Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy 1945-1975

Max Hastings (nonfiction, Harper)

A political and military narrative that includes personal experiences for what is a gripping, well-researched look at a divisive American war.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life

Jane Sherron De Hart (biography, Knopf)

A comprehensive biography of the Supreme Court justice, written with the cooperation of Ginsburg, her husband, children, friends and associates. A detailed look — personal, professional, public and private — of a trailblazer.

In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown

Nathaniel Philbrick (nonfiction, Viking)

From the bestselling author of “In the Heart of the Sea” comes a gripping narrative about the year that won the Revolutionary War. It was the fall of 1780, after five years of war, and George Washington had concluded that the only way to defeat the British was with the help of the French. On Sept. 5, 1781, the Battle of the Chesapeake paved the way for the subsequent American victory at Yorktown.

Girls Write Now

(essays, Tin House Books)

What happens when teenage girls write about their lives? The result is this book, filled with essays from teens from across the country and taken from all walks of life, writing about everything from a first kiss to working part-time jobs and coming out to their parents.

Unsheltered

Barbara Kingsolver (fiction, Harper)

Willa Knox’s house is slowly falling apart; when a contractor comes to look at it, he helpfully suggests tearing it down altogether. Their finances are in dire straits: Her magazine has folded, and her professor husband lost his tenure when the college closed. Her grown kids are still living with them, along with her racist father-in-law. Uneasy and timely.

The Winters

Lisa Gabriele (fiction, Viking)

A modern telling of the Daphne Du Maurier classic “Rebecca,” a young woman tries to acclimate to her new life on a Long Island estate as the fiancée of the charming Max Winter. His teenage daughter is a lot to handle, and the ghost of his dead first wife, Rebekah, won’t rest.