The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood I liked it, however, I'm fairly certain that I have read the book before. This was one of the reasons that I wanted to start a blog--to keep track of books I've read so that I don't re-read unless I want to. Back to the book-the story line was similar to a lot of books around lately--group of women who develop friendships over a shared interest. I liked some characters here more than others. There were one or two that felt very stereotypical.

September memoir

90 minutes in heaven by Dan Piper. Not at all what I expected or was hoping for. There was a relatively brief description of his time in heaven and then the rest of the book concentrated on his long, painful recovery. I was also disappointed in his seeming lack of desire to tell his story after he recovered.

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.