The Inn at Tansy Falls by Cate Woods

After Nell's best friend, Megan, passes away from cancer, Nell travels from London to Vermont to spend two weeks in the small town that held a special place in Megan's heart. There, she is to scatter Megan's ashes--and then participate in a bucket list of activities that Megan has chosen for her. Megan also figures the trip will be a diversion from Nell's recent heartache. Nell becomes enchanted with Tansy Falls and the people who live there, especially forester Jackson Quaid. Soon, however, Nell will be back in England, so what's the point of pursuing a relationship with Jackson? That is, unless Nell decides to follow her heart, make a major life change and stay in Tansy Falls.

A Ghost of Caribou by Alice Henderson

Wildlife biologist Alex Carter is hired to see if there are any mountain caribou living in the Selkirk Wildlife Sanctuary in Washington State. A volunteer thinks that she saw one in the area, so Alex will spend some time there to try and get concrete evidence of the animal's presence. After Alex arrives, the body of a Forest Service employee is found in the center of the closest town, and Alex learns of an older woman who went missing in the area over a year ago. The authorities ask Alex to keep a look out for any of the woman's possessions that Alex might come across as she does her work in the wilderness. In addition, there have also been tensions between environmentalists and loggers that Alex finds herself in the middle of. It's no surprise that, soon, Alex's own life is in danger. In this third book in the Alex Carter series, Henderson immerses the reader in the flora and fauna in the area while also continuing the story of the very likable Alex.

Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

In 1996, when sixteen-year-old Frankie meets Zeke at the local pool, she feels an instant bond with him. Zeke is living at his grandmother's house for the summer because his parents are having problems in their marriage. Bored, with nothing really to do in the small town of Coalfield, Tennessee, Frankie and Zeke create some art with the saying "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us." They make the art into flyers and paste them all around town, charting the locations they've placed the flyers. All this they do anonymously. Frankie and Zeke realize though that others are putting up flyers too--or are saying that they have been kidnapped by those that created the saying. The town of Coalfield is soon in a panic that becomes famous worldwide. Can Frankie's and Zeke's relationship withstand all that's happened? An additional storyline is set in 2017, in which a reporter who contacts Frankie saying that she believes Frankie was responsible for the saying twenty years ago. Will Frankie finally reveal her role?  What has Zeke been doing for the past twenty years? I had very high expectations for this latest novel by Kevin Wilson, having loved his last two books, but it just didn't work for me. I did enjoy the 2017 storyline more than the 1996 one, which I felt did not have enough plot or character development.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Mika Moon is a witch who lives a solitary life in Brighton. When she's contacted about taking a job in Norfolk as a tutor for three young witches to help them learn and control their magical powers, she decides to take the position. The girls--Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira, live at Nowhere House with Ian and his husband Ken, housekeeper Lucie, and librarian Jamie. The girls' adoptive mother, Lillian, is an archeologist who spends her time travelling the world, leaving Jamie in charge of parenting duties. The household members are quirky and welcoming to Mika, except for Jamie and Terracotta who resent her presence. Slowly both begin to warm to Mika, especially Jamie, and it's obvious to all of a possible romance. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is charming first novel full of humor, love, and togetherness.

Small Game by Blair Braverman

Having grown up off the grid, Mara now works at a school teaching people how to survive in the outdoors. With her experience, she figures that joining a reality show called Civilization could be something she would do well at. The five contestants have to live six weeks in the elements, getting their food only from the land and being able to choose only one item or tool to possess. Anyone who makes it until the end receives $100,000. The game starts with the contestants jumping out of a helicopter into a lake near where they contestants will live. Soon, Mara begins to get to know the others. Daily life is tough, food is not easy to find, and the experience begins to wear on all involved. One morning, the group awakes to find the camera crew gone--they have been abandoned in the wild. Will the contestants be able to get out alive? Small Game creates a great sense of place for living in the wilderness and slowly builds into a novel that's hard to put down.

Foster by Clare Keegan

In the early 1980's a young girl spends the summer with relatives on her mother's side of the family. Her mother is due to give birth soon and having one less child at home will be a blessing. The unnamed girl bonds with both John and Edna Kinsella and takes to helping them around the farm and the chores of daily life. As the summer ends and the girl goes back home, the trio's lives are emotionally changed. Another powerfully charged novella from author Keegan.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

In 1985, when teenager Theo and his older sister Sarah are involved in a car crash in which the other passenger, Misty Zimmerman, dies, the lies they tell that evening affect them for the rest of their lives. In Signal Fires, the reader follows Theo, Sarah, their father Ben, neighbor Shenkman and his young son, Waldo over the next thirty-five years. Sarah moves to California, marries, and has a extremely successful career in Hollywood, yet she is an alcoholic. Theo wanders the world until he finds a career as a chef that makes him happy. Shenkman and Waldo, meanwhile, struggle with their relationship because Waldo doesn't live up to Shenkman's expectations. It's been fifteen years since we've had a novel by Dani Shapiro and I'm glad she's returned to fiction. Give to readers who enjoyed What Could be Saved, Ask Again, Yes, and The Dearly Beloved.