Dutchman's Christmas

Mary Ann Shaffer was born in 1934 in West Virginia. She and her husband moved to California where they raised two daughters. Most of her life she worked as a librarian. She was author of only one book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which was published posthumously in 2008. Here are a few of the gems you can find inside: “There is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops. I have gone to them for years, always finding the one book I wanted and then three more I hadn't known I wanted.” “He gave me The Beginner's Cook-Book for Girl Guides. It was just the thing; the writer assumes you know nothing about cookery and writes useful hints – ‘When adding eggs, break the shells first.’” And “We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.”