From my bookcase to yours… These are some of the books featured in The Wartime Book Club, or those I read as research and adored.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This charming book was turned into a film of the same name, which, in my opinion, is as good as the book. The novel was never supposed to be Annie Barrows’s. The story was actually the brainchild of her aunt, Mary Ann Shaffer, an aspiring author, who dreamt up the story while stuck at Guernsey airport in thick fog back in 1976.
According to Annie, her aunt then spent the next 20 years researching the Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II, before writing her manuscript and getting herself a book deal. Tragically she died before the book came out, leaving her niece to finish the story. I urge you to read it and defy you not to fall in love with its characters.
The Book Lovers’ Anthology: A Compendium of Writing about Books, Readers and Libraries
I stumbled upon this compendium. It’s basically a collection of writers’ musings on books and it’s great to dip in and out of. It’s full of little nuggets like this: “Much reading is like much eating, wholly useless without digestion” (R. South). People who love books about books will love this.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Buck, a sturdy crossbreed, is a dog born to luxury and raised in a sheltered Californian home. But then he is kidnapped and sold to be a sled dog in the harsh and frozen Yukon Territory. Passed from master to master, Buck embarks on an extraordinary journey, proving his unbreakable spirit. First published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London’s masterpiece. I read this survival story with my 12-year-old son and he loved it, I suspect, in the same way I loved Black Beauty at his age. Anthropomorphism of animals is intriguing to kids. I also felt this was a book that Red would hold close to his heart in his own quest for survival.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Irrepressible and flamboyant author, naturalist and founder of Jersey Zoo, Gerald Durrell shot to fame in the 1950s. His autobiographical account of his idyllic Corfu childhood, My Family and Other Animals, was a bestseller. As an animal lover I devoured his books and loved the stories of his gloriously dysfunctional and eccentric family. Visiting Jersey reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books. I hope you enjoy it too if you decide to read it.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
This classic book offered pure escapism to the Wartime Book Club and I was equally spellbound when I first read it. It’s one of the few books I reread from time to time.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
This book is the simple story of the love affair between Miss Helene Hanff of New York and Messrs. Marks and Co., sellers of rare and secondhand books, at 84 Charing Cross Road, London. Like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, it’s told entirely through letters. It’s funny, beguiling and a must read for anyone who can’t resist when walking past a dusty secondhand bookshop. I read it during research to remind me of why we need bookish friends in our lives. It’s the perfect read for a book club.