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Since many of you know how much I like to read, many ask what have I read since I have been here? So thinking I will just give you a quick round-up of the books I have finished with a short 'aye' or 'nay'...keep in mind, my missionary lifestyle and lack of social life gives me a rather jaundiced view of literature, but you asked...

The Weight of Silence (Gudenkauf) is a well constructed and suspenseful book about the power of innuendo and mistrust in relationships.

Sputnik Sweetheart (Murakami) is a short book about 2 people who have a weird mutual attraction; if it hadn't been short, it would have been abandoned.

The Buccaneers (Wharton) is a classic about late 19th century manners and society in England and the United States. It is so far removed from rural Kenya that I had a bit of a time relating to manners and society, but the characters were engaging and the prose was gorgeous.

Under Orders (Dick Francis) and Silks (Dick Francis and son) are 2 mysteries by a great story teller against a background of horseracing. Always a good read and fun to zip thru.

Plum Spooky (Evanovich) will be my last Janet Evanovich book. It lacks her original flare for the ridiculous and funny side of life in Trenton NJ, and her best characters have been sidelined in favor of less interesting ones.

Infidel (Ali) is a great memoir about a Muslim woman growing up in Muslim Africa and struggling with her faith. It has many twists based on her life story, and she is now in the US living and speaking publicly about her faith journey, a world away from where she started.

The Reliable Wife (Goolrick) is a novel of 'roiling lust', and some characters that keep you guessing the entire time. Roiling lust is not my preferred genre these days, but the book kept me interested.

The Vagrants (Li) is set in Mao's China amidst the usual background of one neighbor ratting on another neighbor, on the bottom end of the Chinese economic ladder, so a bit of a downer, as the title implies.

Plain Truth (Picoult) is a window into the Amish people and their lifestyle. Murder is not part of their life, and the book went on much too long about the trial, but the setting made for an interesting read.

The Shack (Young) is an upbeat and magical picture of God, set against real life tragedy. The mystical and the human characters are well cut; wish I could have participated in a discussion about it!

Cutting To Stone (Verghese) is an engaging read, giving new meaning to family and all its inherited nuances, both good and bad.

Sarah's Key (de Rosnay) is set in Nazi and 21st century France. It unwinds a family's secret tragedy during the occupation, which kept me spellbound.

Little Bee (Cleave) is set in the US against a backdrop of a trip to Africa that went bad. It is written from the perspective of the African girl who is trying to make sense of a culture so unlike her own.

The Piano Teacher (Lee) had possibilities. Set in Hong Kong, the secrets of the '40s lost ground as the characters were mushy and their lives superficial.

City of Thieves (Beniott) is set in the 900 days of Leningrad, so depressing. It vacillated between funny and horrific, but always bleak.

Friday Night Knitting Club (Jacobs) is just what the title implies: a girlie book with lots of plot twists, loveable women, and got me knitting again!

The Various Haunts of Men (Hill) is a stemwinder. Mystery aside, the people are good, the plot thickens and when you know whodunit.......