The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

     Here is a novel written entirely in personal letter format. It was co-authored by Mary Ann Schaffer, who became ill before the final editing process and her niece Annie Barrows, a children’s writer, who prepared the book for publication.

    The setting of the novel: Post World War II Guernsey Island, a part of the United Kingdom that was occupied by the Nazis during the war. The main character, writer Juliet Ashton, a straightforward and goodhearted woman in her early thirties who has had some literary success but now is searching for a new project. Her personal life is a mix of successful relationships (we read her correspondence with her close childhood friend and the friend’s older brother who also is Juliet’s publisher) and uncertainty (she is in a whirlwind courtship with an attractive but overbearing American publisher.) Then Juliet receives a letter from a Mr. Dawsey Adams, the purchaser of a book about Charles Lamb once owned by Juliet. Juliet is intrigued when she finds out that Dawsey and his friends formed a literary society during the German occupation; its original purpose was to provide relief from the restraints on their lives. Surprisingly, many of these members who never read much before now enjoyed it. In short order, several other society members begin writing to Juliet about their experiences. Juliet decides to visit these new friends and in doing so finds her life changed forever. Humor, sorrow, romance, strength in adversity, and more are all feelings that the characters, and the reader, experience in the telling of this story.

The Lost Years: A Novel

     Mary Higgins Clark is the author of over thirty suspense novels featuring self-reliant young career women who are able to emerge triumphant from attacks by criminals and other evil individuals. In The Lost Years, we find Mariah Lyons reeling from the murder of her biblical scholar father Jonathan Lyons; it appears that he was killed by Kathleen, his wife of forty years and an Alzheimer’s disease sufferer. But appearances aren’t always as they seem. Although police initially believe that Kathleen is the culprit because of her enraged feelings towards Jonathan and his mistress Lillian, another possible motive soon is revealed. Jonathan may have discovered an extremely rare document from biblical times, a letter from Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea. If this document was real, Jonathan intended to return it to the Vatican Library. But perhaps the exorbitant amount of money an article of this value could earn in the marketplace might tempt someone to murder. Jonathan’s discovery may have been shared with his inner circle of friends, four men who also are biblical scholars and Lillian.

     Short, rapidly-paced chapters follow the suspense as seen through the eyes of each character in turn, reaching a peak of excitement and a satisfactorily happy ending. Although the book might not be considered fine literature, Clark does have a fortunate talent for concise character depiction and lush description of the visual.

Cupcakes: The Latest Trend in Baking

Why are cupcakes so appealing? Because they’re easy to decorate! And you can create a different look for every one! And they are portion controlled – unless you eat more than one! Here are some recently published books about cupcakes.

Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats is written by Angie Dudley, who hosts the blog site Bakerella.com. Here she presents forty different cake pops, with accompanying photos and clear step-by-step instructions.

Celebrate with Cupcakes: Designs and Techniques for Creating 30 Gorgeous Cupcakes, written by Lindy Smith, a professional baker and baking author who lives in Great Britain. Her book includes the basics of baking, decorating and painting the cupcakes, then progresses to the creation of seasonal/holiday and animal-modeled examples.

The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake is written by Katherine Kallinis & Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, authors and sisters who recount their life story here. Both college graduates, Katherine and Sophie left promising careers to open a cupcake shop, DC
Cupcakes that took off. They now have a second shop and a hit television series on TLC. Their stories are interspersed with recipes and photos.

Two-bite Cupcakes , written by Viola Goren, presents 70 cupcake recipes that range from those that include special fillings, to toppings, to chocolate and to savory ingredients. Celebration cupcakes for holidays and special events also are given. The importance of proper equipment and correct ingredients are emphasized. Easy-to-follow instructions and photos accompany each recipe.

Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional

       What if you have boundless energy, are restless and have mood swings from high to low. Does this mean you are bipolar? Or, if you like everything very orderly, arrange things by size, shape, or color, and have unreasonable recurring thoughts. Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Not necessarily, according to the theories espoused in this book by Dr. Dale Archer. The author, who is a psychiatrist, media presenter and website host, conjectures that eight of the psychiatric disorders highlighted in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of psychiatric diagnosis, are not full-blown psychoses but instead are normal human qualities that each of us possess, whether nearly absent, dominant, or superdominant, along a continuum. So, the person with ADHD may simply be adventurous, an individual exhibiting social anxiety may be shy, and the narcissist is very self-focused. Dr. Archer also compares schizophrenia with magical thinking on the continuum, histrionic personalities with dramatic ones, and people with generalized anxiety disorder with the hyper-alert.

       Although Dr. Archer recognizes that individuals who are super-dominant on the continuums for any one of these psychological traits probably will require psychotherapy and/or medication, he believes that we should appreciate these traits that we all possess to a greater or lesser degree. The easy-to-read book contains several in-depth examples of these behaviors, a list of bibliographic sources, and eight brief questionnaires designed to help the reader determine where he or she falls on the continuum for each.

The Lost Wife

       Author Alyson Richman offers a hauntingly beautiful story of love lost and then found many years later, paralleling the story of the surviving Holocaust victims, their losses and their struggle to regain some of life’s joys, while never forgetting those that they lost. A large part of the tale takes place in Czechoslovakia before and during World War II, where Lenka, an art student and Josef, a medical student meet and fall in love. They marry just as Jewish citizens are scrambling to escape from the approaching Nazi army. Josef and his family are able to obtain passage to the United States but because Lenka’s family cannot do the same, she refuses to leave with Josef, staying behind with her family. Josef promises to send for Lenka and her family as soon as he is able.

      First, Lenka’s family is shipped off to Terezin, a prison camp in Czechoslovakia. There they suffer much hardship, although Lenka is able to use her artistic skills to produce objects for the Nazis and to give some purpose to life. Eventually the family is sent to Auschwitz where only Lenka survives. Josef loses his family in a shipwreck on their way to the United States. He arrives alone in New York. Although the couple has frantically tried to communicate with one another, through the confusion of the war each mistakenly learn that the other hasn’t survived.

    After the war each remarry; Josef to a fellow refugee whose loss of family has permanently damaged her life and colored their marriage with sorrow; Lenka to an American Jewish soldier who is part of the liberating army, their marriage has more joy in it. Life continues for Josef and Lenka. Eventually both are widowed. Coincidentally, Josef and Lenka each have a grandchild who fall in love with one another and marry. It is on that wedding day that Josef and Lenka discover one another again.

Authors With April Birthdays

Here are some well-known authors who were born in April.

April 1st – Anne McCaffrey, the renowned science fiction/fantasy writer who has given us the Dragonriders of Pern series, as well as several other series and individual novels. Her books feature in-depth characters and imaginatively detailed settings on other planets.

April 2nd – Hans Christian Anderson was the 19th-century fairy tale writer and folklorist who enchanted children and adults. Some of his most famous works include The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl, and The Little Mermaid.

April 8th – Barbara Kingsolver is the author of critically acclaimed works of fiction (The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible,
Prodigal Summer, etc.), short stories and some non-fiction featuring such topics as social justice and biodiversity. Several of her books have been on the New York Times Best Seller List. Kingsolver has lived in and traveled the world over.

April 12th – Tom Clancy is the prolific author of fiction based on the themes of espionage, technology and military science. Two of his most famous characters, Jack Ryan and John Clark, are featured in several novels. More recently he has produced the Op-Center and NetForce series. His name also has been used in conjunction with the creation of video games and movies based on his books.

April 12th – Scott Turow is a practicing lawyer and the author of several legal thrillers; Presumed Innocent, Burden of Proof, Ordinary Heroes and others. Two of his novels have been made into films. He also wrote two non-fiction books. He has won several literary awards. He currently is president of the Authors Guild.

April 22nd – Janet Evanovich, the author of a “romantic adventure” series featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, got her start by writing romances. Now with eighteen novels in this series, Evanovich has branched out with other series novels, some written individually and some co-authored with others.

April 24th – Sue Grafton is the author of the “Alphabet Series” featuring private detective Kinsey Millhone and set in 1980’s Santa Teresa, California (a fictionalized Santa Barbara). Grafton got her start writing screenplays for television movies until she was able to develop her skill at writing novels. She has won several awards for her works.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace -- One School at a Time

Here is the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who in 1993 was unable to complete his ascent of the Himalayan Mountain K2. He was rescued and nursed back to health by residents of a remote mountain village in Pakistan. Emotionally moved by the selfless actions of these people, Mortenson decides to dedicate his energies to building schools for the region’s children, especially the girls who at this time had no educational opportunities whatsoever. Although the region was rife with Taliban and could be dangerous for Americans, Mortenson stood by his promise. He travelled back and forth between the United States and Pakistan and Afghanistan for the next few years, coordinating funds and overseeing an increasing number of projects. These included construction of schools, bridges and other structures, and the development of small businesses by residents, especially women. The text is filled with descriptions of the people Mortenson worked with, village elders and residents and students in Asia and the donors/supporters from the United States and across the world. A collection of photos complement the narrative. This is a heartwarming story, only slightly marred by recent reports that Mortenson may have exaggerated and/or modified parts of his story.

The Authors:
Greg Mortenson is currently the director of the Central Asia Institute. A resident of Montana, he spends several months of the year in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
David Oliver Relin is a contributing editor for Parade magazine and Skiing magazine. He has won more than forty national awards for his work as a writer and editor.