The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline

Christina Baker Kline is best known for Orphan Train, her bestselling historical novel. Her new book, A Piece of the World, received lots of publicity, but I overlooked this appealing contemporary novel, published in 2007, until another librarian recommended it to me. Angela Russo, 33, an event planner in New York City, loses her job and heads to Maine to visit Rich, a guy she’s met only once. There’s not much to do on Mount Desert Island in the fall (except Acadia National Park, which barely gets a mention), and Angela starts working with Flynn at the local coffee shop. She rents a tiny shack, adopts a dog, and starts baking muffins and scones for the coffee shop. Angela inherited the gift of cooking from her Italian nonna, and hosts a few Italian cooking classes. Rich clearly isn’t her soul mate, but she’s surprisingly content. Back home in New Jersey for Christmas to visit her ailing nonna and the rest of her family, Angela has to decide whether to follow her head or her heart. Recipes are included, and they sound delicious. This is a good readalike for The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, by Louise Miller, although Kline’s book is more cheerful.

Brenda