The weather’s cooling down, school’s back in session, and the holidays are starting to loom on the calendar—a perfect time to stock up on books. This week, our top reads include the newest Walt Longmire mystery, a retrospective from one of the funniest women in show business history, and another crackling thriller from a modern master.

Woman of God, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Patterson and Paetro return to surprise and confound with this unique story about a near-future Catholic Church on the verge of selecting a woman as pope for the first time in history. The woman herself, Brigid Fitzgerald, is a remarkable person who has battled adversity and danger and turned her back on love in order to pursue a better world—but as she stands on the precipice of history, she’s buffeted on all sides by forces determined not simply to prevent her ascension, but to destroy her utterly. Patterson and Paetro don’t shy away from the implications of their premise, and the result is a surprisingly powerful rumination on faith, religion, the modern age, and change—backed by a rock-solid story that delivers thrills and twists in the classic Patterson vein.

Home, by Harlan Coben
Coben lands back on the best seller lists with the 11th Myron Bolitar thriller, offering up a twisting mystery that fans will devour. Two children are abducted and ransomed—but no one picks up the money, and the children are never seen again. Ten years later a first cousin to one of the boys, world-class assassin Win Lockwood, thinks he sees him being beaten up in London—but the young man flees before he can make a positive identification. Luckily he’s best friends with Bolitar, who agrees to help him solve the decade-old mystery. Their investigation hurtles towards a surprise no one will see coming.

Killing the Rising Sun, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
O’Reilly and historian Dugard are back with the latest in the mega-successful Killing series. This time, instead of an individual, O’Reilly casts the Empire of Japan in the role of victim, exploring the final days of the war when Japan seemed destined to fight a brutal, bloody last stand that would cost millions of lives. As General Douglas MacArthur planned the invasion of Japan, the Manhattan Project was finishing work on what would become the biggest game-changer in terms of geopolitics and warfare ever: the Atomic Bomb. When FDR died in office, his Vice President Harry Truman suddenly found himself forced to make the most fateful decision of the war: invade Japan and pay the butcher’s bill, or drop the bomb and change the world. As always, O’Reilly sets the table with a deft eye for drama and clarifies the issues surrounding this complicated and momentous event.

Born to Run, by Bruce Springsteen
In his first memoir, legendary musician Bruce Springsteen talks about his upbringing, his music, and his awakenings along the way, from watching a life-changing TV performance by Elvis Presley to his journey to stardom with the E Street Band. Full of wisdom, and written in the charged, restless prose that has made him one of the most memorable songwriters in American music, Springsteen’s memoir isn’t just for fans, it’s for readers everywhere.

Scorched Earth: Restoring the Country After Obama, by Michael Savage
Savage remains consistent in his message that the administration of Barack Obama has been a disastrous one for America, and his newest book seeks to do more than simply repeat his evidence for this: instead, he offers solutions to what he sees as the problems that have afflicted the country over the course of the last eight years. As much a passionate call to action for those who share his beliefs as a work of policy, no one can claim that Savage doesn’t write with energy or offer detailed ideas to make the changes he sees as necessary to our future as a nation.

In Such Good Company, by Carol Burnett
Entire generations can bond over their love for The Carol Burnett Show, and in this chatty, conversational memoir Burnett herself tells the story of how the show came to be, the bumps and missteps it had to survive, and the behind-the-scenes stories that audiences at home weren’t privy to—until now. The writing style makes this one feel almost like you’re listening in to a conversation with Burnett, creating an intimate mood that makes the stories land with more emotion—and laughs—than a more clinical and “professional” approach might have had. Anyone who remembers those classic episodes from the 1960s and 1970s—or who loves Burnett—will adore this book.

Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett
Tracing the ripple effects of adult decisions on their children, Patchett’s newest begins with a pair of divorces and the mixed families that result. Resentments and emotional turmoil follows, resulting in a tragic accident that has a lot of mystery surrounding it. No one needs an excuse to read a new Patchett novel, and the effortless way she writes decades worth of family histories will absorb, engage, and touch readers, weaving in complex issues of emotional hurt, trust, and the damage that only our own families can do to us.

Pirate, by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell
The eighth book in the Fargo series has Sam and Remi chasing after perhaps the greatest treasure of their careers, an ancient Cypher Wheel. Naturally, they’re not the only people who want to take possession of the artifact, but not even Sam and Remi are prepared for the opponent they face in this fast-paced and exciting adventure co-authored by former police detective Burcell, author of The Kill Order. The quest takes the Fargos around the world as the danger and tension deepen to nearly-intolerable levels, and the story, as always, is peppered with fascinating bits of information and surprising twists and the unexpected flights of fantasy Cussler fans have come to expect.

Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton
The newest selection by Oprah’s rejuvenated Book Club is a raw, startlingly honest memoir that recounts the author’s slow journey to understanding herself. Despite being raised by parents who loved her and tried their best, Doyle describes a cycle of bulimia and, as she grew older, alcoholism that stemmed from her discomfort with herself and her body, and her perception that thinness equals beauty and beauty equals power. After getting married, she brought her drinking and eating disorder under control for the sake of her new pregnancy, but loneliness and unhappiness persisted. The story is heartbreaking, but the courage on display is incredibly inspiring. Although this is a memoir and not a self-help book, it’s certainly a book that will affect people powerfully and inspire many to change their lives—or to look on others with renewed sympathy.

Apprentice in Death, by J.D. Robb
Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns in a very welcome 43rd novel set in Robb’s near-future New York City. When three ice skaters at Wollman Rink are shot by a high-powered tactical rifle with a range of two miles, Dallas and husband Roarke pull out all the stops in order to identify the shooters. That’s just step one, though, and that identification tells Dallas more killings are coming—and in short order, they do. Tense and fast-moving, this frantic story ratchets up the thrills while providing long time fans with huge portions of the familiar pleasures of this incredibly popular series. Newcomers may not know all the back stories, but they will find themselves enjoying a top-notch thriller with a light sci-fi glaze.

Razor Girl, by Carl Hiaasen
Hiaasen is the Crowned Jester King of Florida novels, having unleashed a demented string of stories on the world that are as readable and hilarious as their characters are downright strange. Razor Girl is one of the most anticipated novels of the year for good reason: namely, characters. The rogue’s gallery in Hiaasen’s new one is impressive, including Razor Girl herself, who subsists off of automobile crash scams, as well as con artist Trebeaux continuously moving sand from one eroded beach to another, a Wisconsin accordion player pretending to be a Florida redneck for a reality TV show, and an attorney addicted to—and being disfigured by—an erectile dysfunction medicine he’s litigating against. And that isn’t even half of it, as once again Hiaasen effortlessly captures the weirdness of the most magical place on Earth: Florida.

A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny
Penny continues to astound in the effortless way she constructs her mysteries around the beloved character of Inspector Armand Gamache. Summoned from retirement to clean up the failing Süreté Academy du Québec, Gamache uses a recently discovered old map to engage the intellects of four students he fears might be heading in the wrong direction. But then hated and sadistic professor Serge Leduc—the essential victim with a long list of enemies—is found dead with a copy of that very map on the table next to him, and Gamache and his new charges find themselves at the center of suspicion. As Gamache brings his considerable skills to bear on the puzzle, threads from the past invade the present, and the reader once again wins big time.

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, by Amy Schumer
It would be nearly impossible to be unaware of Amy Schumer at this point in time; over the last few years Schumer has risen to very pinnacle of the comedy world, staking her claim as a smart, feminist comedian whose blend of raw, often uncomfortable humor is liberally mixed with intelligence and smart observation. In this collection of essays, Schumer continues to mine both her own life and her thoughtful take on everything from sex to her own introverted nature, all conveyed in a series of laugh-out-loud stories that will have you wishing you could be Amy’s best friend. While that’s probably not possible, this book is the next best thing. If you haven’t “gotten” Amy Schumer yet, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo might just be where it all clicks.

Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance
It’s the rare memoir that aspires to do more than tell the author’s story, but Vance does just that in this remarkable book. Simultaneously the life story of this self-described “hillbilly” and an examination of the societal forces in operation throughout his existence that helped him rise up and graduate Yale Law School, Vance takes a refreshingly honest and objective view of his family, seeing their many strengths as well as their various flaws, and offers a complex and moving worldview that sees the power of a close-knit community and a tightly bonded family as the most important factors in his own success. If you’ve never known anyone who referred to themselves in all seriousness as a hillbilly, this book will be both a revelation and an education.

Armageddon: How Trump Can Beat Hillary, by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
Morris doesn’t even pretend to be neutral in his new bestseller, and anyone who considers a potential President Hillary Clinton to be tantamount to a third term for Barack Obama (and in turn considers that to be a very bad thing for our country) will rally to Morris’ vision for Republican victory in November. Morris details a plan for Republican nominee Donald Trump to defeat Hillary—and by extension, the progressive agenda she represents, which Morris believes will result in an all-powerful President backed by an intrusive judicial branch, with the checks and balances of our government broken and rendered impotent.

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead
The newest selection of Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 is sure to finally launch Whitehead into the stratosphere of elite American authors. Set in the antebellum South and focused on a runaway slave named Cora, Whitehead electrifies a familiar story of cruelty and the struggle for freedom with a simple, powerful twist: he imagines the underground railroad to be a literal railroad, a belching steam engine roaring on steel tracks deep below the surface. Cora and a fellow slave, the educated Caesar, find their way on board, pursued by an implacable, philosophical slave catcher, and embark on an epic journey that slowly explodes the myth that the north was a universal safe haven of abolitionists. A powerful, poetic epic, The Underground Railroad is sure to dominate conversations for months to come.

The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware
Ware proves that sometimes the classic approach still has modern bite in a thriller that recalls Agatha Christie in the best way. Laura “Lo” Blacklock is a travel writer who jumps at the chance to sub in for her boss on a cruise of the Norwegian Fjords onboard the luxury ship Aurora. Days before the voyage, her apartment is broken into; Lo is traumatized, and arrives for her trip sleep-deprived and suffering from PTSD. When sleepless Lo hears what she thinks is a body hit the water at night, she insists the woman in the cabin next to hers is missing—but everyone else asserts there was no one in the cabin next to hers. Even uncertain of her own perceptions, Lo proves to be a resourceful, defiant character who doggedly pursues the mystery even as the boat becomes increasingly claustrophobic, despite the elegant appointments and her wealthy fellow travelers. Readers will gladly follow Ware wherever she leads them in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.