Dear BQ, In A Peaceful Retirement, author Miss Read (Dora Saint) states that it is the last of the series. Please say it isn't so. The feeble attempts to imitate these wonderful books by an author featured in the April BookPage don't even come close to the charm, warmth, and humor of Miss Read's villages. Will Miss Read continue?

A Fairacre Friend
Toms River, NJ

We're afraid we have some bad news for you. Saint's editor at Houghton Mifflin confirmed that, yes, A Peaceful Retirement is Miss Read's last book. Our editor friend, noting that the book ends with Miss Read sitting down to begin writing her memoirs, says, "it's a perfect capstone to the series, bringing it full circle. . . . It's the end of an era, isn't it? Miss Read certainly has a loyal audience." Indeed she does.

Not retiring peacefully

Dear Burning Questions, I am a big fan of of Dave Barry's writing, especially Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus. What will he do next?

Helen Harrison
Little Rock, AR

Hard as it is to believe, beloved humorist Dave Barry has turned the big 5-0. So we probably don't even need to tell you that his next book, due out in October, is -- you got it -- Dave Barry Turns 50 (Crown). One bit of advice he offers in this latest, hilarious work: don't bother trying to look and sound hip after 50 -- it's hopeless. After reading this book, you're likely to disagree. To us, Dave is still one hip cat.

Thankfully, Slater's country is not Prozac Nation

Dear BQ, Welcome to My Country was a moving, incredible book. It completely changed the way I think of the "mentally ill." Will Lauren Slater write again?

via the Internet

We were charmed by Lauren Slater when we interviewed her upon the release of Welcome to My Country: A Therapist's Memoir of Madness (Random House) in February 1996. She does have a new book on the horizon, and we're sure that it will be just as provocative as My Country. Prozac Diary (Random House), due out next month, is Slater's account of living on Prozac for almost a decade and of life after the drug. For those who cannot abide the likes of Elizabeth Wurtzel (Prozac Nation), fear not. Slater's work is a different thing altogether. We don't imagine there will be any salacious shots of the author on the cover either.

Thriller writing at its best

Dear Burning, Is Allan Folsom, the truly gifted author of The Day After Tomorrow, ever going to gift us with another offering?

via the Internet

You betcha. Folsom is hard at work on a new thriller, to be published next month. Day of Confession, a Vatican mystery, clocks in at almost 600 pages -- all of which are sure to be filled with many thrills. Once again, Little, Brown will publish the author who was such a bestseller his first time out.

A giant talent, an epic book

Dear BQ, Jim Harrison is my favorite author. Been a while since Julip. When's his new book coming out, and is it a sequel to Dalva, as I've heard?

Matthew R. Stickle
via the Internet

How many epics can one man write in a lifetime? If you're Jim Harrison, the answer is quite a few. In his first full-length novel since Dalva ten years ago, Harrison offers The Road Home (Atlantic Monthly Press). This long-awaited sequel will be released in October. Here, Harrison continues the story of Dalva and her extraordinary family.

There's Lots new next month

Dear Burning Questions, I have been waiting, waiting, and waiting for the next book from John Clarkson. The last one I read, One Way Out, featured Jack Devlin and was released back in '96. Could you find out how much longer I'm going to have to wait? I really need to know. Thank you.

Felicia J. Mitchell
Gardena, CA

"Burning Questions: When you really need to know." Has a nice ring to it. We're happy to tell you that the wait is over. Clarkson's latest, New Lots, will be published by Forge in September. It's a gripping story of life and death, love and hate, on the streets of New York.

Stumper of the month

Dear Sir: I would like to know the author and title of a book about a young woman who discovers she was stolen as a baby and embarks on a search for her real family. She finds her mother at the end. The book may have been in large print.

Dwight A. Lockwood
Nebraska City, NE

Are you sure this wasn't a made-for-TV movie? Okay librarians, booksellers, amateur sleuths, let's put on our thinking caps for this "stumper of the month." If you've got the answer, we've got a special prize just for you.