What I've been reading

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

"January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb? As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends — and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is."

Loaned and recommended by Lola II, this is a lovely book, easy to read, just what I needed in between heavy bouts of coursework.



Beware of God
by Shalom Auslander

"These stories have the mysterious punch of a dream: a pious man having a near-death experience discovers that God is actually a chicken, searches Home Depot for supplies for an ark, mistakes Holocaust Remembrance Day as emergency-preparedness training for the future."

This book's author has read one or two of his stories on This American Life podcast, and I thought it would be ideal as a present for mum and/or dad. Unfortunately, the podcast stories are edited for the radio audience, and the book is a great deal cruder in its language and choice of topics, and nowhere near as entertaining. So I'm not going to give the book to them, unless they really want to read it. Not recommended.