Riding the Bus with my Sister by Rachel Simon

Subtitle: A True Life Journey -- This was a very interesting story about a woman, Beth, who has mental retardation, and what her life if like through her Rachel's eyes.  Through a long series of events Beth does live on her own, and what she does with her time is ride the city buses.  She asks her sister to join her for a year.  It is a very trying time for Rachel and she is put to the test mentally and emotionally a lot.  Along the way she learns about her sister's world, the people she knows and how valuable her sister is to her.  It is frustrating, maddening and very touching.

Taco USA by Gustavo Arellano

Subtitle: How Mexican Food Conquered America -- After an interesting conversation with some friends about what is and isn't Mexican Food I found this book, totally by accident.  The evolution of Mexican Food is really interesting.  What was popular when, how it was presented, how people craved it.  To me it was quite fascinating.  There is a lot of history, and I sometimes get bogged down in that, but it helps to know what was going on when and how things came to be.  If you love Mexican Food, you should read this book.

True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

Subtitle: A Practice for Awakening the Heart --  All I can say it that you need to breathe and be present.  You do these things, be true to yourself and all will fall into place.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Subtitle : From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail -- I had been looking forward to reading this for a long time.  Sadly I was a little disappointed.  I know people go through transformations when they take on a trip like this, I had not realized how much she was going to go through.  She was not really prepared for the trip and it was truly an escape for her.  I just found her to be kind of whiny and woe-is-me, and that is just not my kind of person.  Her ordeals on the hike were tough and you could really feel how unforgiving the trail was.  Overall it was an okay book.  I guess I just like people who are a little more positive and realistic.

and furthermore by Judi Dench

I love watching her and she always makes me laugh.  I had no idea how extensive her theatre career was and is.  The book tossed around a lot of names that I did not recognize and that took away from some of the enjoyment of the overall story for me.  Dench is amazing in her depth and her sense of humor keeps her fresh and fun.

Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton

Kelly not only is learning more about knitting and falling deeper and deeper in love with more yarn, but is also becoming more of a sleuth.  She walks in on another dead body, this time a friend.  She gets in the middle of trying to figure things out and learns much more than she thought she would know about her friends.  She is also learning more about her inheritance that has her mind spinning.  I am curious to see where Sefton is going to take that!  A great read with fun characters and wonderful energy.

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs is such a great character.  She has another case that takes her out in the country investigating a land purchase.  There are many secrets where she goes, and many layers to be uncovered.  We also see her developing more and learning more about her past and what she is thinking of the future.  Winspear does a great job pulling you along and tossing in some unexpected twists as you go.  This is a great series with great development. I can't wait to see what Maisie gets into next.