Sally Quinn, who writes about religion for the Washington Post, is delving into her life among Washington, D.C.’s most elite, and the Dalai Lama’s thoughts on mysticism are collected in new books expected to release in September.
Nonfiction
Sept. 1
Journey into Grace: 150 Encouraging Devotions for Women by Darlene Sala, Bonnie Sala, and Luisa Reyes-Ampil (Barbour, $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68322-285-9) is a devotional centered on fear, forgiveness, learning, loving, prayer, and relationships that is aimed at women.
Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic by Diana L. Paxson (Weiser, $22.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-57863-610-5) explores the Norse god Odin’s origins: his appearances in sagas, old magic spells, and the Poetic Edda, and his influence on modern media, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In Search of a Prophet: A Spiritual Journey with Kahlil Gibran by Paul-Gordon Chandler (Rowman & Littlefield, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-5381-0427-9) looks at the spiritual life of Gibran, author of the bestselling book The Prophet.
The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight, and Resilience in the Middle East by Andreas Knapp (Plough, $18 paper, ISBN 978-0-87486-062-7). A priest who works with refugees in Germany, Knapp visits camps for displaced people in northern Iraq where he finds Christians who still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The uprooted remnant of ancient churches, they doggedly continue to practice their faith despite the odds.
The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Mysticism: The Essential Teachings by Renuka Singh and the Dalai Lama (Hampton Roads, $12.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-57174-780-8) brings together the Dalai Lama’s thoughts on the nature and meaning of mysticism, including how readers can live lives infused with mystical experience and how mysticism can result in both personal and social change.
Sept. 5
World Without End by Thomas Keating, Lucette Verboven, and Joseph Boyle (Bloomsbury, $15 paper, ISBN 978-1-4729-4248-7). In these conversations with filmmaker and writer Verboven, Keating—bestselling author, Trappist monk, and founder of the Centering Prayer movement—looks back on his long life and spiritual development; also contains an interview with Boyle, an abbot.
The Execution of God: Encountering the Death Penalty by Jeff Hood (Chalice, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8272-0851-3). Hood, a Dallas activist and pastor, explores the spiritual implications of the death penalty in this blend of memoir, biblical interpretation, and theology.
Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul by Naomi Levy (Flatiron, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-250-05726-6). Chronicling a years-long journey researching the origins and circumstances of an Einstein letter concerning spirituality, Levy probes into what the soul is, how it guides us, and how connection to our true souls can help us to live richer, bigger, more connected lives.
#Parasha: Weekly Insights from a Leading Israeli Journalist by Sivan Rahav Meir (Koren/Menorah, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-59264-480-3). Translated from Hebrew and based on her popular social media posts, these brief reflections on a weekly Torah portion are infused with inspiring lessons for the entire family.
Calm, Cool, and Connected: 5 Digital Habits for a More Balanced Life by Arlene Pellicane (Moody, $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8024-9613-3) walks readers through a five-step plan for centering one’s life around Jesus, reminding readers of ways to foster love for others by decluttering screen time and truly connecting.
Even This: Getting to the Place Where You Can Trust God with Anything by Emily Belle Freeman (Shadow Mountain/Ensign Peak, $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-62972-338-9). Blogger and speaker Freeman invites readers to make room for personal experiences with God by chronicling her quest to find God in everyday moments.
Miracle in Motion: Living a Purposeful Life by Antonio Martinez Jr., with David Warden (Paulist, $18.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-8091-0647-9) is a guidebook to success for high school and college students with a broader message for all about how to live a purposeful life.
The Alphabet of Grief: Words to Help in Times of Sorrow by Andrea Raynor (WaterBrook, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7352-9029-7). Minister, chaplain, and spiritual counselor, Raynor offers reflections to ease the isolation and loneliness of grief.
Sept. 8
Ignatian Spirituality A–Z by Jim Manney (Loyola, $15 paper, ISBN 978-0-8294-4598-5) is a guide to key concepts of Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit culture.
Faith and Resistance in the Age of Trump, edited by Miguel A. De La Torre (Orbis, $22 paper, ISBN 978-1-62698-247-5), features reflections by religious scholars, ministers, and activists that address the rise of Donald Trump. Chapters treat issues of gender, race, disability, LGBTQ justice, immigration, the environment, peace, and poverty.
Sept. 12
Finding Magic: A Spiritual Memoir by Sally Quinn (HarperOne, $28.99; ISBN 978-0-06-231550-2). The Washington Post journalist reflects on the spiritual quest that has brought deeper meaning to her life, and kept her grounded within the high-powered political world of Washington, D.C.’s elite. 50,000 copy announced first printing.
Sept. 15
Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide-Open Heart by Scott Stabile (New World Library, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-60868-493-9). When the author was 14, his parents were murdered, then his brother died of a heroin overdose. He later joined a cult that dominated his life. In this memoir, Stabile shares his experience of living and loving big through all the hardships.
Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of American Evangelicalism by David P. Gushee (Westminster John Knox, $16 paper, ISBN 978-0-664-26337-9). In this tell-all, Gushee, professor of Christian ethics, and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University, gives an insider’s look at the frictions and schisms of evangelical Christianity.
Sept. 19
7 Lessons from Heaven: How Dying Taught Me to Live a Joy-Filled Life by Mary C. Neal (Convergent, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-451-49542-6). A follow-up to her bestselling To Heaven and Back, Neal shares untold stories about her encounters with Jesus and insights about how to live each day with joy.
Into the Mystic: The Visionary and Ecstatic Roots of 1960s Rock and Roll by Christopher Hill (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-62055-642-9) explores the visionary, mystical, and ecstatic traditions that influenced the music of the 1960s and examines the mythic narratives that underscored the work of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and more.
Real Families, Real Needs: A Compassionate Guide for Families Living with Disability by Joni and friends (Focus on the Family, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-58997-925-3). Divided into five sections written specifically for every member of the family, this book also offers encouragement, scriptures to lean on, and practical ideas about living with a disability, from the Christian ministry in the disability community.
Angels Among Us: Extraordinary Encounters with Heavenly Beings by Wanda Rosseland (Worthy Inspired, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-68397-051-4) collects stories of everyday people—little children, old women, young men, and more—who had their lives stopped for a moment and redirected with help from above.
Sept. 22
Awakening from the 3D World: How We Enter the Next Life by Frank DeMarco (Rainbow Ridge, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-937907-53-2). In the world that is not 3-D, death is not the end of the story, but an awakening to new possibilities. Psychic DeMarco presents readers with what that awakening looks like, as described by one who has purportedly been through it.
Sept. 25
Speak the Truth: How to Bring God Back into Every Conversation by Carmen LaBerge (Regnery, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-62157-634-1). The host of the daily Christian talk radio show The Reconnect argues that the Christian viewpoint is desperately needed in the cultural conversations of our day. LaBerge aims to get Christians off the sidelines and back in the conversation.
Sept. 26
Myth of the Millennial: Connecting Generations in the Church by Chelsey and Ted Doering (Concordia, $11.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7586-5826-5). The husband and wife writing team dig into millennials’ changing relationship to the church.
The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide to Secular Success by DeVon Franklin (HarperOne, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-268425-7). A prominent Hollywood producer, preacher, and motivational speaker reveals 10 life-changing lessons picked up from his more than 20-year career in the entertainment business.
Why Judaism Matters: Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to His Children and the Millennial Generation by John Rosove (Jewish Lights, $18.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68336-705-5). Writing in the form of letters from a rabbi to his sons, Rosove compiles commonsense guidance and a road map for a new generation of young men and women who find Jewish orthodoxy, tradition, issues, and beliefs inscrutable in 21st-century society.
Proof of God: The Shocking True Answer to the World’s Most Important Question by Ptolemy Tompkins and Bernard Haisch (S&S/Howard, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-5011-6154-4). Tompkins, collaborator on the bestselling Proof of Heaven, teams up with astrophysicist Haisch to prove God’s existence and show that His work is evident in the world around us.
Sept. 27
The Franciscan Saints by Robert Ellsberg (Franciscan Media, $19.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-63253-194-0) profiles 101 holy spiritual trailblazers spanning the centuries with representatives from every walk of life all over the world.
Sept. 30
Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community by Brett McCracken (Crossway, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-4335-5425-4). Journalist McCracken makes the case that following Jesus and being in his church are not cool and comfortable. He calls readers to embrace the more difficult aspects of Christianity in the context of the local church.
Bewilderments: Reflections on the Book of Numbers by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg (Schocken, $20 paper, ISBN 978-0-8052-1251-8). Through literary, scholarly, and psychological analysis of the text, Zornberg, a Torah scholar and lecturer, tackles the enduring puzzlement of the book of Numbers.
Sensing the Rhythm: Finding My Voice in a World Without Sound by Mandy Harvey (Sept. 5, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-7225-0). The true story of Mandy Harvey, a young woman who became deaf at age 19 while pursuing a degree in music, recounts how she overcame adversity and found the courage to live out her dreams.
Fiction
Sept. 5
Cherished Mercy by Tracie Peterson (Bethany House, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-1329-8). Mercy Flanagan survived the Whitman Massacre as a child, and now she is seeking peace between the native people and the white settlers inhabiting the Oregon Territory.
Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer (WaterBrook, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7352-9003-7) follows a little girl who goes missing in 1943 and her sister who is forced to live with the consequences of the event for the next 70 years.
Sept. 12
A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow (Thomas Nelson, $15.99 paper, 978-0-7180-8303-8) follows Adisa Johnson, a young African-American attorney who, with help from a charismatic young preacher, is working on a case involving a shooting between a white officer and an unarmed African American teenager.
Sept. 26
If We Make It Home: A Novel of Faith and Survival in the Oregon Wilderness by Christina Suzann Nelson (Kregel, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4495-1). Three women embark on a wilderness adventure and must work together to make it out alive.
Can You See Anything Now? by Kate James (Paraclete, $18.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-61261-931-6) takes place over the course of a year and centers on residents in the small town of Trinity where tragedy strikes.
