How Do You Make Potato Peel Pie?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
 
It's 1946, and author Juliet Ashton has writer's block.  World War II has ended and she's built her journalistic career reporting on the war.  Juliet is feisty, witty and has suitors clamoring for her attention.  She receives a letter from a Dawsey Adams, inquiring about a particular author's work.  A correspondence ensues, and Juliet learns of an impromptu book club on the island of Guernsey.  Guernsey had been occupied by the Germans during the war.  Soldiers caught a group of islanders celebrating late into the evening.  The guise of a literary club helped them avoid arrest for neglecting curfew.  To avoid suspicion, they continued to meet, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was born. 
 
The islanders are ready to tell their story, and Juliet is thrilled to receive it.  Detailed letters reveal how their daily lives were affected by the occupation and how they coped with the horrors of war.  The island community banded together and pooled their resources.  Friendships evolved around a common love of the book and pleasure in each other's company.  Juliet is enthralled by their lifestyle and has discovered a topic for her new work.
 
I'm a cover snob and this one turned me off immediately.  After succumbing to friend's recommendation, I fell for Guernsey's characters, the epistolary style (written in the form of a series of letters) and its whimsical rhythm.  Cover aside, this is definitely one of my favorite picks from 2009.