A Very Good Read

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, upon my friend Kristen's recommendation. I too would highly recommend it. It was actually a nice contrast to another book I just finished reading and which I will not name. That book was a New York Times book of the year or some such title. It was (basically) about 3 friends living in NYC who were 29 going on 30 and their extended families. That element intrigued me as I too am quickly approaching that momentous number and I did enjoy the writing style. However, the characters were not likable and it ended up being very heavy, literally (several hundred pages) and figuratively.

So TGLAPPPS was a welcome relief. It was pretty much the complete opposite in every way, composed entirely of a series of short letters and full of engaging and extremely likable characters. What both books did have in common was an unexpected sobering section which I just happened to read in both cases right before leaving for work. Near the end of the unnamed book the characters experienced and lived through 9/11, and in TGLAPPS, there was a very sad concentration camp story. The rest of TGLAPPS is much lighter in tone, even though it is a post-WWII story. It doesn't come out in paperback until May, but you may be able to find it at your local library. It's worth a look.