“The Jane Austen Society: A Novel” by Natalie Jenner

In this gentle, moving book, the author creates a group of people in post-war England who have all suffered various trauma, and who have a common love of Jane Austen’s writings, along with a deep desire to keep her legacy alive in the small village of Chawton, Hampshire, where Austen lived at the end of her life.  When they gradually come together to form a society to preserve artifacts and attempt to buy Jane Austen’s old cottage for a museum, they not only open themselves to find like-minded friends, but also find purpose and healing, both in the relationships with each other, and in the curative power of literature. 5 Stars

“Fairy Tale” by Stephen King

I don’t usually read Stephen King books since horror is not my genre, but “Fairy Tale” is more fantasy than horror, and the first half of the book is an intriguing story about Charley, a teenager dealing with tragedy, who begins to change when he starts taking care of Radar, a dog belonging to an elderly neighbor who fell off a ladder. In the second half of the book, Charley discovers that the old man has visited a magical, secret world, and when Charley takes Radar on a quest to that world, he experiences the powerful presence of evil, becomes friends with people disfigured by the evil, gets captured by the palace guard, and eventually leads a quest to depose the traitorous leader who sold his soul in order to become king. 4 Stars

The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel #2″ by Nita Prose

In the second book of this series, Molly the maid is now proudly the “Head Maid” at the Regency Grand Hotel, and her attention to detail, obsession for cleaning, and the sense of fair play she learned from her Gran, combine to give her all she needs to solve the mystery that once again plagues the hotel, when a well-known writer collapses just as he is about to make a startling announcement. With a cast of clever characters, lots of twists and turns, and many flashbacks to give insight into Molly’s character and decisions, the warmth and charm of this cozy mystery is sure to delight. 4 Stars

“A Song of Comfortable Chairs” Book 22 in the #1 Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith

This twenty-second book in the series is every bit as delightful and thought-provoking as the others and is filled with little tidbits of common sense from Mma. Ramotswe like this quote: “We should love one another, she thought, not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because it was far easier than hating one another. People who hated often had to work quite hard at keeping their hatred warm.” If you liked the other books in this series, you will love this one too, as Mma. Ramotswe devises plans to help Mma. Makutsi’s husband, Phuti Radiphuti, whose furniture business is being threatened, and also help a friend whose son is threatening his mother’s chance at happiness. 4 Stars