I have been enjoying some of Sandra Dallas' books just lately, I so enjoyed Prayers for Sale. Her characters are so delightful and authentic. In this book, Hennie, an 86 year old woman befriends, a young married woman, Nit, and through their love of quilting and their gift of story telling you learn about both their lives and the mining community of Middle Swan Colorado that they live in. It seems all of her novels have some unexpected twists and turns and Dallas is good at relating tragedy and adversity that we have to deal with in life. 
Tall Grass is another of her books that was very enjoyable. It is about two families: a Japanese family sent to an internment camp in Colorado during World War II, and a farmer and his family who live near the camp and how it affects the small nearby community. Racial prejudice and true Christlike behavior are juxtaposed.
I just finished The Chili Queen, but didn't enjoy this book by Dallas as much as I have some of her other books. As usual, her characters are interesting and there is a lot of humor and fun in the book, and the plot centers around deception, taking some fun twists and turns. But there was one particularly gruesome part in the book, and even though I know this is an evil reality that women and children have to deal with, it was just too hard, too graphic, and I cry every time I think about it.
