We here at the Independent love every piece we run. There are no winners or losers. Having said that, here are July’s winners.

Looking for a fresh start in a crumbling Victorian mansion, a mother and her daughter find tragedy and a secret from the past that continues to haunt the present.

• Fiction,
• Mystery & Suspense

How the U.S. senator and former Marine persevered through sheer determination and hard work.

• Non-Fiction,
• Biography & Memoir

The friendship between two women is threatened when too many secrets are revealed.

• Fiction

Attempting to expand our understanding of the oceans, James Nestor explores the practice of freediving and the human threat to our waters.

• Non-Fiction,
• Science

A single mom with little money but lots of heart accepts an offer of a road trip and help from a willing stranger.

• Fiction

Nadia Hashimi’s deeply affecting debut novel follows the thread of destiny that weaves through two generations of Afghan women.

What happens when a mother refuses to tell her son who his father really is?

• Non-Fiction,
• Biography & Memoir