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A series of insurgent bomb attacks in Iraq kill at least one American soldier and six Iraqis. The latter were killed in twin bombings outside a police academy in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit that also injured nearly three-dozen others.

Margaret Hassan, the British aid worker abducted by insurgents in Baghdad last month, may have been put to death by her captors. The Al-Jazeera television network said it received a videotape of a woman, presumed to be Hassan, being shot. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Julia Alvarez's story of a promise kept, Alice Kaplan's account of three American women in Paris, Bart D. Ehrman's inquiry into the identity of Jesus, and Andrew Nagorski's survey of Americans who witnessed Hitler's ascent arrive in paperback.

In softcover nonfiction, the four-star general describes a culture gap between the military and civilian worlds, and Bridges explains how The Dude – of The Big Lebowski – is a kind of Zen master. In fiction, James Salter chronicles betrayal, Taiye Selasi looks at a grieving Ghanaian family and Philipp Meyer delivers a multigenerational family saga.

In softcover fiction, Joyce Carol Oates wreaks karmic horror on turn-of-the-century Princeton, and Sebastian Faulks braids five lives in the search for what makes a self. In softcover nonfiction, Elton John tells the story of his crusade for better AIDS treatment, and Bernard Lewis maps the Middle East with a life's worth of anecdotes.

In softcover nonfiction, William Knoedelseder looks at the family behind Budweiser, Charles Duhigg delves into the science of habit, Fred Kaplan explores an Army revolution, and Whole Foods' founder argues for businesses pursuing a higher purpose. In fiction, George Saunders delivers a collection of fantastical stories.

You know the feeling: You're driving and you spot a little-known memorial that makes you want to pull over and find out more. It could be a monument to some local hero or to a long-forgotten historical moment. Join NPR on a summer-long road trip exploring the deep histories of these spots.

In the past five years, the Fed has created $3 trillion out of thin air. In that context, today's news is vanishingly small.

In softcover fiction, Ellen Meister resurrects a literary icon, Ryan McIlvain sends elders door to door, and William H. Gass strikes the key to an identity crisis. In nonfiction, Monte Reel tells of the Victorian who chased after gorillas, and Bill Streever explores the thermometer's upper frontiers.

Whether you plan to head out to the theater or binge from the couch, our critics have gathered together their favorite films and TV shows of the year. Happy watching!