by Diana Oswald, a partner at the Marianne Strong Literary Agency

Douglas Brinkley is one of today’s distinguished historians. In this newly updated edition of his Witness to America (Harper­Collins), he brings together a stunning collection of eyewitness accounts that chronicles the American experience from the perspectives of those who participated in its making.

Included are nearly 150 works drawn from America’s past, from the first shots of the Revolutionary War to the twenty-first century. From Patrick Henry’s rousing “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” speech to John Brown’s stand at Harpers Ferry; from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s promise of a New Deal to Neil Armstrong’s account of walking on the moon; from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to Barack Obama’s landmark speech on race: this sweeping volume brings the milestones in American history vividly to life.

Spanning across the vast territory that is our nation, we are illuminated by the movements, ideas, inventions, and events that have shaped us—and we are left with a fascinating, and highly readable collection that shows us what America is and where it may go.’

Summer ushers in the perfect opportunity to immerse us in a good mystery, and when you factor in a divorce, a mother/daughter relationship, and a pending romance, it all breeds intrigue. In The Island (Little, Brown), Birdie Cousins plans a getaway with her daughter, Chess, on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, for a chance to bond before Chess’s upcoming marriage. Birdie’s been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She’s only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.

Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding, but when her ex-fiancé dies suddenly in a rock climbing accident, Chess feels guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter, Tate, and her own sister, India, to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets that were never meant to see the light of day soon make their way to the surface as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.

The Fuller Memorandum (Berkley) proves to be the perfectly sophisticated and clever British spy novel. Bringing us back to the days of dry martinis and fast women, national bestselling author Charles Stross resurrects Bob Howard, a British super spy and accidental hero. He’s taking a much-needed break from the field to catch up on his filing at his agency, The Laundry, when a top secret dossier known as The Fuller Memorandum vanishes. Disappear­ing with the memorandum is Howard’s boss, drawing suspicion among the agency’s executives that his boss has departed with the file intact. 

Determined to discover exactly what the memorandum contained, Bob runs afoul of Russian agents, ancient demons, and the apostles of a hideous faith, who have plans to raise a very unpleasant undead entity known as the Eater of Souls...