this book, but didn't like it at all."

Karin - Can you elaborate? What didn't work for you? Were there any parts you thought were done well?"

I wrote more about it in the reporting thread and linked my review from when I read it in February, but don't have much time today. Two of the things are that I found little of it funny and it felt like a poor imitation of better books I've read about a group of senior citizens with moxie. There were a couple of things I found funny in the earlier part of the book. I primarily read it because I needed to read a book with a character named Lydia.

Karin wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Karin wrote: "I had high expectations for this book, but didn't like it at all."

Karin - Can you elaborate? What didn't work for you? Were there any parts you thought were done wel..."

You can come back to chat whenever. We're here all month. :)

It's great that you added more in the reporting thread, but the badges are for discussing the book in the discussion threads. So, while you do have to say a little bit in that thread to claim your badge, the reporting thread is mostly for reporting that you discussed it here. There's a lot of information about what the expectations are for discussion in the first post of this thread.

Kristie wrote: "Karin wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Karin wrote: "I had high expectations for this book, but didn't like it at all."

Karin - Can you elaborate? What didn't work for you? Were there any parts you thought..."

My mistake! I've been in such a flurry IRL I forgot. This isn't the only site where I do challenges and they can blur together.

What I wrote over there was meant for here but I got mixed up as to where to post it.

A disappointing one star..this is the review I wrote when I read it in February https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... if you want to see my full thoughts at the time.

I did laugh out loud a couple of times, but overall didn't find it funny. This this book felt like an imitation of other, better, books featuring groups of senior citizens I've read that were published before this, such as The Thursday Murder Club. I finished it only because I needed a book with a character named Lydia.

I had a difficult time as a mother finding humour in situations involving Kylie. Some of the characters had weak story lines. The odds of such a small group of random people over 70 having this many wild and crazy ones in the mix? Very slim. I also couldn't buy into what Daphne did. The knitting thing was crazy--she couldn't knit those huge things in that amount of time without a knitting machine, but it reads like she knit everything the traditional way.

Plus I'm tired of seeing reality shows in novels.

I finished the book.

I really enjoyed it! I had a hard time getting into it at first, but ended up liking it quite a bit. (view spoiler)[I loved Daphne and Art's relationship, and I loved how Daphne fixed Ziggy's problem with the gang. They were all great characters with a lot of spirit! I loved how Anna had no problems just skipping over the loss of her passport. (hide spoiler)]

No worries, Karin. I understand. There are different rules for different challenges and group reads.

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief as far as a group like this existing. lol I went into it expecting that and not taking it too seriously, so I thought it was great fun. I think it also depends on your mood and what you've read previously, as you you stated. Out of curiosity, what did you rate The Thursday Murder Club?

Amanda wrote: "I finished the book.

I really enjoyed it! I had a hard time getting into it at first, but ended up liking it quite a bit. [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I thought it was so cute how they stood up for each other. We should all be so lucky as to have a group of friends like that!

I also got a kick out of Daphne using their ages to feign problems and get out of trouble or get special treatment. She's such a trouble maker!
(hide spoiler)]

Kristie wrote: "No worries, Karin. I understand. There are different rules for different challenges and group reads.

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief as far as a group like this existing. lol I went..."

Yes to suspending disbelief, but I can't always do that in every book; if I don't like a book or it goes to far for me in an area I know too much about I can't. For this one it was because I didn't like the book much, so it stood out more.

I've read the first four Thursday Murder club books and rated them 3 (rounded down from 3.5), 4, 4 and 4 stars. Obviously it also requires suspending disbelief to have those four characters all in one place, etc, but the characters are well drawn, and when we read Joyce writing (is it in her diary? It's been a while since I've read one) it's a fun change.

I liked the first book in the Marlowe Murder Club only, but there are other books featuring older characters I haven't liked much.

After playing too many reading games over the past 7 or 8 years my average star rating is only 3.19 (2020 didn't help at all.) I'm trying to bring that up! I was doing fairly well, but finishing the alphabet lists isn't helping and has helped dropped my 2025 year in books to 3.2. My goal was over 3.5 for this year (if I like a book and that's it, or if it averaged out to a like, it's 3 stars.)

This is one of the reasons why I'll only allow myself to finish one more alphabet list this year.

That makes sense. I just finished a book like that. I had to suspend my disbelief, but I wasn't enjoying it. I think a lot of it has to do with my mood and expectations, as well as the writing. For this one, I was definitely in the mood for it and it was just what I was expecting and hoping for. I've read the first two Thursday Murder Club books. I gave the first one 3.5 stars, but rounded up, and the the second 4 stars.

Kristie wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I finished the book.

I really enjoyed it! I had a hard time getting into it at first, but ended up liking it quite a bit. [spoilers removed]"

I thought it was so cute how they stoo..."

(view spoiler)[Me too! I loved when Daphne went to save Art from the police and said he was, what... incontinent, had dementia, and had ed? And most of it had nothing to do with stealing. So funny! (hide spoiler)]

Amanda wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I finished the book.

I really enjoyed it! I had a hard time getting into it at first, but ended up liking it quite a bit. [spoilers removed]"

I thought it was so cu..."

Yes! (view spoiler)[ He was mortified! lol

I also loved how it took Daphne all day to write her apology and it ended up looking like something she had just dribbled down.

I also got a kick out of their how would you rather die game. It's pretty morbid, but something I found funny and would be entertained by in real life.
(hide spoiler)]

I read up to page 36 that's pre-club days

What is with the symbols above the names in each chapter? Daphne has (view spoiler)[ a cigarette symbol beside her name. I have guessed it is because she smokes the long, thin cigarettes?!? Art has a sausage on a fork and I can't think what the link might be? Maybe I will find out later. (hide spoiler)]

So far, I am finding the writing great. It is a book that doesn't take itself too serious. The characters are often completely blind to their own flaws which makes for hilarious outcomes as they set about achieving their goals. Whatever those goals maybe. I can't wait to read more.

My book doesn't have those symbols, Grainne. That's interesting. Just something associated with each character?

I finished reading the book and went through all your comments.
I really liked the book! And I agree with Kristie about how the timing is so important in your liking/ disliking a book.

My recent reading included a book on Palestine, a book on war in Sierra Leone and a ghosts book for yearly challenge (a genre I dislike reading). So THIS book was a breath of fresh air. I really needed it right now.

Loved all the characters. Would have loved to see more of Anna in there, I found her character quite intriguing (view spoiler)[ and all the husbands who died.

Daphne was truly the hero of the book. Loved the character development, how from not caring about anyone, how she came to care for everyone.

I was prepared for a not so happy ending with her ending in prison but I guess we all love happy endings even if they are not always realistic lol.

I was a bit worried for Maggie rotating between three houses but oh, well, seems like she was getting the best of all worlds.

My book didn't have the symbols as well, is it in paperback, Grainne?

Overall, such a fun read that came at the right time for me. I need a friend like Daphne to watch my back. :p (hide spoiler)]

Kristie wrote: "My book doesn't have those symbols, Grainne. That's interesting. Just something associated with each character?"

Right, each character has a symbol above their name at the beginning of each chapter in my book. It is a Penguin Random House publication; published in Great Britain.
As I am reading, I realize that the symbols tie in with the characters as follows:
Daphne has a long cigarette with a filter
Ziggy has a pram/pushchair
Art has a sausage on a fork
Lydia has a slice of cake

I am up to page 79
Daphne is a (view spoiler)[ force to be reckoned with and she gives off the vibes of someone who lived through the war and who played her part during the war. It is interesting that you think she was a spy or had some covert mission Amanda and Kristie. Once she sets up her online dating profile, there will be no stopping here haha (hide spoiler)]

Ziggy's life has definitely (view spoiler)[ taken a twist and now he has a beautiful baby daughter. I hope that he can make his application and go to school and then on to university. Daphne is a smooth operator and charms Ziggy into helping her with her online dating profile in exchange for some baby sitting. How hard can it be? haha (hide spoiler)]