The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 5

"If nothing else, I hope these characters and their story shed some light on the sufferings and strength of the people of the Channel Islands during the German Occupation. I hope, too, that my book will illuminate my belief that love of art---be it poetry, sculpture, or music---enables people to transcend any barrier man has yet devised."

    -Mary Ann Shaffer, from Acknowledgments
 

The Page Turners Book Club read this book in 2010 and loved it. Fifteen years and over 150 books later, it is still the highest rated book---4.9 out of 5! When I read it then, I liked it enough to want to read it again at some point. I saw the film version recently and enjoyed it so much, I knew it was time to reread the novel!  I still give it a 5.

The novel is epistolary, a story told through letters, telegraphs, or other written communications. The main character is Juliet Ashton, an aspiring writer. She corresponds frequently with her publisher, Sidney Stark and his sister, Sophie, her close friend.

In 1946, just after WWII in London, Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a pig farmer on the island of Guernsey. He has found her name in a book of works by Charles Lamb and asks her how he can find more of his writing. She answers his letter and begins a correspondence in which he reveals he is part of a book club, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and describes other members of the group. Soon some of the others begin writing to Juliet, as well.

Juliet finds the stories of these letter writers compelling enough that she travels to Guernsey and falls in love with the place and the people, particularly a little orphan girl, Kit.

Through letters, the characters are developed beautifully, and the reader learns much about the horrors of the German occupation. It is easy to develop a fondness for most of the characters and, of course, silently cheer Juliet on in her quest.

I recommend this book highly. Maybe you could tell.

The Widow by John Grisham

"The grinding machinery of American justice was often slow to start, but once the disparate elements finally came together at one time and in one place---the courtroom---there was no stopping the train wreck."

      -from the novel
 

I am a fan of John Grisham; I've enjoyed many of his novels so it's not surprising that I found this book a page turner. 

While many of Grisham's legal thrillers involve a lawyer serving a client, this one features a struggling small-town attorney, Simon Latch, who is charged with murder in the death of his client, 85-year-old widow Eleanor Barnett. She had come to him to make a new will and indicated she had millions in stocks and no family unless you could consider two no-good stepsons, and she did not want them to be heirs to the fortune.

With the help of his well-known defense attorney, a former girlfriend who happens to be an FBI agent and a quirky denizen of the dark web, Simon must prove his innocence. This reader had a lot of empathy for Simon. He is not only facing the possibility of a long prison sentence but also a ruined reputation and great emotional damage to his family. The Widow is very suspenseful, and I am rating it a 5.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict 5

"Writers merely playact at detective work, resolving bloody crimes from the comfort of their desks and armchairs. What if we got our hands dirty and found an actual murderer? How could the male Detection Club members think us anything but eminently worthy? No one would dare slight us or question our place in the club then."
    -Dorothy Sayers, from the novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery which had been recommended in one of my book clubs. I give it a 5 rating.

In 1930 London, 5 well-known female mystery writers come together with the intention of joining the predominantly male Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers calls together the other 4--- Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, the Baroness Emma Orczy and Agatha Christie. Christie was the only one I really knew of, so I looked up the others to make sure they actually existed and yes, they did. 

The quote hints at what the women decide will help them get the respect they deserve from their male counterparts. They will try to solve an actual murder. They learn of the discovery of the body of a young English nurse found in France after her mysterious disappearance several months previous. The murderer has not been found, and it looks to the women, who have dubbed themselves the Queens of Crime, as if the investigation has been shoddy. They set out to solve the crime themselves, at first to prove a point, as I already mentioned, but as they get further into their research, it becomes more personal and they really want justice for May Daniels, the woman who was killed.

There are twists and turns in the story as there would be in any good murder mystery, making for a real page-turner. Benedict must have spent untold hours researching the personalities and work of these "queens of crime." I will, no doubt, look for other novels by this author.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie 4

 

"The mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small."

      -Hercule Poirot, attributed to philosopher Sextus Empiricus

I had not read an Agatha Christie novel in some time, and I was looking for Christmas stories, so this one called my name. I have read 3 other mysteries by this very prolific author and seen film versions of a few others, and they do seem to follow a pattern. A murder and numerous suspects with motive and twists and turns of plot.

Wealthy and aging Simeon Lee has called his family together for Christmas at his mansion, Gorston Hall. The gathering included 4 sons and their wives and a Spanish-born granddaughter. When on Christmas Eve, the deceptive old man is found brutally murdered in a locked room, it falls to Chief Constable Colonel Johnson, Superintendent Sugden and Hercule Poirot, who just happened to be in the vicinity, to solve this shocking crime.

The circle of suspects includes the family members mentioned above plus a few servants of the manor---valet, butler and footman. After the discovery of a diamond theft and the revealing of a few family secrets, Poirot puts his "little grey cells" to work to point out the killer. 

I enjoyed the book, rather a page-turner and a rating of 4.

The quote I began with is mentioned more than once in the novel. In case you aren't familiar with the quote, here is what I found on Wikipedia:

The phrase "the mills of God grind slowly" conveys the idea that while divine justice may not be immediate, it is inevitable and thorough. 

One hopes this is true.

Twice by Mitch Albom 4

 

"Twice. I get two shots at everything. The thing is, I have to live with my second try. There's no going back. Over the years, I have found this to be the price that I pay for this gift."          -Alfie, from the novel

I selected this book because it was on the Best-Seller list and I recognized the author's name. It turns out I have not read others by this author, but I think I will now. I am rating it a solid 4--easy to read and an entertaining story but hard to "suspend disbelief." I guess the genre is magical realism---not a favorite of mine.

The quote above gives a big hint about the plot. Alfie Logan has inherited a gift from his mother and grandmother. He can "do over" events in his life. In the course of the novel, he does this several times. I found it hard to wrap my head around the concept.

The story begins in Nassau with Alfie's arrest for cheating a casino out of millions. Detective Vincent LaPorta is interviewing him at intervals through the book. Alfie doesn't have much to say, only a composition book which he has kept like a diary, and which he reads or has LaPorta read. These are flashbacks for the reader to understand Alfie's life, especially his almost life-long love of Gianna Rule, and his unique ability.

The reader must keep guessing as to whether Alfie cheated the casino or not. And I'll not tell....

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb 5

 

"You hoped we would cease our fighting for Christmas Day. Well, much to my shock and that of all the other men, my commanding officer called a truce for the day. We crawled out of our holes, the Germans too, and shared a biscuit or two sent from home, or a smoke. Evie, to lay down our arms and shake hands with the Germans like comrades---I can't describe how incredible it was."   

            -Thomas Harding, 1914, from the novel

I found this book just after experiencing an opera called "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914." The truce was a very small part of the novel, but I selected the quote that referred to the same event as the opera.

This book is epistolary which means the story is told through a series of letters, telegrams and the like. Another such novel is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows which I read several years ago and loved. I adored this one, as well. It gets a 5 rating. 

In 1914 Thomas Harding goes to war along with good friend, Will Elliott, brother of Evelyn Elliott, an almost lifelong friend of Thomas. The three Brits continue correspondence for much of the book, particularly Evelyn called Evie and Thomas called Tom. Evie also writes to her friend Alice on nursing duty in France. Other correspondents are family members and work associates. It is amazing how vivid a story can be when told in this way. I actually found it a page turner.

I forgot to mention the Prologue set in 1968 when Tom is an ailing octogenarian heading to Paris for Christmas with his caregiver to fulfill a promise. The story flashes back to this setting a few times and the Epilogue, 1969, fills in some blanks in the story.

Last Christmas in Paris is thoroughly researched, extremely well-written and a captivating story. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

All Things Christmas by Melissa Hill 3

"What is it about life that we are all always so eager and willing to line up for the next race? When the one we'll never, ever win is that which we run against ourselves."

     -Cathy Moore, from the novel

The Moore family of 5 have celebrated Christmas together for many years in Dublin. After the death of Cathy, the mother who has held it all together, grief, stress and quick tempers drive the siblings, Romy, Matt and Joanna apart.

Their first Christmas without Cathy will certainly be different but somehow, they all make the effort to be home for their dad, Bill. Feelings are still raw but the discovery of Cathy's journals urging them to continue the holiday traditions leads to healing.

I selected this book because I wanted a Christmas story. It was interesting enough, but I was put off by the poor editing of the novel to the point that I was thinking a 2 rating, but the plot kept me reading and I decided a 3. I felt the title was odd, having little to do with the story. Probably will not look for another by this author.