Off the Shelf: Liz Johnson & The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

So delighted to have a new installment of Off the Shelf for you today! Liz Johnson, author of The Red Door Inn, is stopping by today to share about her favorite book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a novel that's been on my re-read list for quite some time, and Liz's blog is an eloquent reminder why. 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - read it only if you 

want to be delighted.

A little over a year ago, I met the new girl at work. She was outgoing, funny, and loved books—maybe, almost as much as I do. We hit it off right away, and I knew we could be good friends.

And then we hit a bump in the road. During one of our countless book discussions, she confessed. She’d never read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer.

Off the Shelf: Rachel McMillan & The Blue Castle

Taking a brief break from the Project Runway Coverage on the blog today! I've long wanted to start a blog series featuring authors and the books they evangelize most. I'm delighted that my friend and writerly compatriot Rachel MacMillian is kicking it off today with a little novel called The Blue Castle. 

When I was a teenager, my ultra-cool Aunt Annette gave me a copy of A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.  Any book gift (especially an unexpected one, without occasion or holiday) was a huge treat and I felt elated but badly-- as she pulled it from the shelf and placed it in my hand--- that her collection would have its spine-sized hole in it.

She bid me not to worry. She said something to the effect of it being a book that needs to be shared and given away.  She bought copies to give away. She shared it. She appropriated its voice and took ownership of its message and sent it out into the world, speaking for herself.