The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine

Ruth, in her seventies and a widow, spends her days babysitting children in the neighborhood. She does have a close relationship with her niece Chloe, who lives in California, but Ruth is estranged from her younger sister Veronica, Chloe's mother. Over the years, Ruth and Veronica have traded barbs, letting the issues and resentment pile up between them. Then Veronica reaches out asking Ruth for help. The plea for assistance from Veronica causes Ruth's social circle to widen and might lead Ruth to see a different path forward, especially when a high school flame contacts her. However, with hope and change, there is also sorrow. The Autumn of Ruth Winters is a great read-alike for Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler, and Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Unhappy with her life, Yeongju opens a bookstore in Seoul. She hires a young man named Minjun to be the barista, making drinks for the customers. In Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, the reader is immersed in everyday lives of the bookshop workers and frequent customers. There's Mincheol (a high school student) and his mother Heejoo. Jimi, unhappy in her marriage, owns the coffee roastery that supplies beans to the cafe and has become very good friends with Yeongju. Lastly, a woman named Jungsuh spends hours knitting at Hyunam-Dong. Her skills are a calming presence for several of the regulars. A quiet, relaxing read.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

In a nondescript building in Kyoto, people come to the restaurant owned by Nagare Kamogawa and his daughter, Koishi, to taste a dish that reminds them of a particular time in their life. In this first book in the series, the stories of six individuals are told. Nagara's former co-worker Hideji, from when they were both in the police force, is craving nabeyaki-udon that his first wife made. If Hideji can get Nagare to make the food, he can then pass on the recipe to the woman who he is moving to Takasaki with. Another tale is about a woman named Asuka who wants to eat napolitan spaghetti that she had on a trip with her grandfather when she was young. In addition to learning about the lives of the six people hiring the Kamogawa detectives, the reader also gains insight into the father-daughter pair and their cat, Drowsy. A feel-good read...

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Newly sober, Mallory Quinn, accepts a job as a nanny to five-year-old Teddy for the summer. Teddy's parents, Caroline and Ted, live in an old Victorian, in the upscale suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey. Mallory really enjoys spending time with Teddy, but soon Teddy is talking about someone named Anya who is telling him stories that he then draws on paper. These pictures are disturbing. Mallory, though, figures Anya is just Teddy's imaginary friend. In addition, next door neighbor, Mitzi, asks Mallory if she's uncomfortable sleeping in the guest cottage. Mitzi explains that in the 1950's a woman named Annie Barrett was probably murdered in the cottage. Mallory is seriously creeped out. Teddy doesn't stop drawing the pictures, so Mallory decides to find out more about Annie Barrett and to try to uncover what's really going on--but danger is not far away...

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn

After turning down her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Maren escapes to the northwoods of Wisconsin, where she's inherited a rundown bait shop. The bait shop was owned by Fost, who Maren spent many summers fishing with. While there, Maren develops an attraction for Joe, who was her older brother Liam's best friend. Joe, in turn, also has feelings for Maren--but his life is complicated. He's divorced, with two young children--Anders and Lucy. Maren, however, loves both Anders and Lucy, and they feel the same way about her. Now Maren and Joe need to get Liam to realize that Maren is a responsible adult, not just his kid sister. Catch and Keep is the last book in the trilogy that Hahn has written about Maren and her two best friends, Shelby and Lorelei.