Is there anything more delicious than finding a stack of old letters, tied with ribbon squirreled away in an attic trunk? The next best thing would be an epistolary novel, a book written as a series of documents such as letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings and more recently, e-mails and blogs. Since its first incarnation in 1485, the epistolary novel has proved to be an enduring literary form.

When I first saw the title of Mary Ann Shaffer's book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, I assumed it was set in the American South. Was I in for a surprise! The book actually takes place on Guernsey, one of England's Channel Islands. Set just after World War II, it’s the lovely story of the relationship that develops between a 30-something American writer and the inhabitants of the island. This one's not to be missed.

Even if you're a Jane Austen fan, you may not have heard of her novella Lady Susan. Written 10 years before her major novels, it's the story of a recent widow who will stop at nothing to secure a proper marriage for her daughter. Told through the correspondence of the characters, it's a delightful satire on the social foibles of the day.

Along the same line is Evelina by Fanney Burney, said to be the author who most heavily influenced Jane Austen's writing. Evelina is a young, innocent country girl who records her shrewd observations of 18th-century London society through a series of letters. One reviewer dubbed it the "chick-lit novel of 1778" and the "best of its kind ever written."

I've recommended 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff before, but if you haven't taken my advice and read it, stop what you're doing and put a copy on hold for yourself. It's the true story of the 20-year correspondence between Hanff, a struggling New York author, and Frank Doel, an antiquarian bookseller in London. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll buy multiple copies to give away as gifts. Once you've read this small volume, be sure to watch the movie starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins. It's one of those rare cases where the movie is as good as the book.

In her debut novel, The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, screenwriter Elisabeth Robinson tells the story of two sisters whose lives couldn't be more different. Olivia Hunt is a film producer leading a chaotic life in Los Angeles; her sister, Maddie, is happily married and living in the Ohio town they grew up in. Through a series of Olivia's letters, memos and e-mails, we learn about the year Maddie is diagnosed with leukemia. It's a humorous yet moving tribute to the bond between sisters.

If suspense and intrigue are more your style, give Fan Mail by Ronald Munson a try. Newscaster Joan Carpenter is being stalked by a psychopathic fan who calls himself "The Watcher." It's a fast-paced thriller told through faxes, letters, memos, e-mails and taped conversations.

More epistolary novels:

The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend by Laney K. Becker
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Griffin &Mp; Sabine, Sabine's Notebook and
The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
The Train to Estelline by Jane Roberts Wood
A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Hailey

You can find these movies and many more at any Jefferson County Public Library location. Talk to your librarian for more recommendations.