I recently finished reading In this Mountain, by Jan Karon.  It is the 7th in the Mitford series.  Although I'm not a fan of series that drag on and on, Karon continues to capture my attention and make me laugh, and I will continue with the next one.  I didn't read Common Life: The Wedding Story, since it went back in time, and I just want to know what happens next.

This isn't a review of this book in particular, but more the whole series.  Jan Karon has a way of developing characters so unique that you feel you know them better than your own family.  Father Tim is loving and kind, seeking God in all that he does, but challenged by his faults and doubts about life, and his frustration with diabetes as he dreams of cheeseburger and fries instead of a tuna salad. 

I'm not going to go into depth into the story lines, but the book is about an Episcopal priest living in Mitford, NC, an idealic little town up in the mountains, based on Blowing Rock, NC.  When visiting friends from college, we girls went up to Blowing Rock, an adorable little tourist town with gift shops and gardens, so I envision it as I read.  The books center around Father Tim's life, interacting with the townspeople, his next-door neighbor, his dog, and his parishioners as he faces the challenges and adventures God brings his way.

Reading these books is like coming home, talking with friends, encountering trials along the way, and laughing all along at the silly things that happen in life.  Be aware that reading them when you are hungry may be detrimental, since the author describes wonderful Southern dishes in such a way that you can smell the buttermilk biscuits baking, see the lemon squares for the ladies brunch, and hear the chicken frying.