The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

World War II is taking over my reading life! Lately, I've read Sarah's Key, Shutter Island, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and my next book is N or M? All of these books are set during WWII, or in the case of Shutter Island, involve the psychological aftereffects of the War and Nazis and Dr. Mengele-esque medical experiments. Even the crossword puzzle I've been working on the last couple of days is WWII themed. I've got Nazis out the wazoo!

I think The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the best of the bunch. I loved this book to death. I could hardly stand for it to end. I'm sure it will be made into a (horrible) movie soon if it isn't already in the works because the characters are so appealing and the geographic setting would make for lovely cinematography. And who doesn't like a British historical costume drama?!? London in the Blitz! Spunky lady journalists! Quirky islanders in a quaint seaside village! Call me a sucker, but you can sign me up for two helpings of all of it. I'm buying my plane ticket for the Channel Islands tonight.

I also love, love, love the premise that READING BOOKS was a survival technique for an isolated group of diverse people during the long, dark night of Nazi occupation. It's so appealing to me that a book club would be the thing that provided them with camaraderie and support, and I so enjoyed how the individual characters discuss the particular books they cherish and why. I would join their club in a heartbeat!

The book is written in the form of letters, which I also find appealing. In the Afterword, Annie Barrows says that people often ask her if she knows of other books written as letters and she mentions Daddy Long Legs, which was a favorite of mine when I was a girl. I can also think of the Griffin and Sabine series, which I love, so I guess it's a technique that really captures my imagination.

Additionally, the gorgeous discriptions of the islands and the lovable characters are a perfect contrast to the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis and the destruction of London. The book goes to dark places, but overall you're left with the beauty - of nature, which regenerates itself, of people, who have resilience and compassion, and of art, which lives long even though life is short.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

I read some mixed reviews of the movie version of Shutter Island and it hasn't seemed to really take over the box office, which completely surprises me now that I've read the book. The film reviews complained that Scorcese tried to cram too many different styles (cop drama, horror, mystery, thriller, noir) into one film with poor results. I would say that's also what Lehane's book does, but I liked the results very much (so did Mike). The book seems perfect for making into a movie and it's not like Scorcese is a hack. I don't know, I still haven't seen the movie, but the book is worth reading.

Lehane is the author of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone, so you can guess that Shutter Island involves cops and murdered kids and is set in Boston. Beyond that, you really should just read the book. I'm sure you've seen the film preview, so that's about all that can be given away. Some friends said they figured it all out early on, and I did have some idea of how it would play out about half way in, but the twists and turns were still worth it to me to keep reading. And some of the twists were still a surprise to me. Shutter Island won't change your understanding of human existence or make you a better person, but it's fun and spooky, so don't take yourself so seriously. :)

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I suppose it's because of the recent Tim Burton movie version, but I decided to check out Alice in Wonderland from the library and finally actually read the original version. I've seen plenty of adaptations and it's never seemed to make any sense to me whatsoever, so I wondered if reading the actual book would clear it all up and make me realize how absolutely brilliant it is. Not a chance. I read it. I still don't have any freaking idea what it's about. Maybe you have to take some undergrad college lit course to fully understand its genius. Maybe I'm just dumb and lacking the ability to interpret the subtle nuances of classic literature. Maybe it's just a book that only a Victorian English child with a touch of schizophrenia and not much else going on in terms of entertainment would love.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2009. It's a tremendous book. The characters are so real that I feel sure I have met them before. Strout captures small town life, especially that of Mainers - as far as I've been able to see - perfectly: the speech patterns, the priorities, the gossip, the prejudices, the routines.

The title character is a retired teacher in a small coastal town in Maine. Each chapter is basically a short story told from the perspective of one of several different townspeople (a couple are actually from Olive's point of view, too), and each story gives some insight into Olive's personality and reputation. She's a tartar, a force to be reckoned with, a woman who pulls no punches. Some people hate her, school children fear her, but her husband loves her, and the reader will feel respect and pity and empathy and embarrassment for her. I can't imagine not seeing some part of oneself, even if just a small one, for good or for bad, in Olive Kitteridge.

This book reminded me quite a lot of Empire Falls by Richard Russo, which was also made into a miniseries starring Ed Harris (among many other great actors) a few years ago. Empire Falls is also set in small town Maine and is also full of perfectly drawn characters, although it's far more plot oriented.

Elizabeth Strout has written two other novels, Amy and Isabelle and Abide with Me, and I need to put both of them on my Wish List. I don't even care what they're about. Strout's just that good of a writer that I'm interested in reading them regardless.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Hoo wee, I'm getting behind over here. I've already finished Olive Kitteridge and have started on Shutter Island, but I still haven't yet written up The Lost Symbol. Slacker!

Anyway, I'll be able to keep this relatively short because I'm sure you won't be the least surprised that The Lost Symbol is fun and interesting, but no great departure from Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code. I think the science in Angels & Demons was more convincing and the art in The Da Vinci Code was more exciting. Plus Brown really took on the Church head to head in Code but he's almost apologetic about using the Masons as his mysterious organization in The Lost Symbol. Is Dan Brown a Mason? Who knows, but he seems to really like them and worries about besmirching their reputation throughout the book.

I did love his setting the story in Washington, DC, and using the odd symbols and ideology of our nation's founders. Revolutionary era US history is fascinating because this group of incredibly smart and impassioned men went about the business of creating a concept, a belief system, a philosophy for a wholly new nation, and a lot of their ideas have been muddied by modern day politics to the point that the average person's understanding of these big ideas is often confused. There's so much that would be shocking to the average (ignorant) modern American that it's the perfect treasure trove for Brown's typical storytelling MO. And it is definitely a typical Dan Brown story, and the ending is a bit of a softball, but I enjoyed myself anyway. It's the perfect quickie Summertime read, so be sure to pick up a copy before you head to the beach this year.