The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

What a wonderful story.  Arthur Pepper's wife died a year ago.  He felt it was time to clean some of her things out.  While he was doing this he found a charm bracelet that he never remembered his wife wearing.  This bracelet took him on an adventure.   This adventure not only helped him learn more about his wife, but also about himself.  A great look a love, loss, growing, and letting go.

The Long Road Home by Mary Alice Monroe

This is the first book I have read by Monroe that does not take place in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  This takes place mostly in Vermont.   A widow, Nora, is trying to comes to terms with the mess that her husband left her with.  She goes to Vermont in hopes of making a sheep farm work.  She has a lot to learn and there is an unexpected guest that is more than she bargained for.  This is a story full of wonderful characters, heartache, redemption, revenge, and love.  Monroe is an author that can make characters become a part of your life and she did it again with this book.