Aunt Dimity’s Death, by Nancy Atherton. To claim a bequest in a will, Lori Shepherd travels to England where she discovers that a fictional character from childhood stories was a real person.

Evening Class, by Maeve Binchy. A mysterious, eccentric signorina teaching an Italian class in a small Irish village gradually learns her students’ secret dreams and slowly transforms their lives.

Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner. After an unhappy romance, Edith Hope is banished by her friends to a resort in Switzerland where she befriends the other guests and comes to a new understanding of life.

Lamb in Love, by Carrie Brown. Fifty-five year old Norris Lamb discovers love for the very first time when he sees Vida Stephen one summer night.

Loose Lips, by Rita Mae Brown. The two unforgettable, outrageous Hunsenmeir sisters try to run a beauty salon together in a small Maryland town in the early 1940s.

To Serve Them All My Days, by R. F. Delderfield. A young man, who has been traumatized by World War I, begins a long career as a teacher in a boys’ school.

The Diary of Emily Dickinson, by Jamie Fuller. A fictionalized re-creation of a year in the life of the reclusive New England poet.

Thale’s Folly, by Dorothy Gilman. While investigating a neglected family property in western Massachusetts, novelist Andrew Thale discovers the house is inhabited by an eccentric group of former guests of his Aunt Harriet.

The Light Years, by Elizabeth Jane Howard. A look at the public and private lives of the upper crust British Cazalet family just before the outbreak of World War II.

Trials of Friendship, by Hazel Hucker. Feeling inadequate, Polly Ferrison is not looking forward to an annual reunion with four of her friends from college until she realizes each friend has problems of her own.

A Song for Summer, by Eva Ibbotson. A young Englishwoman takes the position of housemother in an Austrian boarding school on the eve of World War II.

At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon. The mysteries and miracles of everyday life in a small North Carolina town keep Father Tim busy.

The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love, by Joan Medlicott. A charming and spiritually uplifting story showing how three good women, all widowed and of a "certain age", learn not only to look back in life but to look forward with courage and humor.

The Enchanted Voyage, by Robert Nathan. Mr. Pecket, a Bronx carpenter, builds a sailboat in his back yard but before his wife can sell the boat, a storm sweeps Mr. Pecket off in his creation where he begins a voyage of reflection.

High Tide at Noon, by Elisabeth Ogilvie. The story of life on a small Maine island where the men struggle to live off the sea’s bounty and where the women provide the greatest source of support and security.

Now You See Her, by Whitney Otto. A game show question writer about to turn forty, Kiki Shaw makes some discoveries about her life and those of the women closest to her when she realizes she is disappearing - literally!

A Peaceful Retirement, by Miss Read. In this continuation of a delightfully charming series featuring a village schoolteacher, Miss Read discovers her long anticipated retirement turns out to be anything but peaceful!

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, by Ann B. Ross. The death of her husband Wesley has Julia Springer contemplating a quiet and proper life in the small Southern town where she lives until a nine-year old boy arrives on her doorstep with proof that Wesley was his father.

A Price for Everything, by Mary Sheepshanks. While her marriage appears to crumble, Sonia, Lady Duntan sets out to restore the 200-year-old Duntan house and discovers she will be working closely with Simon Hadleigh the director of the Heritage at Risk Association.

Various Miracles, by Carol Shields. An insightful and touching array of short stories including one that tracks a day of apologies that comes full circle.

The Lemon Jelly Cake, by Madeline Babcock Smith. The joys and trials of early 20th century small-town life as experienced by young Helen Bradford and her best friend Gracie Baldwin.

Kelly Park, by Jean Stubbs. While converting a rundown Cornish home into an inn, Flavia Pollard discovers love.

Marling Hall, by Angela Thirkell. English high society during World War II forms the backdrop for this tale of a bohemian brother and sister who rent an Edwardian manor in the town of Marling Melicent.

The Choir, by Joanna Trollope. Town and gown clash in this richly layered story about an historic choir in an English city undergoing changes.

The Friendly Persuasion, by Jessamyn West. A Quaker farmer and his minister wife raise a family and face crises of conscience among the rolling hills of Indiana.

The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton. Beautiful Lily Bart, who at age 29 lacks a husband to secure her position in gilded age New York society, makes an attempt to correct this situation with two available gentleman acquaintances.

Quite a Year for Plums, by Bailey White. A latticework of interconnected tales that traces what happens to the peculiar but mostly loveable residents of a southern town over the space of a year.

The View From the Summerhouse, by Barbara Whitnell. While researching an article on a famous World War II broadcaster, an American journalist discovers his own father had ties to the man’s family during the war.

The Train to Estelline, by Jane Roberts Woods. In the summer of 1911, young Lucinda Richards arrives in the small town of Estelline, Texas where her new job as the schoolteacher awaits.

Thanks to Scottsdale Public Library for compiling this list.

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