Last week, I presented at a conference on “Innovations in Content Delivery,” which gave me the opportunity to talk quite a bit about the Kindle! During my presentation, I happened to mention a book I had recently read, The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. In one of those fun coincidences that are a nice part of life, I received this email from a colleague who had been at the conference and heard my presentation. She wrote, “When I got to the airport and sat down in a vacant seat at the departure lounge, there right next to me was a copy of the book [GLAPPPS] with a note from the former reader saying she had left the book so someone else could enjoy it as much as she had…and then to pass it on after I finished it! What a coincidence. I ‘m enjoying it tremendously, and it’s all thanks to your comments that I even picked it up!” So very cool! This was in the United Express departure lounge at O’Hare International Airport.

As much as I love my Kindle, this is one thing I can’t do: leave a book behind for an unsuspecting stranger to discover and love as much as I did. Although, to be honest, I enjoyed The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so much, I’m not sure I would leave it behind…I might want to read it again one of these days.

The lead author, Mary Ann Shaffer, had worked on this book for years, doing extensive research and making many trips to Guernsey. In December, 2007, she became unexpectedly ill. Her niece, Annie Barrows (who is an author in her own right) stepped into collaborate with her aunt and help her finish the book. Shaffer died in February 2008 and sadly, after all those years of work, never had the chance to see the book in print (the hardcover version was published in July 2008).

You can buy the Kindle version of the book at Amazon.com