Romance, mystery and ghosts inhabit the enchanting new novel by best-selling author Jennifer Crusie. Maybe This Time centers around Andie Miller, a 34-year-old divorcée whose hopes of moving on from the past come to an abrupt halt when her ex-husband beseeches her to care for two orphaned children following the death of his distant cousin. Thinking that this will bring closure to her failed marriage—even though it legally ended 10 years prior—Andie accepts the proposal. Soon after, she finds herself settling into a haunted gothic mansion with two incorrigible adolescents and a crew of eccentric apparitions. This paranormal setting ultimately produces surprising second chances—for two delinquent teens, long-dead spirits and even Andie herself. Maybe This Time is a touching, wickedly entertaining tale featuring multilayered characters in an exhilarating ghost story mixed with the perfect touch of romantic tension.

Crusie has authored 15 novels, including the best-selling Tell Me Lies and Crazy for You. She will discuss Maybe This Time at Next Chapter Bookshop on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.

Rita Dove, former poet laureate of the United States, will pay a special visit to UW-Milwaukee as the featured speaker of the College of Letters and Science Dean’s upcoming “Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities.” Dove will read from her latest collection of prose, Sonata Mulattica, a unique combination of historical fact and fiction that will appeal to poetry and music enthusiasts alike. Dove is an English professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She will speak in the UWM Union Ballroom on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 3:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.