Gentle Reads:

These titles contain little violence or sex and feature story lines with good, “old fashioned” qualities.

  General Fiction

  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. In this classic English novel of the 19th century, Elizabeth Bennett’s unpleasant first meeting with the proud Mr. Darcy leads to surprising consequences.

  Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson . Benson’s “Lucia” books are a hilarious, sharply observed satire poking fun at the outrageous snobbery of English high society. Other books in the series include: Miss Mapp, Lucia in London and Mapp and Lucia.

  The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy. Nine characters in a small Irish town share their life stories.

  A Lion in the Way by Elizabeth Cadell. Edwin Brooke, a widower and music teacher in Calcutta, has his hands full trying to raise his daughter, Annerly, on his own. But love and the help of Mrs. Devenish turn the girl into an eligible young beauty.

  The Maltese Angel by Catherine Cookson. When a 19th century English farmer falls in love with a dancer, a neighboring country girl feels spurned and wreaks havoc on his farm and family.

  To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield Follows the fortunes of David Powlett-Jones, a young Welshman, from his arrival at Bamfylde, a boy’s school in Devon, to his elevation to the position of headmaster.

  Consider This, Senora by Harriet Doerr. Expatriate Americans with troubled souls settle in a small dusty village in Mexico.

  Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton. Mattie Rigsbee gains unlikely companions when a stray dog and a teenage delinquent come to stay in her small North Carolina town.

  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.

  Time and Again by Jack Finney. Time travel, mystery, a love story and a 19th century setting blend together in this tale of a young man enlisted in a secret government experiment.

  Coming Attractions by Fannie Flagg. In this humorous story, a young girl comes of age in the South.

  Joshua by Joseph Girzone. A simple yet talented carpenter and sculptor moves to rural New York and wins over members of all denominations.

  Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. A redoubtable charlady who gets it into her head to own a Dior original, scrimps and saves for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the most glamourous city on earth. Followed by: Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to New York; Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Parliament; and Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Moscow.

  Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene Father Quixote and his friend Sacho Zancas take a journey to Madrid which recalls the adventures of the priest’s fictional ancestor, Don Quixote.

  Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton. A professor at a boys’ prep school in England remembers his life and the people he has known.

  Daughter of Deceit by Victoria Holt. A manipulative woman sets out to steal fame and love in this story set in the Drury Lane theater district of 19th century London.

  The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro A very proper English butler begins to question if the blind devotion he has given his master has been worth the emotional sacrifice.

  Wobegon Boy by Garrison Keillor. In this low-key, humorous story John Tollefson leaves Lake Wobegon and moves to upstate New York, but his hometown sensibilities travel with him.

  Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella. The film Field of Dreams was based on this novel about an Iowan farmer carving a baseball diamond out of his cornfield.

  How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewelyn.. Huw Morgan comes-of-age in a small, turn-of-the-century Welsh mining town. Followed by: Up, Into the Singing Mountain; Down Where the Moon Is Small, and Green, Green My Valley Now.

  The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough. With the help of her cousin, drab Missy learns to go after what she really wants in this story set in the Blue Mountains of Australia.

  Love’s Long Journey by Janette Oke. Young newlyweds share adventures while traveling west to their new cattle ranch.

  How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto. Seven sets of quilting instructions tell the stories of seven women, members of a quilting circle in a small California town.

  The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. Penelope Keeling prizes her father’s paintings, which remind her of her idyllic youth. But when her children discover that the paintings are now worth a fortune, they make plans to take them away from her.

  The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks With his wife suffering from Alzheimer’s, an old man reads her his notebook, which records the tale of their romance, in hopes of jogging her memory.

  Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart In this gothic tale, a young widow in war-torn London returns to her family home to retrieve family mementoes but finds they have mysteriously disappeared.

  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain In this famous fantasy and American classic, a factory foreman wakes up in medieval England.

  Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Delia, a forty-something housewife, simply walks away from her family and begins a new life in another town.

  Amethyst Dreams by Phyllis Whitney. A psychological drama revolving around a deeply troubled family and a missing granddaughter.

  The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse Bertie Wooster is rescued from more bumbling escapades by the indomitable Jeeves.

  Mystery

  The Balloon Man by Charlotte Armstrong.  Rubies, a burglar, a hot-air balloon, and a corpse all transpire to complicate wedding plans.

  Killing Thyme by Peter Abresch. Senior citizen sleuths Jim Dandy and Dodee Swisher are together again—this time at an Elderhostel cooking class in Baltimore. They hope to learn the secrets of the great chefs and continue their budding relationship, but hardly expect to encounter murder.

  Lavender Lies: A China Bayles Mystery by  Susan Wittig Albert. Lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles isn’t about to let a little homicide interfere with her wedding to Pecan Springs police chief Mike McQuaid, so when a greedy real estate developer is found dead, she races to solve the crime before her impending nuptials. Fast moving and full of small town Texas flavor.

  Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. Meg Langslow isn’t sure if she’ll can handle being maid of honor to three brides in three weeks. Can she survive calligraphers, dressmakers, and even a peacock rental when there’s also a murder to solve? A humorous, award-winning cozy

  Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton. Lori Sheperd will inherit a sizeable estate if she can discover the secret hidden in a treausre trove of letters found in Aunt Dimity’s cottage.

  Underdog by Laurien Berenson. Single mom Melanie Travis returns to canine circles to nab the killer of an obedience school instructor.

  The Cat Who mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun. Jim Qwilleran, semi-retired journalist and inheritor of the Klingenschoen fortune, solves mysteries with the help of his cats, Koko and Yum Yum, in Pickax City, Michigan. Books in the series include: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern. The Cat Who Played Brahms

  Murder, She Meowed by Rita Mae Brown.  Amateur sleuth Mary Minor Harrison, her cat Mrs. Murphy and corgi Tee Tucker enter the world of steeplechase racing when 2 jockeys are murdered.

  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. In this unique detectiveless mystery, 10 strangers stranded on an island are murdered one by one.

  The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.  When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, Sherlock Holmes and his friend Watson are brought in to solve one of their toughest cases.

  Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman. Disguised as a bag lady in Manhattan, Mrs. Pollifax intercepts a contraband manuscript which reveals shocking truths about Sadam Hussein’s Iraq.

  Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman. Rabbi David Small is forced into crime solving when he is implicated in a murder near his temple.

  The Famous D.A.R. Murder Mystery by Graham Landrum.  While searching for the resting place of a revolutionary war hero, the ladies of the local chapter of the Daughter of the American Revolution stumble upon a very contemporary corpse.

  Highland Laddie Gone by Sharyn McCrumb. Amateur sleuth Elizabeth MacPherson is celebrating her Scottish roots at the Glencoe Mountain Games when two of the reverlers wind up dead.

  Rumpole and the Golden Thread by John Mortimer. In 6 stories, the very British barrister Horac1e Rumpole continues to juggle the vagaries of the law, the ambiguities of crime and the contradictions of the human heart.

  Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters. While Amelia Peabody and her family are on an archeological dig in Egypt, an ancient tomb yields a much more modern murder.

  A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters. Medieval monk-turned-detective Brother Cadfael is embroiled in the controversy surrounding the relocation of St. Winifred’s bones when another key figure in the debate is murdered.

  Romance

Thief of Dreams by Mary Balogh .The Countess of Worthing has her life all planned out — and it doesn’t include marriage. But then the handsome and dangerous Viscount Wroxley appears at her birthday ball, determined to change her mind.

Crossed Quills by Carola Dunn. Political essayist Philippa Lisle has kept her gender a secret until she encounters the disarmingly handsome Lord Selworth.

The Unexpected Wife by Emily Hendrickson The heroine escapes an arranged marriage by pretending to be married to the most notorious rake in London.

Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer. In this regency romp, a lady and a marquis battle their true feelings for each other.

This Matter of Marriage by Debbie Macomber. Thirty-year old Hallie gives herself one year to meet Mr. Right.

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher.  Set against the backdrop of World War II England, this is the story of an extraordinary young woman’s coming of age.

Wife on his Doorstep by Alice Sharpe. When a wedding he was to perform on his boat goes awry, a young captain becomes involved with the once bride.

Summer Kittens by Valerie King, etc. A collection of three regency stories, all featuring cats.

The Riddle of Alabaster Road by Patricia Veryan. A wounded soldier from the Napoleonic Wars arrives at his country mansion to find a beautiful Italian lady, who believes her father was killed.