The greatest generation was a hardworking, strong, loving people wanting what is now called "the American Dream." Each would be propelled from their neighborhoods and slow-moving communities, a safe haven that cloaked them and held them securely, into a world war of destruction and death on December 7, 1941. America had been awakened; Americans, a year earlier, saw and understood the evil destined for this country was now killing other peoples of the world.

These were to become a volunteer group of Americans assembled by two countries, America and China, to be the first to defend an innocent people. Today they are known as the famed AVG or American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers. Their story is as vast as the war itself; it touched those it affected with death and destruction as it consumed everything in its path. Within the pages of this book, the story of one pilot and one nurse will be revealed, from when they volunteer, meet, fall in love, and marry while defending and saving the babies, the parents, the citizens of China and Burma. Pete and Jane maintained their beliefs of duty and honor and sacrifice while they endured the horrors of war. Finding security in each other's arms and a new spirit of love with each kiss, keeping them hopeful the war would end soon.

Lieutenant Kate De Marco, an army nurse, and Captain Robert Coleman, an infantry officer, met in the Philippines in 1940. Finding themselves in one of the most romantic locations in the world, their love grew even as the winds of war threatened to drive them apart. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, their lives changed completely, as American and Filipino soldiers surrendered to the Japanese in Bataan. Kate and Robert were separated in the melee.

Evacuated to the relative safety of nearby Corregidor Island, Kate kept a diary, where she recorded her longing for Robert's safe return. Meanwhile, Robert opted not to surrender and instead swam the precarious two miles from Bataan to Corregidor in search of his love. As the Japanese threatened to take Corregidor, Kate hid her diary in the walls of an underground tunnel, where it stayed for seventy years.

In 2012, Lisa Newhouse and Brandon Wales, two graduate students from the University of Tennessee, travel to Corregidor with a study group and discover Kate's lost diary. Inspired by her words and her love for Robert, they too admit their shared feelings. Although the intersection of their lives with that of Kate and Robert is coincidence, the diary leads them on a journey, which will change their lives forever.

Zakhar Prilepin's novel-in-stories, Sin, has become a literary phenomenon in Russia, where it was published in 2007. It has been hailed as the epitome of the spirit of the opening decade of the 21st century, and was called "the book of the decade" by the prestigious Super Natsbest Award jury. In the episodes of Zakharka's life, presented here in non-chronological order, we see him as a little boy, a lovelorn teenager, a hard-drinking grave-digger, a nightclub bouncer, a father, and a soldier in Chechnya. Sin offers a fascinating glimpse into the recent Russian past, as well as its present, with its unemployment, poverty, violence, and local wars - social problems that may be found in many corners of the world. Zakhar Prilepin presents these realities through the eyes of Zakharka, taking us along on the life-affirming journey of his unforgettable protagonist.

Dis 1899 en die begin van die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Vir Frank Ingram, sy beste vriend Michal Ras en die se verloofde Kath Rouwenhorst begin dit in Oktober tydens 'n swierige verjaardagparty in die Boland. Vir Frank, 'n student in die teologie wat sy studies staak om te gaan veg, is dit ook die begin van 'n innerlike stryd wat hom afspeel rondom die absurditeite en ontnugtering van die oorlog. Later sal Frank homself afvra of die geweld van oorlog 'n sluimerende behoefte aan wreedheid in hom bevredig. En uiteindelik kom die vraag: Wat was die werklike uitwerking van die oorlog? Die titel van hierdie ontroerende roman kom uit die ou Vrystaatse volkslied waarvan die eerste strofe lui: Heft Burgers ’t lied der vrijheid aan / En zingt ons eigen volksbestaan! / Van vreemde banden vrij, / Bekleedt ons klein gemenebest, // Op orde, wet en recht gevest, / Rang in der staten rij.

After thirty years, Brigadier General Carolyn McKenzie Marshall is retiring and leaving the US Army behind. She's proud of her accomplishments, especially the formation and training of the first women's jump program in the army. Though looking forward to a new life in Hawaii, she's sad to leave her sisters behind, including her replacement, Col. Dora Aimsley. The two have been through a lot together.

But just three days into retirement, one of Carrie's past exploits comes back to haunt her and her fellow sisters. Ten years ago, the Sheikh managed to escape destruction when Dora blew up the building in which he and his cohorts were hiding. Now, the Sheikh has returned to exact revenge on Dora and the team who caused him to lose money and face.

The Sheikh means business. Even so, Dora foils his hijacking attempt on the Pope's airplane, and the Sheikh retaliates by kidnapping Dora's twin daughters and Carrie. Dora's training kicks in and with the help of her fellow sisters tries to save her friend, her family, and herself.

France, 1940. Nazi forces march towards Paris. Lili Rosenswig's wealthy and eccentric family is ensconced in their country chateau with their sumptuous collection of arts and antiques. The beloved Matisse portrait of Lili's mother has been brought from their Paris salon for safety. It is the day before young lovers Lili and Paul are to be married that they are forced to flee and their fortunes change irrevocably. Lili and her family escape but Paul must stay behind to defend his country. In their struggle to adapt to changing circumstances in an unpredictable world, all are pushed to reinvent themselves. When top Nazi Herman Goring loots their Matisse portrait, their story is intertwined with the fate of the painting. PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN WHITE is a moving family saga, an obsessive search for lost love and lost art and how far we will go to survive.

In the port of Pireaus, Greece, the early summer rains stopped and the clouds cleared away. The sun, slowly gliding onto the sea, cast its last rays on the German fleet. After the night patrols ran past and the sound of jackboots faded, Petros Zervas, the young resistance fighter, ran down the hill and, for the first time in years, saw Lela Lellos.

Eleven years had passed since the thirty-year-old Lela contributed to the delinquency of fourteen-year-old Petros, taking his virginity and transforming him into a man. He then disappeared, leaving Lela with nothing but her memory and his name tattooed on her stomach. She had no idea that Petros has turned out to be a successful young man.

What she does not know is that he has also become a wanted man- pursued by the Germans whom he is fighting in Pireaus. But one man has seen Petros and believes he can rescue a religious icon held captive by German chaplains who will never appreciate its power or understand its beauty. Only Petros can perform a miracle for old Spyros Kanares; if he fails, though, both will surely end up in front of a firing squad.

This compelling tale of heroism, based on true events, culminates in an unforgettable attack on the German fleet anchored in the port of Piraeus, as a powerful love story is tested in the crucible of war.