2010 Reading Across Rhode Island Title Chosen

The 2010 Reading Across Rhode Island (RARI) title is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Shortly after the end of WWII, Juliet Ashton of London receives a letter from a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – only the beginning of a series of letters bridging two islands and chronicling the story of the Guernsey islanders’ indomitable spirit during the German occupation.

Save the Date: The 8th Annual May Breakfast: May 1, 2010 with Keynote, Annie Barrows, co author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Also please watch this blog and the Reading Across Rhode Island website for the date for the January Launch Conference and other activities and resources about our 2010 title.

Ms. Barrows is also the author of the children’s series Ivy and Bean and The Magic Half. Mary Ann Shaffer, a librarian and editor, nurtured the tale about Guernsey for twenty years before committing pen to paper. Unfortunately, Ms. Shaffer passed away in February, 2008 before the final edits to the manuscript were complete. She asked her niece, Annie Barrows, to complete the revisions - and the story is now ours to share with all Rhode Islanders.

Let’s Talk about the Short List for Reading Across RI 2010

Have you read any of the titles on our Reading Across RI Short List for 2010? Help the Nominating Committee make the difficult decision with your input on the list of titles they are considering for 2010. Join us in discussing the seven books on the RARI Short List for 2010 by posting your comments about these books (each title has its own post):

• Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
• The Lost City of Z by David Grann
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
• The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
• Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Karen Stockett

Summary from Novelist Plus: Limited and persecuted by racial divides in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, three women, including an African-American maid, her sassy and chronically unemployed friend, and a recently graduated white woman, team up for a clandestine project.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Novelist Plus summary: In 1946, writer Juliet Ashton finds inspiration for her next book in her correspondence with a native of Guernsey, who tells her about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club born as an alibi during German occupation.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lhari

Summary from Novelist Plus: Exploring the secrets and complexities lying at the heart of family life and relationships, a collection of eight stories includes the title work, about a young mother in a new city whose father tends her garden while hiding a secret love affair.

Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Summary from Novelist: Young Sarah Carrier tries to cope with life in Salem, Massachusetts, after her mother, Martha Carrier, is accused, tried, and hanged as a witch.