Category: Fiction

In This Mountain

by Jan Karon, 2001 Pastor Tim hits a man and his dog due to diabetic shock – kills the dog, man is okay – Baptist pastor – nice guy! Never thanks Hessie Mayhew for the gorgeous arrangement she brought him. He gave to head nurse. I don’t know about that – oversight on Jan Karon’s […]

The Glass Lake

by Maeve Binchy, 1994 757 pages – Helen McMahon disappears from Lough Glass leaving her husband and 2 kids. Kit, her daughter, finds a note to Martin & burns it – it was a suicide note, Kit thought – but it really wasn’t – it was an explanation to Martin from Helen of why she […]

Ladder of Years

by Anne Tyler, 1995 Delia Grinstead, married to Sam, a family doctor; three kids, walks away from them while on a beach vacation. Ends up living in a new town, Bay Borough, for a year and a half. Comes back for daughter’s wedding – ends up staying. Couldn’t put down (helped that we had snow […]

The Year of Pleasures

by Elizabeth Berg, 2005 What a quick read! Bette Nolan loses her husband, John, to cancer. Leaves Boston, drives to Midwest, picks a town, a house, starts a new life. Opens a store, ‘What A Woman Wants,’ renews friendship with 3 old college roommates. Doesn’t open store until the very end. Great book! Loved all […]

A New Song

by Jan Karon, 1999 Cynthia and Father Kavanaugh go to island church on White Cap. Frenchwoman, Helene Pringle, rents the rectory in Mitford – steals the angel. Is an heir of the Baxter’s. Morris Love, organist with Turrette’s Syndrome and deformities – starts out as enemy, becomes friend, comes to Jesus.

My Sister’s Keeper

by Jodi Picoult, 2003 Interesting: One sister, Kate, has leukemia, and Anna is born to be her donor. Anna decides to go to a lawyer to sue for the rights to her own body when they want her kidney. Loved the lawyer, Campbell Alexander, and his dog, Judge, a seizure dog.

Three Short Novels

by Wendell Berry, 2002 Wonderful writer (Wayne’s Uncle Bob’s favorite writer and became Wayne’s favorite writer). 1. Nathan Coulter; 2. Remembering (Andy Catlett loses his arm); 3. A World Lost (Uncle Andrew’s murder)

Years

by LaVyrle Spencer, 1986 Long novel about 1917-1919 young girl named Linnea, goes to small wheat farming community to be the school teacher. Falls in love with Theodore – 35 years old.

Out to Canaan

by Jan Karon, 1997 A “gentle read” as described by the Fort Collins Public Library, this is the 4th book of the Mitford series. Father Tim is married to Cynthia, a beautiful artist, and their lives are blessed by each other and the love they have for the town and people of Mitford. These books […]

Catch 22

by Joseph Heller, 1961 I was not able to continue reading this book after the first chapter or so. Something turned me off so badly, I threw it away. (I had picked it up for free from a garage sale.) However, it is a Pulitzer Prize winner and classic, so maybe I need to give […]