Letters of all types this time. In alphabets, in letters (as in the old-fashioned, handwritten type), and something we see every day, in fact you are looking at one

right now: a style of a font.

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmode. It is 1912 and a fan (in Illinois) writes a letter to a favorite author of a book of poems (who lives on the Isle of Skye) ... who, much to his surprise, writes back. A friendship grows over the months and years as they share everything from favorite books to personal secrets and the letters continue until World War I intervenes. In 1940 the daughter of the poet finds a packet of the letters and puts into motion the closing events.

A man who lives on the island of Guernsey finds a name in a used book and decides to write a letter to that person. That person turns out to be Juliet Ashton, an author who is looking for an idea for her next book. In their letters she learns of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The small island of Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during WWII. Curfew was enforced so when several locals were caught out late one night they came up with the alibi of a book club. In the letters Juliet will learn about the island, the residents, what it was like with the Germans there, the books they read and more. Charming and fun, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows is a delightful read.

Some years ago Constant Reader came to me and said 'read this book'. The book was Ella Minnow Pea: a Novel in Letters, by Mark Dunn, and what a read it was! It is set in the (fictional) town of Nollop, South Carolina, named for Nevin Nollop who gave us 'the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog' and indeed this is on the memorial statue. When letters start to fall off, the town council determines that those letters may no longer be used whether in print or in speech. The author does this, too, eliminating the dropped letters from his story. Clever, quirky and different!

Hannah Viano's beautiful papercuts illustrate her book S is for Salmon: a Pacific Northwest Alphabet. It has a very northwest feel to it and I have already read through it many times. It feels so very familiar, from what she uses for each letter, to the soft, muted tones of her artwork. The blurb on the back says she is based in Seattle.

The Other Colors: an ABC Book, photography by Ann Cutting, design and alliteration by Valerie Gates. The clever photos and descriptions will teach young readers new words, and be fun for adults to read as well ... every word for each letter starts with that letter ... not all that easy to do ... I know, I've tried!

Fonts come in all styles, as you will learn in Just My Type: a Book About Fonts, by Simon Garfield. There are fonts that inspire, fonts that sell a product, flowery fonts. Simon Garfield tells how, and who, designed them. Some have been around for centuries.

Reading Hermit With Dog