A Light in the Window
Jan Karon

Book two, in the tales of Mitford, Father Tim, et al. As long as I don't go into overdose of sugar, I'll probably keep reading these. Fun, simple stories. They are a kind of "Mayberry," with Fr. Tim as Andy, and Dooley as Opie. I'm already into the third book, with the fourth handy from the library. MAYBE I'll hold off for a while after #4. But as "Christian Fiction" goes, they are far healthier fare than the Left Behind books. IMHO.

At Home in Mitford
Jan Karon

After reading, Girl Meets God, I was curious what there was about these Mitford books, so I had to read one. I am not sure I'd have read it, or kept at it, if I hadn't been curious about one of the sources of Lauren Winner's conversion from Orthodox Judaism, but I was curious, so I pressed on.

Sweet, poignant and a bit corny, the book was fun and "comfortable". People lived their faith, met challenges, sorrow and disappointment - following their faith, or being challenged by people of faith. It is Lake Woebegone, without the sarcastic, arch observances of Garrison Keillor looming over it. It is the warm small town of Staggerford, maybe not as biting, but with the appreciation of small town life and solid faith.

Addicted as I am to serial stories (novels, genre fiction, comic strips) I'm probably sunk now, wondering about Father Tim, Barnabas, Cynthia and Dooley. Good thing about discovering a popular series late in its run - the libraries are usually well stocked!