Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan

The Sykes family home is going to be sold and Connie and Estella, sisters, have to go empty it out.  They have not spoken in years.  Connie is dealing with family issues, mainly her husband cheating on her and what she is going to do.  Estella is having some health issues and you are just not sure what is going on.  They are tossed together to do this and are able to mend some walls, understand each other better and really get closer.  It is amazing how one small thing can change a family dynamic that affects you into adulthood and how taking the time to listen and observe can change your perspective.

How to be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

An interesting novel about a woman who has held many secrets from her family and as her health fails she wants to let these secrets go.  She wanted to go to Japan to reconcile with her brother but was not healthy enough.  She was able to get her daughter to go.  Mother and daughter learned much about each other, themselves and their histories.  It was beautifully written and really demonstrated the deep ties with family, how easily they can be broken and how they can be mended.

A Deadly Yarn by Maggie Sefton

Kelly, in her very short time in Colorado, has found herself in the middle of several murders and can't help herself from sleuthing.  A young and up and coming artist is getting ready to go to New York when she is found dead in her apartment.   At first it looked like suicide, but turned into homicide.  Kelly and her friend Megan don't leave a stone unturned and have some interesting encounters along the way.  Sefton has continued to build the characters and leaves you wanting more, wanting to know how things are going to proceed with them.  Another good book in the series.

Below the Surface by Karen Harper

At first I was not very impressed with the flow of the story, it seemed very amateurish to me.  But, as the story developed you could see the stronger story line, twists along the way that made you wonder and then an interesting ending.  This book is about twin sisters who run a diving and salvaging company.  One of the twins, Daria, dies and Bree, her sister is determined to figure out what happened.  Many times Bree puts herself in danger and does not know who to trust.  This was a very easy read, I read it in one day, but it was enjoyable and kept me intrigued until the end.

Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian

Bohjalian sure can pick some interesting subject matter, and always leaves an interesting twist in the end.  This book focuses on four people.  There is Allie, who is a grade school teacher and mother.  Carly is her daughter who is getting ready to go to college.  Will is Carly's dad and ex-husband to Allie who runs the local public radio station.  Then there is Dana who is a college professor and a transsexual.  Bohjalian did an amazing job weaving these four people together, getting different perspectives and getting into the deep seated emotions that we have towards people that are different from the norm.  There was amazing depth of character and a true pull through out the whole story making you want to see it through.  Bohjalian pushed the envelope again and did it beautifully.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

This was a wonderful novel that wove together four women -- sisters, mothers, aunts -- dealing with very different things in their lives in the hopes that the old family cottage could solve all of their problems.  We have Birdie who is embarking on a new relationship.  There is India who is still dealing with her past.  Then we have Tate who is still feeling her way with relationships and then Chess who is working through the death of her ex-fiance.  There are fights and hugs and realizations that all work well together.  I have never had a problem feeling for Hilderbrand's characters and have never felt the situations to be so far fetched that it could not happen.  Hilderbrand did another great job with this novel.