The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Greetings from Saskatchewan! I had planned to offer you a profile of reader Jayne Entwistle today, but she'll have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, I'm going to tell you about the awesome audiobook I listed to yesterday on my 13 hour drive to the lake. I was a bit pressed for time in the week before I left so I browsed through some of the Books on CD at one of the libraries I was working at. Hoping for a gem I grabbed a bunch and ended up listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece, Annie Barrows. When I started I literally knew nothing about it. The book has been out for a few years and while I was always intrigued by the title, I never checked into what it was about. Yesterday I plopped it into the CD Player in the car and started my drive. Almost instantly I felt like I'd won the audiobook lottery! I also now desperately want to visit (and possibly get lost in) Guernsey!

Set in 1946, the story is told completely in correspondence with each reader voicing the letters written by that particular character. I was really impressed with how the authors managed to tell the complexities of the story without allowing it to become overly dramatic or emotional. The story looks at the Island of Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and talks about the effects the 5-year German occupation of the island in WWII had on the island residents. The islands were completely cut off from the rest of the world and starvation, lack of fuel, and the occasional cruelty (and compassion) of the German soldiers had a dramatic impact on the community even after the war had ended.

Shortly after the end of the war, Juliet Ashton, a young writer who is enjoying the success of her first book, receives a letter from a stranger from Guernsey. He had obtained a book she used to own at a used bookstore and would like more books by the author or about him. This begins a long correspondence between Juliet and many of the island's inhabitants who had formed a literary society as a way to rebel against the Germans and maintain a sense of normalcy.

I loved this book! I was crying at parts and laughing out loud at many others. I can't recommend it enough! Author Mary Ann Shaffer, a former librarian, editor, and bookseller, passed away in February of 2008. This was her only novel and she never lived to see it published. She wrote it with her niece, Annie Barrows, who is a noted children's author. Learning the author had passed away made the story even more poignant. This is the kind of book I would love to write someday.

I was leery about listening to a book read by a collection of readers because  I was worried it would be read like dialogue. Instead, each reader reads the letters written by their character – perfect! Paul Boehmer I had listened to already in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and his distinct voice was perfect here. The other readers, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet Mills, were all new to me and absolutely excellent.

I listened to the CD version but I discovered today that it is available for download through Library to Go. You can listen to an audio sample there or at the Random House Audio link below.

Listen Up!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, (8 hrs, 7 mins), Random House Audio, (2008)

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel … Waiting can be Torture

Currently I’m bulking up my patience muscles as I wait for the 6th and final book in Michael Scott’s brilliant series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Unfortunately, Mr. Scott has ensured I will have lots of time to develop those muscles as the last book in the series, The Enchantress, doesn’t come out until May, 2012.

Unlike the other books I’ve profiled here, Scott’s series is more mature and darker that what I normally listen to. The humour isn’t there, having been replaced by mind-bending intensity and and an epic storyline that sweeps through 10,000 years of history in a few short days. The entire series, starting with The Alchemyst, takes place over the span of one month, but the characters move across the earth and through time in the span of a heartbeat.

The story centres around Josh and Sophie Newman, fifteen year-old twins who are believed to be the twins mentioned in an ancient prophesy - one to save the world and one to destroy it. Which is which? They are taken in by Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, when Dr. John Dee chases them to steal the Codex, a book that holds many secrets, including the formula for Flamel’s immortality elixir.

Each book moves the story along by focusing on one central character and their archetypal role in the story. The Alchemyst, the Sorceress, the Magician, the Necromancer, and most recently, the Warlock, are all unveiled as Josh and Sophie learn elemental magic and uncover their own extreme magical powers. Characters like  Scathach, Hekate, Prometheus, the Witch of Endor, Gilgamesh the King, Niccolò Machiavelli, Bastet, Odin, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc and Mars Ultor join Nicholas Flamel, the French Alchemyst, and his wife, Perenelle as they try and stop Dr. John Dee. Dee, a scientist and mathematician who first appeared in the 1600’s, is trying to destroy the world (or at least rid it of humans). All of the characters, except Josh and Sophie, have encountered each other for centuries, but for the twins this magical world is all new, and frightening.

Michael Scott has written a number of fiction books for adults and young adults, and is well known for his non-fiction books on Irish and Celtic folklore and mythology. This deep understanding of mythology is definitely evident in the details associated with each of the characters.

Unfortunately, more than one reader has been brought in to bring this story to life. I’m not a big fan of this tactic but I know that sometimes it can’t be helped. Denis O’Hare read the first book, Erik Singer read the second, and Paul Boehmer has read the last three. Boehmer is definitely the best suited to the story, and once you’re into each book the discontinuity is nearly forgotten. It’s when you go quickly from one book to the next that you notice the difference. I’m hoping that Boehmer will finish the series.

I won’t reveal the surprises but these books are absolutely awesome! As book 5 (The Warlock) ended, a completely unexpected twist in the plot was revealed that will make my year-long wait almost unbearable. If you’re going to listen to these books, perhaps wait until March of 2012 so the wait won’t be so painful.

I downloaded all five books for free through the BC Public Library's Library to Go site. You can download excerpts from there, or from the Random House Audio / Listening Library links below.

Listen Up!

The Alchemyst, 10 hours 2 minutes, Listening Library, (2007)

The Magician, 10 hours, 58 minutes, Listening Library, (2008)

The Sorceress, 14 hours 3 minutes, Listening Library, (2009)

The Necromancer, 11 hours 13 minutes, Listening Library, (2010)

The Warlock, 10 hours 52 minutes, Listening Library, (2011)

The Enchantress scheduled for Spring 2012