If I loved… what should I read next?

[Rita]

Hi All,
So many books, so little time…
There are some books--and we ALL have at least a few--that we hate when we come to the end, and we re-read and re-read. So in the search for new books to love, I have the question for this community. If I loved… what should I read next?

So, here's my first "love". I loved "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". I loved the story and the characters, and I did enjoy the epistolary storytelling. "Glaring like a molting eagle" is an image that is so vivid in my head that I've referred to it often. So, dear Readers, do you have suggestions for a book that I'd love as much?

And who else out there has a "If I loved… what should I read?"

[Patricia]

I'd recommend Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, I finished this recently and also rated it 5 stars.
Not the same sort of story in that it isn't set in WW2/concentration camps etc, but I thought overall it had a very similar "feel".

[Thomas]

Try Lilac Girls I posted a Goodreads review.

[Marne]

I really enjoyed Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. It takes place during World War I, but it involves letters from a woman on a remote island to an American admirer. I thought it had a similar feel.

[Annie]

May I suggest Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys? And perhaps Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher? They aren't the "same" by any means, but they appeal to the same part of my heart/mind. Strike similar moods or chords within me, so-to-speak.

Happy Reading to you.

[S.W.]

I agree with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I'd also recommend Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety.

[Michelle]

Just finished reading "The Little Paris Bookshop." So wonderful and dreaded finishing just like I did with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Wanted to read so much more.

[Sissie]

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

[Doreen]

Michelle wrote: "Just finished reading "The Little Paris Bookshop." So wonderful and dreaded finishing just like I did with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Wanted to read so much more."
My book group just finished these two books back to back. Delightful stories with characters you'd love to commune with!

[Gretchen]

Probably anything by Jan Karon -- whose books this reminded me of. I'll admit, although the characters stayed with me, I didn't much enjoy this one -- too..sweet in its interactions.

[Deborah]

Rereading after initial publication, and thoroughly enjoying the storyline. Creates interest in Channel Islands during WW2. Major Pettigrew is next and so glad that I purchased both books when they were first published.

[Thomas]

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir my review, 4.5/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Janderoo92]

I feel exactly the same way about this book - sad to come to the last page, and often picked up again for a reread. I suggest 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. It is a delightful epistolary novel with a British bookstore's address giving the novel its title. I believe it must have had an influence on author(s) of GL&PPPS.

You might also enjoy A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute.

[Debby]

I also loved 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff as well as GL&PPS.

[Nita]

Rita wrote: "Hi All,
So many books, so little time…
There are some books--and we ALL have at least a few--that we hate when we come to the end, and we re-read and re-read. So in the search for new books to love..."

I read P.G. Wodehouse and Gerald Durrel again and again. They always perk me up.

[Pam]

Rita wrote: "Hi All,
So many books, so little time…
There are some books--and we ALL have at least a few--that we hate when we come to the end, and we re-read and re-read. So in the search for new books to love..."

Helen Simonsson's The Summer Before the War is brilliant. Very Oscar Wilde meets Henry James, with wonderful characters and plot that resonates in the present regarding the treatment of refugees, the attitudes toward homosexuals and women who are pregnant out of wedlock. Clues are woven in concerning the parentage of one character- (no spoilers).
Memorable quotes and wit abound: "She has all the compassion of a coal scuttle." This is a book I will treasure and reread. I hope the BBC makes a tv version.

[Cherie]

Jennifer Ryan's

[Cherie]

Cherie wrote: "Jennifer Ryan's"

THE CHILBURY LADIES' CHOIR reminded me of the Guernsey group. Set in England just before the Nazi bombers arrive, the women decided to keep their choir together even though the men are away. It's written in a series of letters or journal entries from the choir ladies, and through them, you learn the secrets, fears, and joys of people you come to love. I didn't want it to end.

[Marcia]

S.W. wrote: "I agree with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I'd also recommend Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety."
i really liked this book. It made you aware of the prejudices that come with cultures different from yours and how to bridge the gap.

[Marcia]

I have read most of the books suggested. I like WW2 books and there are many that I like. My favorite was We Were the Lucky Ones. This book was a result of the author's ancestry study. All the characters are based on the information she collected. I couldn't put it down.

[Marcia]

City of Women and Feast of Skeletons

[Paula]

I loved this book when I read it, but then I listened to the audio book. The story took on a life of it's own. Various actors read the letters and the story truly comes to life. The same can be said of EB White reading Charlotte's Web. Unbelievable!

[Mackenzie]

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the epistolary storytelling as well as the relatable characters. I didn't want this book to end and I was dreading that "my time" on Guernsey was ending! For me, this was one of those books where I really had to control the urge to peak ahead. Will definitely try Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Little Paris Bookshop next. Thanks for this thread and the great suggestions!

[Marcia]

The Kommandant's Girl. It is a book by Pam Jenhoff, the author of An Orphan's Tale. It was her first novel written in 2007 and it is spellbinding. It is the story of a 19 year old Emma who has to change her identity to Christian and work as an undercover spy for the Kommandant.

[DeJohn]

Resistance by Owen Sheers has a very similar setting to it's story, even if it doesn't share the Book Lovers aspect of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society".

[Thia Reads A Lot]

I would suggest The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. It isn't about WW2, but books play a major part in it.