Friday Favorites from the Past: The Mitford Series

Time for another Favorite Reads the meme hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books. Sometime during the past week, my blog feeder yielded a review of Home to Holly Hills, by Jan Karon. This book is actually the latest by Karon, but is almost a prequel to her previous books the beloved Fr. Tim, Mitford series. I have read Holly Hills, and the review brought to mind my fondness for the entire series which I read/listened too a couple years ago while I was quite ill. They are not the kind of soupy, gushy Christian feel goods that I normally read, but the gentleness of Tim and Cynthia as they fall in love, raise a foster child, deal with an engaging, delightful, and ever vexing congregation and neighbors in the small poverty-stricken North Carolina mountain town was so calming, validating, and full of warmth, that I fell in love with every character in each book, and could not wait for my husband to get to the library and get the next one as I finished each. I felt like I knew every one of them, and wanted Fr. Tim to come be our pastor. I went to Karon's website today, and note that she has a new book scheduled out but not until Oct 2010. I wonder if it will be something different? And I think I may have to re-read every one of them before then to be ready for whatever comes next. My apologies to the fellow blogger whose excellent review of Home to Holly Hills triggered this memory...I wanted to give you credit by name, but can't trace my steps back right now.