The American Academy of Religion (AAR) has named the recipients of its Awards for Excellence in the Study of Religion for 2014. Anna Sun took the Best First Book in the History of Religions Award for Confucianism as a World Religion: Contested Histories and Contemporary Realities (Princeton University Press, 2013). Four other scholars also were recognized for excellence in religious studies. According to AAR, “the awards honor books of distinctive originality, intelligence, creativity and importance; books that affect decisively how religion is examined, understood, and interpreted.” They will be presented on Nov. 23 at the AAR’s 2014 Annual Meeting (Nov. 22-25) in San Diego, Calif.
Nelson Books author Lysa TerKeurst’s newest, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands debuted at #4 on the Times Advice, How-To, & Miscellaneous bestseller list on Aug. 31 and will maintain that position on the Sept. 14 list, according to the publisher. The launch campaign included national publicity, advertising, pre-order promotions, blog tours, and a series of nationwide webcasts beginning with Aug. 12 and Sept. 8 (others not yet scheduled). Terkuerst also maintains a busy speaking schedule. According to Nelson, her Unglued (Zondervan, 2012) and Made to Crave (Zondervan, 2010), were on the Times list for a combined 40 weeks. Nelson also stated that Unglued has sold more than 370,000 copies, with ancillary products selling nearly 675,000 units, and that Made to Crave has sold more than 427,000 copies, with ancillary product sales at more than 946,000 units.
