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Mitchell's Book Corner 54 Main Street, 228-1080

"Peace"

by Richard Bausch

Idon't usually care for war books - I guess I hear enough about war on the television and radio that when I read a book I want to forget about it. That said, "Peace" by Richard Bausch transcends its topic, leaving us with a phenomenal book that is more a study of man than a study of war. The setting is Italy, near Cassino, during the winter of 1944. Corporal Marson is a former minor league baseball player that was drafted to serve in World War II. He and two of his platoon mates are chosen for a reconnaissance mission. While the book only takes place over a twenty-four hour period, the deeply drawn characters come alive for the reader. More a character driven novel than an episodic one, "Peace" pulls you into the world of Robert Marson to the point that you will find yourself shivering as they fight the never-ending rain. Thank goodness the sun is shining here!

- Lucretia Voigt, Mitchell's Book Corner

Nantucket Bookworks 25 Broad Street, 228-4000

"The Shadow Year"

by Jeffrey Ford

Jeffrey Ford is a guy whose fiction Dick Cumbie and I published in "The Nantucket Review" back in the late '70s. He's published seven or eight books since. This one is set in the '60s, in a Long Island community plagued by a prowler. The young, unnamed narrator and his older, junior-high brother Jim set out to investigate. They're part of a family in which the father works three jobs, the mother is an alcoholic devotee of Sherlock Holmes, and the younger sister Mary adopts several different personae. When it seems that the prowler may have turned murderer and Mary makes some uncanny contributions to unraveling the mystery, things take on a decidedly chilly quality.

- Dick Burns, Nantucket Bookworks

Nantucket Atheneum 1 India Street, 228-1110

"Rabbit's Gift"

told by George Shannon,

illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Afable from China tells how a pure act of generosity by a little rabbit becomes a wave that affects many animals in the forest. Rabbit has found an extra turnip, and although he knows that it will make "a warm and cozy meal," he worries about his friend Donkey, and wants to share it with her. But Donkey has a potato, so thinks to bring the turnip to her friend Goat. And so, each animal, upon finding the gift, acts generously to share it with another. Shannon's narrative uses simple language and repetitive phrases, making the story accessible for preschool children. Laura Dronzek's uncomplicated paintings are rich in their earth tones and sweet woodland characters.

- Maggie Head, Nantucket Atheneum