Here are some of the most anticipated titles releasing in December, including Julie Klassen's The Painter's Daughter, which has a 330,000 announced first printing, and a guide to what many call the heart of Islam in A Treasury of Sufi Wisdom by Peter Samsel. Adam Hamilton's John: The Gospel of Light and Life examines the major themes of the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels.
Fiction
Dec. 1
The Painter’s Daughter by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, $14.99; 978-0-7642-1072-3). Sophie DuPont is in dire straits and must marry a stranger to secure her future.
Dec. 8
The Forgotten Recipe by Amy Clipston (Zondervan, $15.99, 978-0310341994). In the first novel in the new Amish Heirloom series, Veronica Fisher finds solace in the old recipes stored in her mother’s hope chest after losing her fiancé in a tragic accident.
Dec. 29
Finding Promise by Scarlett Dunn (Kensington/Zebra, $7.99; ISBN 978-1-4201-3891-7) follows an heiress who on the Wyoming wagon trail who cares more about living an adventurous life than finding a suitable husband.
Nonfiction
Dec. 1
Everybody Is Wrong About God by James A. Lindsay (Pitchstone, $15.95; ISBN 978-1-6343-1036-9) encourages readers to debate people’s psychological and social motives for a belief in God, rather than argue over the existence of God.
The Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership: The Power of Leading from Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength by Jenni Catron (Thomas Nelson, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-4002-0570-7) uses real-life stories to highlight four areas that every leader can strengthen in order to lead well and become influential.
When Jesus Speaks to a Hurting Heart by Emily Biggers (Shiloh Run Press, $13.99; 978-1-6340-9639-3) is a devotional that applies scripture to life’s difficult situations.
Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World by David Silverman (Thomas Dunne Books, $26.99; ISBN 978-1-2500-6484-4). One of the most recognizable faces of atheism presents a manifesto for the nonbeliever in a world dominated by faith.
Oh, Your God! The Evil Idea That Is Religion by Joshua Kelly (Pitchstone Publishing, $16.95; ISBN 978-1634310642) draws on philosophers, modern debates, and historical events to further the discussion on what religion is and the role it plays in our lives.
Dec. 7
A Treasury of Sufi Wisdom: The Path of Unity edited by Peter Samsel (World Wisdom, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-936597-46-8) collects short sayings from more than 100 Sufi masters that illuminate the spiritual traveler’s return to God.
Dec. 8
Modern Tantra: Living One of the World’s Oldest, Continuously Practiced Forms of Pagan Spirituality in the New Millennium by Donald Michael Kraig (Llewellyn, $34.99, ISBN 978-0-7387-4016-4) presents an ancient pagan spiritual system for people today, complete with its own myths, traditions, deities, astrology, divination systems, and rituals.
The Christlike Leader by Kimball Fisher (Cedar Fort, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4621-1675-1). In this book for an LDS audience, Fisher applies the same principles he uses for Fortune 100 corporations to leadership in the church.
The Art of Good Habits by Nathalie W. Herrman (Llewellyn, $16.99; 978-0-7387-4600-5) introduces simple but effective ways to approach health, love, presence, and prosperity.
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism Second Edition by Geoffrey W. Dennis (Llewellyn, $34.99; 978-0-7387-4591-6) is a guide to the esoteric in Judaism.
Dec. 15
John: The Gospel of Light and Life by Adam Hamilton (Abingdon, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5018-0533-2) explores the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels.
Secular Meditation: A Guide from the Humanist Community at Harvard: 32 Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace, Compassion, and Joy by Rick Heller (New World Library, $15.95; ISBN 978-1-60868-369-7) contains step-by-step instructions, personal stories, and provocative questions that will teach empathy, stress reduction, and inner peace.
Life and Death: A Medium’s Messages to Help You Overcome Grief and Find Closure by Tim Braun (Findhorn, $14.95, ISBN 978-1-84409-678-7) offers a contemporary look into the life of medium Braun and offers advice on healing from grief, self-forgiving, and finding closure.
Dec. 22
The Teacup and the Skullcup: Where Zen and Tantra Meet by Chogyam Trungpa, edited by Judith L. Lief and David Schneider (Shambhala, $17.95; 978-1-6118-0291-7). Made up from edited transcripts of two seminars by Chögyam Trungpa, the book distinguishes qualities between Zen and Tantra.
Dec. 25
Teaching and Christian Imagination by David I. Smith and Susan M. Felch (Eerdmans, $22, ISBN 978-0-80287-323-1) invites readers to slow down and reanimate how they view the task of teaching and learning in a Christian context.
Dec. 28
Congregational Hermeneutics: How Do We Read? By Andrew P. Rogers (Ashgate, $35.95; ISBN 978-1-4094-4989-8) questions how we read the Bible, proposing ways of enriching hermeneutical practices in the church.
