Peace, a novel, Richard Bausch

Italy, near Cassino. The terrible winter of 1944. A dismal, icy rain continuing unabated for days. Guided by a seventy year old Italian man in rope-soled shoes, three American soldiers are sent on a reconnaissance mission up the side of a steep hill that they discover, before very long, to be a mountain. And the old man's indeterminate loyalties only add to the terror and confusion that engulf them on that mountain where they are confronted with the horror of their own time, and then set upon by a sniper.

Taut and propulsive, with its spare language, its punishing landscape, and the keenly drawn portraits of the three young soldiers at its center, Peace is a feat of economy, compression, and imagination, a brutal and unmistakably contemporary meditation of the corrosiveness of violence the human cost of war, and the redemptive power of mercy.

My Name is Mary Sutter, a novel, Robin Oliveira

In this historical novel, which opens on the eve of the Civil War, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine, and eager to run away from recent heartbreak, Mary travels to Washington D.C. to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of William Stripp and James Blevens, two surgeons who unwittingly fall in love with Mary's courage, will and stubbornness in the face of suffering and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister's baby, Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capitol.

My Name is Mary Sutter powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the period. Rich with historical detail (including marvelous depictions of Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, General McClellam, and John Hay, among others) this is an exceptional novel. And in Mary, herself, Robin Oliveira has created an unforgettable heroine whose unwavering determination and vulnerability will resonate with readers everywhere.

This Time Together, Laughter and Reflection, Carol Burnett

In the world of comedy, Carol Burnett resides in the pantheon of such legendary trailblazers as Lucille Ball and Sid Caesar. Even though television executives were reluctant at first to let her host a variety show, this particular real estate belonged to men, Carol prevailed and went on to star in the wildly successful The Carol Burnett Show, which lasted eleven seasons and won twenty-five Emmy Awards. The same talent for comedy and timing that she displayed on television is on every page of This Time Together. With her trademark self deprecating humor, Carol tells the story of her rise in show business and the people she's met along the way from such Hollywood greats as Jimmy Stewart, Marlon Brando, and Cary Grant to the family, cast, and audience members who've motivated her. The anecdotes range from the hilarious to the heartbreaking. Throughout these reminiscences, a portrait emerges of a totally down to earth, richly talented and amusingly spunky woman whose life and career are moving, insightful and ultimately inspiring. And just as she is grateful that her time happened as it did", readers will be grateful that Carol chose to share her amazing life and career in such a funny, big hearted, and poignant way.

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