From the witty coterie of women who brought us How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are comes the soon-to-be classic Older But Better But Older. With a mere twenty-seven years to my name I know I’m not exactly the target audience for this book but these women could write a childrens’ book, or a grocery list, and I would still race to pick up a copy. They’re that good.

And some days, I certainly do feel old enough for a book about getting older. Especially when there are passages like these:

“These imperfections, which the teenage girl hates and the woman learns to cherish, reveal a true strength of character. Our flaws give us the choice to redefine our standards of beauty - to affirm ourselves despite (and sometimes to challenge) the consensus.” (Pg 55)

And

“Adulthood, you’ve finally understood, is always just a little bit later than now. Being a grown-up is for tomorrow.” (Pg 236)

The book is filled with everything from lists of ancient (and truly toxic) anti-aging remedies, to poems about learning to love the butt you have, and a test to see if you’re ready for reading glasses, yet.

They turn the mundane, and sometimes shocking, feeling of growing ever older into prose that makes you feel seen and very glad indeed that you’re not the only one who feels a certain way.

Some things truly are universal. No matter your age, or where you currently call home. After all, you don’t have to be genuinely old to be older. And we don’t need to wait that long to begin gathering wisdom of our own.