From The Scrapbook:

Looking for some good reading on or about July 4—after, of course, you’ve reread the Declaration of Independence, supplemented by Jefferson’s June 24, 1826, moving letter to Roger Weightman? The Scrapbook has two recommendations—one fun and light, the other also fun but a bit more serious. The first is the new novel by Douglas MacKinnon, Vengeance Is Mine, available from Amazon.com. MacKinnon is a conservative who’s worked at the White House and the Pentagon. He’s also a good thriller writer, who’s crafted an interesting and captivating tale of a politically incorrect private investigator who isn’t shy about wearing his conservatism on his sleeve as he takes on the bad guys. Tony Blankley calls the book “a thriller for the Tea Party generation,” and so it is—and one especially suited for reading on or around Independence Day. The second is the summer issue of National Affairs, the fourth appearance of the new quarterly edited by Yuval Levin. National Affairs goes from strength to strength. Here you get guidance from James Capretta and others on how Obamacare can be repealed and replaced, thoughtful essays by Henry Olsen and William Schambra about American populism and American conservatism, Harvard’s Greg Mankiw on “Crisis Economics,” and much more. The essays are accessible, interesting, and important. The Scrapbook’s recommendation: Alternate articles from National Affairs with chapters from Vengeance Is Mine. Fun and educational! Have a good Fourth.