I am 64 years old, finally retired and trying to make up for my misspent youth. Now I want to make every day count—it is not primarily about having fun, unless you count studying (languages) and (athletic) training fun. I was concerned that after many years of finding nothing good to read, books could no longer hold my interest. To my relief, I have found that this is not completely true. However, the authors that can still keep me engaged write crime fiction. Besides simple diversion, how can I justify this use of my time? I can pretty much spot the plot devices and tropes.
My mom is 65 and she read a lot, I think even more than I do. I buy her a book every Christmas or birthday (she just absorbed whole Follet’s Kingsbridge series, I don’t know how she reads so fast). From what I observe, she doesn’t lock herself in one genre or author. She red romances, dramas, crime books, but also spy thrillers, like Bourne series. She has very sharp mind and great memory. Might be, that reading so much and making crosswords play some role here.