Back on Blossom Street (The Knitting Books #3)

Name: Patty Ayer

Age: 58

Occupation: Homemaker/Volunteer

Neighborhood: Lemon Grove

Where Interviewed: Outside the Library

What book are you currently reading?

"My library discussion group is supposed to be reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, but I haven't started it yet. It bothers me to read stuff regarding war. I'd rather read something homey, to get my mind off of it. What I'm interested in are the Debbie Macomber books. The one I'm reading now is Back on Blossom Street (The Knitting Books #3)."

Tell me a little about the book.

"It's about a young girl named Lydia who buys a place and sets up a yarn market. She lives above the shop. It's actually a group of stories, but there are three or four customers who come to her because she has started up knitting classes on prayer shawls. There are chapters for each character. But it also tells about Lydia's interactions with them."

What do you make of the plot?

"Right now, it looks like Lydia will be working with her older sister, who has a negative side. She has a chip on her shoulder. She complains, 'Oh, you're going to use Mom's money for this ?'"

Is the language easy to understand? Do you have any favorite passages?

"I just like it because it's homespun."

Compare it with other books you've read.

"I used to read Danielle Steele when I was younger. Now, since I've been to a writing class, my tastes have changed. (I wrote a book; it's called The Trollop and the Preacher Man, and it's about the San Diego area.) I can tell that Steele tells more than she uses dialogue. I like books that have more dialogue. One of my favorite authors is Jackie Collins. Her books are really simple to get through. I try to get all of them read, but she keeps coming out with more. She has a group of books about a character named Lucky Santangelo, who buys a movie studio. It has adventure, and I guess I like the mob stuff that goes along with it."

What book has been most life-changing for you?

"Probably Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, which I read in high school. I keep referring back to it in my mind: the end, when Scarlett wonders, 'What will I do without you?' and Rhett answers, 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.' I think of Scarlett. I could relate to her, and in a way, I was like her. That book taught me to be less spoiled, because I just don't want anybody giving up on me the way Rhett gave up on her."

What magazines or newspapers do you read?

"I was reading Guideposts for a while. Angels, the magazine. When I was a kid, I would read Cosmopolitan. For newspapers, I read the Union-Tribune . Any article in the Home section I read to the end."

Tell us about your conversations about reading.

"There are 10 to 15 people in my book club; most of them are older than me. We're a polite bunch. We don't override each other. I learn more about the book through our discussion."