The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

This story of whimsy, friendship and secrets is a perfect read to cozy up to this fall. Set in Walls of Water, North Carolina, the book is based around the seemingly different lives of Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood. Willa was the quiet prankster in high school, who only returned to her hometown following the death of her father and after the demise of her marriage; Paxton, of the prominent Osgood family, is a community leader who still lives with her parents and is spearheading the renovation of an old, decrepit mansion that at one time belonged to Willa's ancestors.

When a skeleton is unearthed under the peach tree on the renovation site, Paxton and Willa unwillingly come together to solve a mystery that involves both of their grandmothers, who, were the best of friends at one time until a change in fortune that saw Willa's grandmother going to work for the Osgoods as a maid. While both grandmothers are still living, Willa's suffers from dementia and Paxton's from sassiness that make it difficult for the women to string together the events that led to the mysterious skeleton.

Sarah Addison Allen writes an enchanting tale that has a little something for everyone - romance, intrigue, humor, history, murder - even ghosts. Small town history and secrets are always a hit with me...and, as always, if you are a sucker for a happy ending, you will enjoy this latest offering from Allen.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

I've said it before and I will say it again: I cannot get enough of this author! In this particular book, her most recent, she takes on the history of Hawaii from it's first known contact with white men through the annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. Part of Vowell's brilliance lies in her ability to take a topic that I never realized I was interested in and present it in a fun yet educational manner.

Focusing primarily on the effect that New England missionaries and their prodigies had on the islands and their people, Vowell examines the implications of the culture clashes on both the ancient and contemporary Hawaii. Her irreverent style of writing and ability to see beyond the black and white history in order to present a subject through her very unique perspective are gifts that not many non-fiction writers possess. If you are even a little bit interested in history, Hawaii, or just looking for a quick way to feel smarter, give Sarah Vowell a try.

Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

The Jones siblings have had a unique upbringing - growing up in a very small town in Nebraska which still retained the strong Welsh traditions of its ancestors - not to mention the fact that their mother was carried away by a tornado and never found. Larken, the oldest has grown up to be an art professor who uses food to build a wall between herself and others; Gaelen is a handsome weather man whose hobby is women; and Bonnie, the youngest has remained in tiny Emlyn Springs working a series of odd (and often unsuccessful) jobs.

When they are called back home following the lightning-strike death of their father, they are forced to come to terms with each other, with their past and most importantly with their future. As they circle together around their common-law stepmother, Viney, they must grapple with their demons before they can move on with their lives.

This family drama is chock full of description and has a little bit of everything going on - dead ancestors, tornadoes (not just one, TWO tornadoes,) adultery, miracles, and even murder. It is a dense and ambitious book - perhaps a bit too ambitious for some light summer reading! The town is a character in its own right, and a tiny bit creepy one at that. Anyone who enjoys family dramas mixed with some ethereal story lines should enjoy this book.