Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I'm a bit late learning about this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is a story of the occupation of Guernsey Island off the coast of England during WW II and the year following the war.  The story is told through a series of letters written by the characters.  I felt the authors did a great job of writing each letter with a unique voice.  It reminded me of Spoon River Anthology.  As I began the book, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but within a few letters, I was hooked.  It was fun to read the character's relationships grow and evolve as they exchange letters.   It was also interesting to learn how the war effected each individual in different ways, both physical and mentally.

The House of Hope and Fear- Audrey Young

I found this non fiction book about Harborview Hospital here in Seattle to be engaging and informative.  The author obviously deeply believes in the mission of Harborview.  She follows the story of several frequent patients throughout the book and you get a feeling for the kinds of people they are.  As a family member of a former patient at Harborview, I can't say that I'm quite as in love with the hospital as she is, and some of their vision of treating everyone with respect doesn't quite translate into action in real life.  That being said, the medical advances we all enjoy because of the pioneering work at Harborview are savings lives every day.