Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book since my daughter didn't like it and we usually have similar taste in books. I wouldn't say it is the best book ever, but I did find the information about Detroit history and hermaphrodite--ism interesting. The voice of the narrator was compelling. I loved the picture that these particular words painted--"It was the custom in those days for passengers leaving for America to bring balls of yarn on deck. Relatives on the pier held the loose ends. As the Giulia blew its horn and moved away from the dock, a few hundred strings of yarn stretched across the water. People shouted farewells, waved furiously, held up babies for last looks they wouldn't remember. Propellers churned; handkerchiefs fluttered, and, up on deck, the balls of yarn began to spin. Red, yellow, blue, green, they untangled toward the pier, slowly at first, one revolution every ten seconds, then faster and faster as the boat picked up speed. Passengers held the yarn as long as possible, maintaining the connection to the faces disappearing onshore. But finally, one by one, the balls ran out, The strings of yarn flew free, rising on the breeze." page 64

Memoir for August--Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen This book was not what I expected. I did find some parts funny, but there were also some parts that slightly offended. In the process of gently poking fun at her upbringing, she at times turned her family members into caricatures.

Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith Loved it!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister I picked this up during one of my visits to Borders. It was on the 'buy one, get on 50% off' table. The book follows a pattern that seems to have gotten popular over the past two years--a book about a group of people with a common interest who meet weekly and learn and share their lives. The writing in the book was beautiful, very descriptive and melodic. The one negative, which might be a consequence of the genre, was that the 'story' ultimately did not go anywhere. I apparently am getting tired of the genre. Will try to hold off from the pull of these books for a while.

Same Kind of Different as Me Denver Moore and Ron Hall-This was my memoir for July. I waited a long time to receive it from paperbackswap.com. It was well worth the wait. Although it was at times difficult to read due to the language and the realities of Denver's life, it enriched me to get a glimpse of the friendship that developed between the two men and the courage of Ron's wife.

The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble. Easy read. Good portrait of the tenants of a NYC apartment building. The characters felt real.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy I very much looked forward to this book because I have other Conroy works such as Beach Music and Prince of Tides very much. This one wasn't quite up to previous standards, but it was a moving tribute to friendship. At times the author used quite beautiful descriptive language. The plot was good, but at the end I felt that he added sidelines that were not necessary.