book reviews

I have recently finished 2 books and would like to recommend them to anyone looking for a good book to read. I enjoyed them both and will give a brief synopsis of the book to see if anyone might be interested. The books are:

1. "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver:

This book is a long one and at times can get a little slow but it is worth the read, especially if you like reading and learning more about Africa. It is a story of a family of a preacher, his wife, and 4 daughters who move to Africa. It is told from the perspective of each of the 4 daughters and the mom every once in awhile. It is interesting to hear each of their perspectives on their situation down in Africa. The last 200 pages or so make the book entirely worth it. The writing is incredible, along with the great symbolism and themes that are strewn throughout the book. This book changed my perspective somewhat on Europeans conquering Africa and American trying to "help" Africa. There is a lot of good and interesting insight about religion, human natue, individuality, and geography. I really liked it and if anyone reads it I'd love to discuss it! (it's a great book to discuss.. I need a book group)

2. "The Guernsey Literary and the Potato Peel Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This is such a cute read. It only took me a couple days to finish it- partially because I loved reading it and also because it is not very long. It is a sweet little book sent in London, England and the time period is right after World War 2. I knew I would love it from the start when it mentioned London and places like Covent Garden that I recognized. The book is about a female witty journalist/writer who gets in touch with a literary society (book group) who is from the Guernsey Islands. I had no idea these islands existed before, but they are south of England and technically apart of the U.K. There is a bit of history involved in the story- the island was invaded and taken over by the Germans during WW2. The witty writer seeks to know more about the people that live there, thost that are apart of the literary society, and what life was like during the war. This is a charming and amusing book filled with humor, love, a bit of sadness and a touch of history- all of which made me wish I was apart of the Potato Peel Society. I definitely recommend it.