Nonfiction
Aug. 7
The Five Hurdles to Happiness: And the Mindful Path to Overcoming Them by Mitch Abblett (Shambhala, $22.95, 978-1-6118-0449-2) is an approach to becoming aware of the “five hindrances,” or negative qualities, that prevent spiritual awakening and living mindfully.
DMT Dialogues: Encounters with the Spirit Molecule, edited by David Luke and Rory Spowers (Inner Traditions, $18.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-62055-747-1) collects discussions on and experiences with DMT, a natural hallucinogenic, from such figures in the fields of psychedelic research and plant sentience as Rick Strassman, Rupert Sheldrake, Dennis McKenna, and Graham Hancock.
Captive: A Mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult by Catherine Oxenberg (Gallery, $27, ISBN 978-1-982100-65-0) is an investigation of NXIVM, the secretive cult of which Oxenberg’s daughter is a member. The book also features the author’s continued attempts to reach her daughter.
The Mountains Are Calling: Making the Climb for a Clearer View of God and Ourselves by Jarrett Stephens (Multnomah, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7352-9119-5). The teaching pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Tex., urges readers to study the mountaintops mentioned in scripture and what God said there.
A Future of Faith: The Path of Change in Politics and Society by Pope Francis and Dominique Wolton (St. Martin’s, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-250-20056-3). Pope Francis met with French reporter and sociologist Wolton for a series of 12 conversations—open dialogues on political, cultural, and religious issues—which are the basis of this work.
13 Days in Ferguson by Ron Johnson (Tyndale Momentum, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-1657-5). Missouri Highway Patrol captain Johnson shares his view of what happened during the 13 turbulent days he spent stabilizing the city of Ferguson, and the impact it had on his faith.
Survival Guide for the Soul: How to Flourish Spiritually in a World That Pressures Us to Achieve by Ken Shigematsu (Zondervan, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-310-53532-4). Drawing on church history, psychology, and neuroscience, Shigematsu demonstrates how the Gospel redeems desires and reorders lives, offering perspective on how the soul can flourish in the midst of a demanding, competitive society.
Aug. 10
Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich by Amy Laura Hall (Duke Univ., $18.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-4780-0025-9). Historian Hall tells the story of a medieval visionary, now known as Julian of Norwich, believed to be the first woman to have written a book in English.
Aug. 14
Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing—And How We Can Revive Them by Jonathan Merritt (Convergent, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-60142-930-8) rethinks the meanings of key Christian terms in light of how secular society sees the terms.
Aug. 15
Living the Sacraments: Finding God at the Intersection of Heaven and Earth by Joe Paprocki (Loyola, $11.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-8294-4659-3) argues that the sacraments of the Catholic Church are not just rites of passage, but gateways to fulfilling lives centered on a transformational and spiritual relationship with God.
Aug. 20
Love Without Limits: Jesus’ Radical Vision for Love with No Exceptions by Jacqueline A. Bussie (Fortress, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5064-4688-2). A theology professor at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Bussie urges readers to love as God loves—without limits or exceptions.
Alongside by Andrew Hill (New Growth, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-945270-89-5) explores the challenges teenagers face and how youth leaders and parents can share the Gospel with them.
Aug. 21
Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence--The Groundbreaking Meditation Practice by Dr. Daniel Siegel M.D. (TarcherPerigee, $28, ISBN 978-1-1019-9304-0) looks at scientific proof of meditation’s effectiveness and provides a guide to the Wheel of Awareness, which is a tool used to achieve focus, presence, and peace.
I Am Rahab: Touched by God, Fully Restored by Autumn Miles (Worthy, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68397-269-3). Radio host and speaker Miles offers hope to readers who discount their worth and dismiss their participation in the kingdom of God because of sin or a troubled past.
God’s Library: The Archaeology of the Earliest Christian Manuscripts by Brent Nongbri (Yale Univ., $35, ISBN 978-0-300-21541-0) provides an up-to-date introduction to early Christian manuscripts and demonstrates that much of what is known about these books and fragments is mistaken.
Aug. 28
The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today by Jack Wertheimer (Princeton Univ., $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-18129-5). Wertheimer, professor of American Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary, sets out to discover how Jews of various orientations practice their religion in modern societies.
The Gospel in Miniature: Meditations for When You Have a Minute by Martin Copenhaver (Skylight Paths, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68336-719-2) collects over 140 short lessons for busy readers based on the New Testament from theologian Copenhaver.
Locked In by Victoria Arlen and Valentin Chmerkovskiy (Howard, $24.99, 978-1-5011-7462-9) delves into Paralympics gold medalist Arlen’s experience with two mysterious childhood diseases that left her in a vegetative state, her fight to live, and how faith helped get her through it.
Aug. 28
Science and Spiritual Practices: Transformative Experiences and Their Effects on Our Bodies, Brains, and Health by Rupert Sheldrake ($26, ISBN 978-1-64009-117-7). Biologist and parapsychologist Sheldrake makes a case for how science can help validate seven practices on which many religions are built.
Fiction
Aug. 7
The Hope Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter (Barbour, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-62416-747-8) follows Michelle Taylor, who poses as an Amish couple’s long-lost granddaughter in order to avoid homelessness.
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar (Thomas Nelson, $15.99, 978-0-7852-1995-8). Based on a true story and translated from its original Spanish, this book follows Helene Hannemann, a German nurse married to a Gypsy man who lived for months in Auschwitz.
Aug. 21
As the Tide Comes In by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall (Waterbrook, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7352-9101-0). After a tragedy, Tara Abbott travels from North Carolina to Georgia’s St. Simons Island in order to reconnect with her past.
