Margo Solod's Cuttyhunk: Life on the Rock contains a suite of galvanizing stories from her 15 years as staffer, innkeeper and cook of the Allen House, Cuttyhunk's finest (and only) inn. This book is essentially a love story, the kind that, like the best love, comes complete with recipes. The kind of love story that encompasses a barefoot Jackie Kennedy; Gertrude, a bloody 378-lb swordfish kept on ice in a bathtub; Jesse-the-dog and Tom-the-cat-not-to-be-trifled-with; and any number of ways to cook a lobster. Vivid, colorful, and touching, this memoir is well worth the reading and cooking time.

The stories in Working Stiffs are crafted with crisp language and buoyant dark humor that beautifully reveal unique and intense situations. George Dila shows us what it s like out there, making our way, every day, against power-tripping bosses, dehumanizing military duties, the inexorable advance of old age. All of the characters in George Dila's stories compel us to believe and invest in their lives; although they may be at the mercy of uncompromising bosses and impossible situations, they still stand up and wage their own battles. These working stiffs grunt and sing, dodge and kill, betray and grant mercy. The impact of Dila's work is undeniable, and we re left imprinted by the generous raw emotion in every scene.