The Readers' Advisory Interest Group

Jan Karon Readalikes

Jan Karon has written a series which captures a portrait of the mysteries and miracles of everyday life in the small North Carolina town of Mitford. She published the first in the series At Home in Mitford, in 1994 featuring Episcopal priest Father Timothy Kavanaugh and the popularity of the series has continued to grow. Karon's novels offer more character than plot and more dialog than action. The focus is on Father Tim who is falling in love with his neighbor, and although the stories are related in the third person, all events are filtered through his particular point of view. In fact, it has the feel of a journal, with reported episodes broken by his reflections.

Readalikes include the classic English author of the Gentle Read, Miss Read. She is a good bet for Karon's fans who are willing to cross the Atlantic to England's small town of Thrush Green. Thrush Green is also the first title of this series.

Another Southern author, Ann B. Ross also sets her gentle stories in a small town in North Carolina but adds a touch of suspense. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind is the first

Richard Paul Evans writes charming inspirational stories, often including religious elements set in small towns making his name in the mid-90s with The Christmas Box.

Further afield are the novels of Jennifer Chiaverini, starting with The Quilter's Apprentice. Heartwarming stories set in a small town in Pennsylvania center around quilting. Friendship and family are key elements with good-spirited friendships, home truths, and conversations that direct the story.

Philip Gulley's series set in Harmony, Indiana, offers more humor but the Quaker outlook and philosophy provide similar religious appeal. Down-home humor, homilies at the end of chapters, and the town's own set of quirky characters are sources of similar satisfaction. Home to Harmony is the first.

Excerpted from "Novelist" article by Joyce Saricks.

	Nancy Atherton. Aunt Dimity's Death. 1992. In the first of this series, Lori Shepherd,, who is going through one of life's rough patches, discovers that the heroine of adventure stories her mom told her about as a child is a real friend of the family who has recently died. A reading of Aunt Dimity's will leads Lori to make a trip to England to uncover a secret hidden in Dimity's country cottage. A friendly ghost and a touch of romance add to this cozy mystery.
	Traci DePree. Can of Peas. 2002. After the death of his grandfather, Peter and his wife Mae decide to leave their professional lifestyle in St. Paul and take over the family farm in Lake Emily. They soon find that the simple life is not so simple. Though Peter feels he has found his dream in farming, Mae struggles to find her place in Peter's life and in the community. The story is full of lively characters and is a gentle, entertaining read as Peter and Mae begin to find their way in Lake Emily.
	Philip Gulley. Home to Harmony. 2000. In the tradition of Garrison Keillor, Gulley describes small-town life with gentle wit and affection. The narrator is Sam Gardner, a Quaker pastor recently returned to his hometown, Harmony. Home to Harmony is a collection of anecdotes about the inhabitants: obnoxious, conspiracy-theory-spouting Dale Hinshaw; self-centered Fern Hampton; even a fictional Ulysses S. Grant the Fifth, the town drunkard. Harmony itself represents an idealized era when neighbors all knew each other and no one locked their doors. However, the downside to small-town life is portrayed just as honestly as the benefits. Each chapter ends with a little dose of wisdom which readers of any faith (or none) can appreciate. Recommended as a Gentle Read to folks looking for nostalgic Americana, Quaker wisdom, or just a change of pace from The Da Vinci Code and its ilk.
	Philip Gulley. Just Shy of Harmony. 2002. This is an eventful year in the small town of Harmony, Indiana. The pastor Sam Gardner suffers a crisis of faith; Wayne Fleming suffers a marital crisis; learn of a secret illness, a surprise lottery recipient, and laugh at the marvel of Dale Hinshaw's ill-hatched scripture eggs ministry. Second in the "Harmony" series.
	Karen Kingsbury. Rejoice. 2004. Brooke Baxter is a young female medical doctor who seemingly has it all; a husband who is also a physician, two children, a career that she loves, and supportive parents and siblings. However, her faith is severely tested when her toddler daughter is injured while in her husband's care, and their entire world is shattered. Fourth in a series called "Redemption."
	Joan Medlicott. At Home in Covington. 2004. Set in a small North Carolina mountain town, this story is part of a series about three open-minded ladies, but can be read and enjoyed alone. Amelia, Grace and Hannah, are single with relaxing family ties. They move in together into a Victorian farmhouse. All in their early seventies. each has come to terms with life and is confident and comfortable with herself. They do find that life is inevitably filled with change, not all of it pleasant. The events of 9/11 have just happened. Grace's son's partner dies from AIDS, and he returns to Covington, forcing Grace to confront a difficult relationship. Hannah receives a mysterious diary in the mail that opens a past she thought had been laid to rest and calls into question her decision to marry Max. Amelia organizes a Caribbean cruise for the three to give them a break from their worries. Along with all the worries are joys: the birth of a new baby, the loving support of companions. Readers will enjoy the warmth of this celebration of female friendship.
	Jeanne Ray. Step Ball Change. 2002. Caroline McSwain, dance teacher, lives with her husband in a house that is constantly under repair because it's falling apart. In one evening they receive two phone calls with important news; their daughter has become engaged to the most eligible bachelor in town, planning a hugely expensive wedding, and Caroline's sister is leaving her husband and wants to come stay with them along with her small nippy dog.
	Ann B. Ross. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind. 1999. Miss Julia Springer, a Presbyterian North Carolinian of advanced years and the finest upbringing, needs every ounce of her Southern feistiness in the first of the Miss Julia series. Hardly has she digested the news that her deceased husband of 44 years had a bastard son, Little Lloyd, when she finds herself conniving to protect the boy and his mother from manipulative relatives. Meanwhile, angling at Miss Julia's funds, Pastor Ledbetter and a crony aim to prove her mentally incompetent. There is more conflict and human malice--most notably in church authorities--in this book than in a Mitford book. Ross is also funnier, less earnest, than Karon. But the Southern setting, cheery tone, and childlike older protagonists will make this a winner for many of Jan's fans.
	Ann B. Ross. Miss Julia's School of Beauty. 2005. This is the fifth "Miss Julia" book of six. The entire series has humor and Christian values and a familiar cast of characters. Miss Julia Springer, a very active alert 76 year old widow, elopes with lawyer Sam Murdock in this episode. She then worries that the marriage might not be legal because they were married in Dollywood by a minister who has questionable credentials. The usual conflict of Southern manners, sex, and modern and traditional values is very funny.