Reading helps keep your brain active, reduces stress, and offers enjoyment at any stage of life. Looking for books to help you learn and grow? Members of LiveUp’s Ageing Well Advisory Group (AWAG) have provided a list of their top picks for 2026.
About AWAG
The Ageing Well Advisory Group (AWAG) played an important role in helping LiveUp stay centred around its primary audience – you.
AWAG advised LiveUp by representing the voices of older people in Australia. The group included 14 members aged between 45 and 85, with people from every state in Australia. They helped improve LiveUp resources by sharing their feedback.
LiveUp’s mission is to be an evidence‑based resource for older adults. A key part of this is working with people in the community. We want to be led by your lived experience. This helps us share resources that are useful, practical, and relevant.
How does LiveUp continue this work today? We now gather feedback through surveys that reach many more older people across Australia. This approach builds on the strong foundations AWAG created and allows even more voices to be heard.
About AWAG’s recommended books
Members of AWAG have curated this list of age-positive book recommendations. These are personally recommended reads – from older readers, for older readers.
The overall list covers a broad range of genres and themes. In this article, you’ll find books about the science of ageing well, as well as some self-help books. Perhaps they’ll help you expand your mind!
Books about ageing well: science, stories, and inspiration
These books might change how you think about growing older:
Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old
by Andrew Steele
Ageless is a guide to why you get old, and how you can stop it. Steele details the progress science has made in recent years to help humans live longer without getting frail or ill.
Ageing Well: A Guide to Rejuvenation and Longevity
by George Cromack
Ageing Well explores some of the latest health practices and examines the most beneficial ways you can make your body healthy and strong.
Can Adventure Prevent Dementia? A guide to outwitting Alzheimer’s
by Dr Helena Popovic
Dr Popovic is a leading expert on improving brain function. This book is filled with her scientific insights, as well as laugh-out-loud stories of Dad and daughter’s adventure with dementia. It’s never too late or too early to boost your brain, avert Alzheimer’s, and defy dementia.
