These books are great reading anytime, but most of us seem to have a little extra time for reading at this time of the year.

Postcards From Cedar Key

By Terri DuLong

Kensington, $15

This is the fourth novel about the folks of Cedar Key, Fla. Berkley Whitmore has recently moved to Cedar Key to open a new shop, Chocolates and Gems. Berkley also hopes to discover secrets about her mother's past.

The store does well, and Berkley makes many new friends, including the owners and clientele of the local yarn shop. And she also begins a new relationship with a mystery writer.

And as she learns more about the summer her mother spent on Cedar Key, Berkley learns about herself.

I loved every one of these books from start to finish.

The Chocolate Thief

By Laura Florand

Kensington, $14

North Carolina author Laura Florand offers a humorous look at the world of love and chocolate.

Frenchman Sylvain Marquis knows that women love chocolate. When Cade Corey, who has a fortune at her fingertips, comes to Paris to find out Sylvain's secret, she finds that task is not so easy.

Cade will stop at nothing, including thievery, to find out what makes these chocolates so special, especially since Sylvain will not even consider joining forces with Cade's family company.

Great read.

A Simple Autumn

By Rosalind Lauer

Ballantine, $15

This is the third of Lauer's series about the Amish. Brothers Jonah and Gabe King are both in the market for wives. Jonah has had his eye on Annie Stoltzfus since they were youngsters, but she has always had a yen for his older brother, who has recently married an Englisher. Will Annie see the good man who is standing right in front of her?

And Gabe, who is going through his rumspringa, has been quietly courting the schoolteacher, Emma Lapp. She has wanted to keep their relationship a secret due to her position, but Gabe is fed up with hiding. When Gab shows an interest in things that are not Amish, Emma wonders if he is right for her.

These are well-written and enjoyable stories.

Breaking News

By Fern Michaels

Kensington, $15

This book is the fifth of Michaels' "Godmothers" series featuring four quirky women of a certain age.

Teresa "Toots" Loudenberry is staying in Charleston to take care of her housekeeper, who is really like a family member. Her friends Sophia, Ida and Mavis, who are staying with her, are taking on new careers, even at their age.

Abby, Toots' daughter, a journalist who lives in California, is getting married soon, and little does Toots suspect that romance is around the corner for her as well.

The Map of Lost Memories

By Kim Fay

Ballantine, $26

I wasn't sure when I started this novel that I was going to like it, but a few chapters in, I was hooked.

It is 1925. Everything is pretty much a man's world, including the world of treasure seeking and museums. Irene Blum is passed over for the curator's position at the Brooke Museum, after pretty much being promised that the job was hers. What better way to show them what they missed out on than the discovery of an artifact that will change history?

Bankrolled by an old family friend, Irene heads for Cambodia in search of a set of copper scrolls. There is danger at every turn, and it's next to impossible to be sure who to trust.

With its shrewd plot and interesting characters, this is a good read.

Happily Ever Madder

By Stephanie McAfee

NAL, $15

OK, this book, along with its predecessor, "Diary of a Mad Fat Girl," are two of the funniest books I've ever read. You can't help it, but Graciela "Ace" Jones just gets under your skin.

Ace has moved from Bugtussle, Miss., to Florida, to live with her fiance Mason. They have had an on-again, off-again relationship since they were kids, but Ace has finally agreed to get married. A former art teacher, the outspoken Ace is having trouble keeping her opinions to herself with the likes of some society matrons in Pelican Cove, and since Mason is an attorney, she tries her best to hold her temper.

If you read the first book, you know that is nigh on to impossible for Ace.

Most of the characters from the first book make at least a cameo appearance, and we get to meet some new ones as well.

Life Drawing for Beginners

By Roisin Meaney

Grand Central, $14

Five people find their lives changed by a life drawing class. For the uninitiated, this means drawing nudes.

Audrey Matthews is the teacher. She hires Jackie, a single mom badly in need of money, as the model.

Each student has special reasons for taking the class, from just wanting peace and quiet to seeking an outlet away from his child one night a week.

It's interesting to see the relationships form over the course of the class - and the relationships that are touched by what happens on Tuesday nights.

A wonderful read.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot. com or (910) 693-2475.