Chelsea Henderson

All good things, even laughter and orange marmalade cake, must come to an end. And in Light from Heaven, the long-anticipated final volume in the phenomenally successful Mitford Years series, Karon deftly ties up all the loose ends of Father Timothy Kavanagh's deeply affecting life.

Jan Karon's millions of fans can't wait to spend time with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, fans and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times best-seller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford's longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.

If God is so big and great, where is He? And why doesn’t He fix this mess? Even though Rae’s parents have their issues, she never imagined they’d call it quits on their marriage. But, they do. And manage to annihilate Rae’s already desolate spring break. Not every freshman in the class of 1977 can boast she made the varsity tennis team. Plus, Rae’s grades are decent, and she’s got the greatest best friend a girl could want. The cherry on top would be if Jack notices her. How could she ever predict that at lightning speed, her life would unravel like a pulled string on her favorite old sweater?

One rainy day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, 25-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning, brand-new, 9,000-square-foot house. When bizarre things start happening there, locals tell cynical Micah the place is “spiritual”. But he will slowly discover the home isn’t just spiritual....

After five hectic years of retirement from Lord's Chapel, Father Tim Kavanagh returns with his wife, Cynthia, from a so-called pleasure trip to the land of his Irish ancestors. While glad to be at home in Mitford, something is definitely missing: a pulpit. But when he's offered one, he decides he doesn't want it. Maybe he's lost his passion. His adopted son, Dooley, wrestles with his own passion - for the beautiful and gifted Lace Turner, and his vision to become a successful country vet.

Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind". Except for cooking and gardening and washing his dog, he never learned to savor the work of his hands. And then he finds a derelict nativity scene: twenty figures, including a flock of sheep, that have suffered the indignities of time and neglect.

Christy’s family makes a big move just before her sophomore year of high school, and Christy has to start all over making friends. Despite an embarrassing escapade at a slumber party, things are going pretty well until some midnight fun leads to a trip to the police station. Why is it so hard to know who your friends really are? Christy wonders if Katie will remain a loyal friend. More importantly, she wonders if she'll ever see Todd again.

What could be better than spending Labor Day weekend on a houseboat at Lake Shasta with her closest friends? Christy is so happy! This is the way she always hoped things would turn out with Todd. So why is it that everything else in her life has become more stressful and complicated now that she and Todd are closer than ever? Is it because Katie has fallen into a serious relationship as well? These two best friends are at odds just when they should be having the most fun together. Christy soon realizes that sometimes, you have to stand back and let people make their own decisions.