The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh

I have enjoyed Hanh's books over the years.  One of the reasons I did read this was that is fulfilled my World Literature Challenge.  Truly, the key to being in control and making people feel good about themselves is to be present and mindful in your own life.  I do believe that if you are happy in your life it is easier to make others feel good and have others feel like you care.  This was a good book, but for me it was a little wordy and out of my reach at this time.  I do love what Hanh has done over his many years working towards enlightening the world and will reflect back on this for a while to come.

French Pressed by Cleo Coyle

I was disappointed again.  Two books ago in this series I was not impressed, but the last one was great.  This one fell flat again.  I do not know if Coyle is struggling with ideas or what.  It really seems like she is just trying to fill pages with things that are not all that important, I feel.  In this book Clare's daughter, Joy, gets wrapped up in a murder and Clare gets involved in getting to the bottom of things.  The book was 260 pages and I think the bulk of the whole thing could have been told in 160.  There are still more books in the series, but I am not chomping at the bit to read them.

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.