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

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 

/Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I pulled this out of a Little Free Library and am so glad I did! This book was a lovely read, about post-war Great Britain and the Isle of Guernsey, which was cut off and occupied by Nazis during WW2. A man reaches out to the main character, who is a reporter, and asks her about a certain author. He got one of her personal books that she had donated to a second hand shop, and he wanted to know more about the author and how he could go about getting more of his books. They began corresponding, and she learned of the book club that he and his friends started as a way to get together and eat without the Nazi soldiers knowing. She smelled a story worth writing about and traveled to Guernsey and became close to the members of the literary society, learning more about them and their war story,

After reading this, I learned that there was a movie, too. It was on Netflix so I watched it as soon as I could. The book, of course, is better, but the movie is definitely enjoyable and worth watching, but please read the book first!

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The Golden Son, Shilpi Somaya Gowda

 

The Golden Son, Shilpi Somaya Gowda

I have  no idea where I got this book, probably from a little free library. I found it in my Mt. TBR pile and it looked like it could be a good read. I have only read one other book based in India and its culture, so it was enlightening to learn about their customs and long held traditions, cultures, and way of life. This is the story of a boy and a girl from two different families, but best friends, and the life paths they take, and their connection and relationship to each other. Anil pursues a degree in medicine, leaving his family in India to go to Dallas, Texas, where he finds a world and culture completely different from his own but does find some friends and roommates from India, and we see their friendship and character growth. Anil has to deal with racism on a few different levels, and the impact it has on his life. 

Leena stays in India and her parents arrange a marriage for her, which becomes a nightmare, and we follow her choices of how to deal with the trauma she endures, and what the culture says about her decisions and how it affects her. The two meet again after time passes, and some interesting things happen for the both of them.

This is definitely worth reading, even if you have no more knowledge of India than the Diwali episode of The Office, the author paints a vibrant and full picture of life in India, making it easy to immerse yourself in the story.

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck