I raved about the latest from Jon Cohen to the MMD Book Club. This title from his backlist is one of librarian Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Rediscoveries. Pearl says Cohen is one of those writers who can take "life-affirming, heartwarming, touching, uplifting, poignant, and tender" and not have them turn into "sentimental claptrap." She goes on to describe the story of recluse Louis Malone, disfigured in a fire sixteen years ago, who has remained hidden in the small town of Waverly and Iris Shula, a lonely and unlovely nurse. When Louis accidentally falls out of his second-story window, these two kindred souls are brought together. What unfolds is a most unlikely love story. One that will make you laugh and that will break—and remake—your heart.

A grown-up sort of fairy tale about grief, redemption, forgiveness, and joy, set amidst the beautiful Pennsylvania forest. Have you ever read a book that makes the world around you feeI just a little bit magical, even after you’ve turned the last page? Author Jon Cohen insists there’s no real magic in this story, because there’s nothing in these pages that couldn’t actually happen. And yet a whimsical air of magic permeates this vivid portrayal of characters brought together by grief but ultimately united by joy. Likely-to-delight features include an unlikely friendship, a book within the book, a battle to save the local library, and a mysterious good Samaritan known as the Susquehanna Santa. A strong sense of humor prevents this tale from verging too far into sentimental territory. Content warnings apply. For fans of Monica Wood’s The One-in-a-Million Boy and Steven Rowley’s Lily and the Octopus.

By the author of Harry's Trees (a book I've been raving about). From the publisher: "Max Lakeman is head-over-heels in love with his wife, enchanted by his two children, happy with his job mowing lawns. Unshakably content. Or is he? One warm summer night, Max's overactive imagination conjures up a beautiful woman, Mrs. Zeno, who steps out of the moonlit rhododendrons and into his life. Max Lakeman and the Beautiful Stranger brings rich attention to the emotional life of an ordinary man with remarkable insight into the longings of the human heart."