Judging Books by Their Covers

Sometimes book covers demand that you open them up and take a look at what's inside. But who would have thought that some of the best covers would show up on the classics? I've been raving about the covers that Penguin came out with for a handful of classic reads like Frankenstein, The Three Musketeers, and Candide. I want to give Penguin a big hug, not just for creating hilarious comic strip renditions of the tales inside, but for devoting their design efforts to older literature that often gets overlooked among the zillions of new reads that make their way onto store shelves. It's great to see these stories get revived covers; I don't know why people think that "classic" books should have oil paintings on the cover. Come on, these books are still great - that's why they're called "classics" (though I know different people have different definitions of what constitutes a classic. But that's a different topic altogether).
Anyway, the comic covers are fantastic in and of themselves. When you combine them with a great read, it's a winning combination. These are some of the best ever!

Love,war and potato peel pies

I've just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Fiery Barrows and Mary Ann Fiery. If you've heard good things about this book, they're all true. I was sorry to reach the last page and say goodbye to all the characters that I had come to know. Told in correspondence between a writer and the inhabitants of Guernsey, the book takes place in 1946 while Britain and the world are still recovering from the devestation of WWII. It starts out relatively light in content and feeling, but as the letters grow longer and true friendships are formed, more is revealed about life under German occupation in Guernsey for those who stayed on the island and for those unfortunates sent off to camps. If you're looking for a book that is a pure pleasure to read, I highly recommend this one.
Also, if you have read this book and enjoyed both the format and tone, I'd also recommend 84 Charing Cross Road. One of my favorites.