PAGES : A Reader’s List of Good Reads

Upon retiring, Jane Dienstfrey’s dream was to recline in her Connecticut home and read. She got her wish--and a lot more.

A former editor at the New Yorker, Dienstfrey now reads more than 40 books each month to publish Select Fiction, a newsletter highlighting works overlooked by bestseller lists.

“I thought there should be a list somewhere,” she said. “I track the authors and when someone you haven’t heard of keeps popping up, I get the book. I love page turners.”

Dienstfrey reviews about 10 books in each edition. The publication--which covers light and heavy fiction--offers a one-paragraph summary and excerpts from other reviews.

The newsletter has about 300 subscribers, and Dienstfrey said she is getting more than 50 calls a day.

“I think it’s the winter,” she said. “Not your winter; I’ve been to L.A. But out here, we have a lot of snow.”

Select Fiction (P.O. Box 1041, Sharon, Conn. 06069) costs $6.50 for five editions.