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For months now, you've been on a long, wide slide towards The Holidays. You've shopped, wrapped, caroled, cooked, baked, decorated and heard Jingle Bells so many times it jingles around in your brain, unbidden. You've kept secrets, been Secret Santa'd, and taken the kids to see the jolly old Elf yourself.

Isn't it time to rest your body and visit a place where time slows down? In the newest book in the Welcome to Partonville series, Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything by Charlene Ann Baumbich, you'll feel right at home with all the kindly residents in that little circle-in-the-square town.

It's a few days after Thanksgiving and Dorothy Jean Westra is enjoying the all-too-brief time she has with her family. Vinnie and the boys are due to depart in a few days and Jacob will be returning to his law firm in Pennsylvania shortly after that. Dorothy's sons are adults now, but they'll always be her babies.

Katie Durban worries about her baby, too, even though she's on the verge of buying him his own car. It won't happen soon, though, because Katie has her hands full with her new business venture: She purchased a long-abandoned building in downtown Partonville and she's planning on turning it into a mini-mall. Revitalization is just what Katie has decided her newly-adopted home town needs. While it would be convenient to have another vehicle, she's in no hurry. Josh is 16 and he longs for his own wheels, but a recent accident makes Katie pause.

Longtime Partonville resident Rick Lawson was also the town's only lawyer, and when his car rolled over after hitting a slick patch of black ice, all of Partonville mourned his death. Will Pardon-Me-Ville residents have to drive to nearby Hethrow to have their legal affairs settled?

When Katie's ideas upset the town's merchants, it looks as if her plans are in jeopardy. She wonders how she'll ever win over Swappin' Sam, Lester and Cora. Will they put their support behind her mini-mall by Christmastime or will the Happy Hookers party at the farm be spoiled? Will it truly be a Merry Everything?

Did you always want to live in a place where everybody knows everybody else and nobody locks their doors? Then this series is for you. Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything is the fifth in the Welcome to Partonville books, but you don't have to start with Book One to enjoy meeting the residents in this little Illinois town. In fact, even though there is a holiday theme to this particular story line, it's not just a "Christmas" book.

Author Baumbich has effectively created Mayberry on paper with her peccadillo-laden Partonvillers and their homespun lives. Dorothy, the beloved main character, is wise and pious, but she has just enough mischief and meddling ways to charm you into wanting more of this gentle, unpretentious, soft soap opera.

Once the holidays are over, treat yourself to this sweet little book. Pick up a copy of Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything and make it a merry any day.

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in LaCrosse, Wis., with her two dogs and 9,800 books.