The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

• Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Amazon Link

This book made numerous bestseller lists including the New York Times, and was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by Time and USA Today. So my selection task was relatively easy for this one. The other thing that intrigued me was that this was entirely written in the form of letters exchanged by the protagonist who was a budding author and the residents of Guernsey island. I expected it to be a difficult read, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it flowed very smoothly and was a breeze.

The story was laid out plain and simple in chronological form. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, especially after reading the Time Traveller's Wife which as the name suggests, involved a random walk through time! The story here was rather simplistic and very predictable. The book highlighted some of the atrocities of World War II and the German occupation of the island of Guernsey. This is really the "Chick Flick" equivalent for books and there isn't anything deep in here. There is some of that understated British humor which I find adorable. To its credit the book is a breeze to read, and the characters are all simple and lovable. It makes you yearn for a life of simplicity and to be part of a club or society sharing life's uncomplicated pleasures.