The scandals to which Donald Trump has been linked at this point in the election are too numerous to count. Though a large percentage of the American public may be horrified by Trump’s behavior and lies, much of what we are seeing today is nothing new. If American history tells us anything, this is just politics as usual.

Trump is far from the first candidate who has lied about his background. Perhaps the biggest falsehood perpetrated on the public by an American politician was the extraordinary story concocted by Douglas R. Stringfellow, a Republican from Utah, during his 1952 run for a Congressional seat that had been staunchly Democratic for over twenty years. Though he lacked previous political experience, his campaign was predicated on his World War II military career. His campaign was fueled by vivid war stories about parachuting into Germany to kidnap a Nazi nuclear scientist, but then being captured and sent to a concentration camp. He escaped only to incur injury when wounded by a mine explosion, and he returned home to the U.S. as a paraplegic. The voting public loved the candidate’s brave wartime story and elected him with a whopping 60% of the vote. The problem? The only part of Stringfellow’s tale that was true was the fact that he had been in the Army. Though he had indeed been injured during his service, it happened during a routine mission and was not paralyzed; he had always been able to walk with a cane. His incredible fallacy was uncovered during his 1954 re-election campaign, and he was forced to pull out with just sixteen days left to go before the election.

The flagrant and overt racism seen in this presidential campaign is also nothing new. Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture under Richard M. Nixon, was one of those old-school politicians with a long-standing reputation for being bawdy. (He reportedly loved showing off the wood carving of fornicating elephants he kept in his office.) But he mouthed off one too many times when, in 1976, he was on a plane after the Republican National Convention with Sonny Bono, politically conservative singer Pat Boone, and disgraced White House lawyer John Dean, who was covering the convention for Rolling Stone. Butz made some lewd statements about African Americans (like Trump, he also used the “P” word) that were so shocking that when the remarks were eventually reported in the press, several news outlets refused to print what he said. He resigned from his post on October 4, 1976, just one month before the national election.

And in the litany of politicians taken down by sex scandals, there’s the slow, years-long political suicide of Senator Bob Packwood of Oregon. Throughout his career, he had been a moderate Republican who supported gun control and legalized abortion, and he had won accolades a slew of women’s groups. But he couldn’t seem to grasp the seriousness—and frequency—of female staffers’ claims of rampant sexual harassment. In a single 1992 Washington Post story, ten of his victims came forth and told their stories. Ironically, it was Packwood who did the majority of the damage to his reputation, when his personal diary—chockfull of these exploits—was made public. He was eventually forced to resign under immense pressure from the Senate Ethics Committee.

Indiscretions are, of course, nothing new in the political landscape. Politicians from the dawn of America have committed political suicide; the only difference today is that technology records their misdeeds. But if there is one surprising thing about the latest election season, it’s that Donald Trump has proven to be relatively suicide proof. Since Trump announced his candidacy in June of 2015, it has been sixteen months of headline-making horrors — none of which has yet taken him down. Is the American public—fed on a diet of reality television and tabloid news—now immune to base behavior, even in those vying to hold the highest office in the land? As we see white supremicism and anti-Semitism become commonplace, disrespect and violence to women go unchecked, and the spewing of hate and promise of retribution for anyone “different,” it has seemed that the American public will stand for all manner of despicable behavior. Whether or not they will vote for this kind of future is in their hands on November 8.

Born on August 15, 1769 Napoleon Bonaparte—rebel, tyrant, general, and, exile—achieved both great renown and unfathomable infamy during his lifetime. Many of our authors have been inspired by his life and the momentous events of his brief reign to write everything from biographies to thrillers set during the Napoleonic Era. We’ve rounded up a few of those titles to share with you so that you, too, can revel in the dramatic defeats and brilliant victories of Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Empire.

Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny The first of a two volume biography, it was hailed by the Washington Post as “astute and thoughtful” as well as a “clear” and “lyrical” read. It is a supremely well-researched look at Napoleon’s rise from a young, well-educated, but impoverished Corsican to commander of France’s Grande Armée.

Rebellion: A Thriller in Napoleon’s Paris Set during the height of the Napoleonic Wars, this thriller follows Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood on a daring mission with the Secret Service in Paris that may lead to a British victory—or the guillotine. 

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, officially beginning World War 1. Today marks the 102nd anniversary of a conflict that would span the globe and left an indelible mark on human history. Many of our authors were inspired by this conflict to write everything from illuminating accounts of war-time code-breaking to atmospheric novels about families on the home front during the war. We’ve collected our World War 1 books here for you to learn more:

No Man’s Land by Pete Ayrton From the trenches to the home front, the most profound fiction inspired by World War I—and a moving memorial to the twentieth century's most cataclysmic event. This anthology features 47 authors from 20 different countries, making it one of the few truly international collections of World War 1 fiction. As The New York Times put it, “The true strength of No Man’s Land is the sheer diversity of the voices it offers, especially those from fronts often overlooked or considered peripheral in the United States and Britain. Both beautiful and ghastly.” 

The Storms of War by Kate Williams For fans of Atonement, Birdsong, and Downton Abbey, this is the first of three novels about a privileged British family enduring the trials of World War I from New York Times bestselling author Kate Williams. It follows Celia DeWitt, the youngest member of a wealthy English family, who is on the brink of adulthood and secretly dreams of escaping her carefully mapped-out future and exploring the world. When the war breaks out, everything she thought she knew about her place in the world changes, and she ends up lying about her age to join the war effort. The novel tells  the story of Celia and her family as they are shunned by a society that previously embraced them, torn apart by sorrow, and buffeted and changed by the storms of war.  

The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams In the aftermath of the Great War, the De Witt family is struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives. Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don't know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep. Celia, the de Witt's youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.

The Somme by Peter Hart The definitive account of one of the bloodiest battles in world history—a military tragedy that would come to define a generation. Expertly weaving together letters, diaries, and other first-person accounts, Peter Hart gives us a compelling narrative tribute to this infamous tragedy that epitomized the futility of "the war to end all wars." The Spectator called it a “comprehensive and insightful” account of the Battle of the Somme. 

The First of July by Elizabeth Speller A captivating novel of the tragedies of war, as lives cross, dreams are shattered, and futures altered as the hours pass during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Booklist called it “utterly gripping and completely immersing.”

We’ve got the perfect antidote for soaring temperatures with this list of chilly thrillers. Stay inside and cool off as you read about spine-tingling crimes and stone-cold killers that’ll conjure up a winter that’s definitely no wonderland. These harrowing tales of adventure and suspense set against frozen landscapes will leave you chilled to the bone.

The Stranger by Camilla Låckberg: A string of suspicious deaths in the dark forests of Fjållbacka sends Detective Patrik Hedstrom on the hunt for a deadly serial killer. As the voracious media clamors for answers, Patrik uncovers a trail that leads all the way back to the mysterious disappearance of two children nearly twenty years before and may lead to his own death. Camilla Låckberg is the most profitable native author in Swedish history, and her electrifying crime novels have all been #1 bestsellers. 

The Hidden Child by Camilla Låckberg: Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. During her search for its origins, she finds a history professor who promises her explanations. When he is gruesomely murdered, Erica turns to her husbandm Detective Patrik Hedström, to help crack the case. Who would kill so ruthlessly to bury secrets so old? Her mother’s diaries might hold the answer, but they could also bring to light a secret terrible enough to endanger Erica’s husband and unborn child. 

The Drowning by Camilla Låckberg: Crime writer Erica Falck has just seen her friend, Christian, publish his first novel to rave reviews. But even though The Mermaid is climbing bestseller lists, Christian is more distant and unhappy than ever. When Erica learns that he’s been receiving death threats, she gets her husband, Det. Patrik Hedstrom to investigate. After one of Christian’s closest friends goes missing, Hedstrom’s darkest suspicions become a reality. The mind games aimed at Christian and his social circle are quickly spawning dangerous consequences. But with each of the victims concealing evidence, it seems that Hedstrom might never discover the truth. Christian and his friends are keeping a secret they feel is terrible enough to die for–or maybe even to kill for. 

The Lost Boy by Camilla Låckberg: The latest psychological thriller from #1 bestselling Swedish author Camilla Låckberg, The Lost Boy sees Detective Patrik Hedstrom return with a fiendishly complex new murder case. Detective Patrik Hedstrom is no stranger to tragedy and the murder of dead financial director Mats Sverin provides the perfect distraction from his own misfortunes. It seems that Sverin was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew — a man with something to hide . . . His high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has just returned to Fjallbacka with her five-year-old son — perhaps she can shed some light on who Sverin really was? However, Nathalie has her own secret and if it’s discovered, she will lose her only child. As the investigation stalls, the police have many questions. But there is only one that matters: is there anything a mother would not do to protect her child?

The Lost Boy is Camilla Låckberg’s latest Patrik Hedstrom novel and will be released in October 2016. 

Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel: When his wife, Ylva, doesn’t come home one night, Mike fears the worst–she’s with another man. Naturally flirty, she’s had flings in the past, and so days pass before he becomes concerned. As the police begin the search for Ylva, no one suspects that she’s closer to home than anyone thinks. Unable to deal with his wife’s disappearance, Mike turns to their psychiatrist neighbor for comfort, never once suspecting that he is unburdening his soul to the man who has been holding his wife captive and torturing her beneath their feet. Ylva struggles to retain her sanity as the neighbor and his wife enact horrible tortures on her, in part of a complex and truly terrifying plot of revenge that will leave readers reeling. 

The Child Thief by Dan Smith: Luka is a troubled war veteran who is now living a quiet life with his family. His village has so far remained hidden from the advancing Soviet brutality. Everything changes the day the stranger arrives, pulling a sled bearing a terrible cargo. In the chaos, that ensues, a little girl vanishes. Luka is the only man with the skills to find who could have stolen a child in these frozen lands.Together with his sons, Luka sets out in pursuit across frozen lands ravaged by war and gripped by treachery. Soon they realize that the man they are tracking is no ordinary criminal, but a skillful hunter with the child as the bait in his twisted game. It will take all of Luka’s strength to battle the harshest of conditions, and all of his wit to stay a step ahead of Soviet authorities. 

Red Winter by Dan Smith: 1920, central Russia––The Red Terror tightens its hold. Kolya has deserted his Red Army unit and returns home to bury his brother and reunite with his wife and sons. But he finds the village silent and empty. The men have been massacred in the forest. The women and children have disappeared. In this remote, rural Russian community the folk tales that mothers tell their children by candlelight take on powerful significance, and the terrifying legend of Koschei, The Deathless One, begins to feel very real. Kolya sets out on a journey through dense, haunting forests and across vast plains against the bitter winter, in the desperate hope he will find his wife and two boys—and find them alive. But there are very dark things in Kolya's past. And, as he strives to find his family, there's someone—or something—following his trail . . .

Blood Foam by Brendan Dubois:  A wounded and healing Lewis Cole—retired Department of Defense analyst and magazine columnist—returns to his fire-damaged home on Tyler Beach with two things on his mind: to recover from a bullet wound and to repair his nearly two hundred-year-old home before a hurricane scours his house into the unforgiving ocean. But just when his work has begun, former lover and journalist Paula Quinn comes to him with an urgent request. Her fiancé, attorney Mark Spencer, has gone missing. Phone calls, e-mails, and text messages have gone unanswered. His car is gone, and his home is empty. Lewis and Paula find themselves on the run from a deadly gang who are also looking for Mark. So Lewis begins a difficult quest while his own world is threatened by ruthless men and gathering storm clouds.

The Last Witness by Denzil Meyrick: Detective Jim Daley has found himself at the top of a hit list. Notorious criminal kingpin, James Machie, is back from the dead and out for revenge, starting with the detectives who brought him in. Set against the icy and isolated Scottish town of Kinloch, The Last Witness finds Jim Daley racing against the clock to protect himself and his colleague’s from Machie’s deadly plan.