Fannie Flagg

In this porch-swing read from Flagg, who cooked up the book that became the film Fried Green Tomatoes, home is Elmwood Springs, Mo., a town in the middle of nowhere and of everywhere. The time is the mid-1940s; the mood of the cast, "hopeful."

The novel's folksy snippets center around everymom Dorothy Smith, who broadcasts a radio show from her house, which "was always full of people and fun things to do."

The charm lies in Flagg's simple yet expressive tone. As a used-car salesman says to his pal the tractor merchant, "If you can't get anywhere in this world, you might as well have fun while you aren't getting there." Over the years, Dorothy's children move away, her gospel-singing friends hit the big time and the tractor salesman becomes governor, but the home-is-where-the-heart-is message sings throughout. Hokey, sure, but in the most endearing way. (Random House, $25.95)

Bottom Line: Grand old Flagg