[judydoodle]

Hello!
I read a book several years ago that was riveting and I would love to find it again. It was about a nuclear bomb that destroyed a huge portion of the U.S. and how a family (led by two women) survived. They learned not to trust strangers who were after everything from food to fuel, and stayed safe in their rural home (I believe in California). It seems like there were visitors who came to stay, and after much time had passed, they may have even ventured out to see if there were any more survivors. They killed at least one man who attempted to rob them.
It was fascinating to read how they learned to be totally self sufficient, and how they made a second home inside a very large (dead?) tree in case they were ever driven from their home.
And during all this time, at least one of the women was devoted to saving books (for future generations). They collected them and created a (cave?) where they stored the books. It seems to me there were only women and children in the home and they were worried about how to carry on future generations in case they never saw another human being.
I'm not sure if the book title has the word "library" or "book" in it, but I do know that the author's last name began with W, X, Y or Z because I found the book on the last set of shelves of our local library. I've just never been able to find it again, and it was a very well-written, very so-scary-that-it-could-really-happen kind of a book.
Any help would be appreciated!

[Quinn F]

A Gift Upon the Shore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[judydoodle]

Dear Quinn:
That's it! I'm so excited to be able to read this book again... I very much appreciate the help... now to get to the library... :)

[Quinn F]

You're welcome.