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

I was of two minds when I began this book. There was excitement over the subject matter (post World War II England, which has been interesting to me lately), yet there was also apprehension. First of all, it was written by two authors, which is just weird to me. How do people write together? (Turns out that Shaffer started the book but was sidelined by health problems, so Barrows, her niece, continued her work. I now feel like a jerk for my unkind thoughts toward dual authorship.) Also, it is written is a series of letters, which could run to the gimmicky side. Fortunately, all of my apprehension was unwarranted. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a sweet, engaging read, the kind that is best enjoyed on a rainy weekend. (You know: couch, blanket, hot chocolate, maybe a baked good or three or ten....) Seriously, it's the literary equivalent of comfort food, kind of like Circle of Friends. It's also educational if you're not as well-versed in history as you ought to be. Honestly, I had no idea that Germany occupied part of Britain during the war. Should I be embarrassed? The Guernsey residents who write to Juliet (Our Heroine, who is smart, funny, independent, and pretty much awesome) tell stories of the occupation that run the gamut from funny to heartbreaking. Some plot points are pretty predictable, but that's okay--the predictability lends to the comfy-coziness of the book. Anyway, it's not too predictable; quite a few things I expected to happen didn't. (I was waiting for a big reveal that Dawsey and Elizabeth once had a thing, and fortunately, they didn't go there. It would have been creepy considering that Juliet and Elizabeth are very similar.) So, enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend it.