Nonfiction
Sept. 1
Your Meditation Journey: Over 30 Exercises and Visualizations to Guide You on the Path to Inner Peace and Self-Discovery by Charla Devereux (Eddison, $17.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-85906-438-2). Covering the basics—such as posture, breathing, and other practical considerations—these exercises and techniques are aimed at improving novice meditators’ comfort on the mat.
Kahlil Gibran’s Little Book of Wisdom, edited by Neil Douglas-Klotz (Hampton Roads, $15.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-57174-835-5), collects Gibran’s views on government, organized religion, wealth, and commerce.
Obedience Over Hustle: The Surrender of the Striving Heart by Malinda Fuller (Shiloh Run, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64352-075-9). Blogger Fuller explores biblical narratives to encourage women to respond to God’s call.
After the Good News: Progressive Faith Beyond Optimism by Nancy McDonald Ladd (Skinner, $16 paper, ISBN 978-1-55896-828-8). The senior minister at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Maryland argues that religious life is not characterized by endless human advancement, calling on religious progressives to show greater authenticity rather than blind optimism.
What Is a Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander (Tyndale, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-4133-1) shares the author’s story as the first victim to publicly accuse Larry Nasser, the former U.S.A. Gymnastics team doctor who abused hundreds of young athletes, and details how she became an outspoken advocate for survivors.
Sept. 3
Here All Along: A Reintroduction to Judaism by Sarah Hurwitz. (Random/Spiegel & Grau, $28, ISBN 9780525510710). Hurwitz, a former speech writer for Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, rediscovers Judaism, finding insights and spiritual connection in its ancient practices and ethical traditions that resonated for her as a self-described lapsed Jew.
Near-Death Experiences: A Historical Exploration from the Ancient World to the Present Day by Marisa St. Clair (Amber, $19.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-78274-889-2) presents a wide range of case studies, encompassing people of all ages, beliefs, and time periods, to suggest that near-death experiences have always been a part of human spirituality.
Counting Stars in an Empty Sky: Trusting God’s Promises for Your Impossibilities by Michael Youssef (Baker, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8010-7787-6). The founding pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta uses the story of Abraham to encourage readers to trust God’s timing and plan, particularly during difficult times, and provides reflection questions for small group reflection.
Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock (Baker, $21.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-1315-7). Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, and Matlock, an outreach consultant for churches, present research that reveals what people truly think about Jesus, as well as design strategies for effective evangelism and discipleship.
Encountering God’s Heart for You: 365 Devotions from Genesis Through Revelation by Diane Stortz (Bethany House, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-3218-3) takes Christian readers on a daily journey through the full narrative of scripture within the course of a year.
Men Are Clams, Women Are Crowbars: The Dos and Don’ts of Getting Your Man to Open Up by David Clarke (Focus on the Family, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-58997-975-8). Christian family psychologist Clarke looks at the ways that men and women approach emotional issues and guides couples toward a faith-centered relationship.
The Little Book of Witchcraft: Explore the Ancient Practice of Natural Magic and Daily Ritual by Kitty Guilsborough (Gaia, $8.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-85675-395-1) explains the basics of beginning a witchcraft practice, including making a “witch kit,” understanding tarot, and growing a “witch kitchen garden.”
A Course in Meditation: A 21-Day Workout for Your Consciousness by Osho (Harmony, $17 paper, ISBN 978-1-984825-96-4). Mystic and meditation instructor Osho provides a 21-day experiential course designed to give readers a taste of meditation.
Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus by Jim Wallis (HarperOne, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-291476-7). Christian social activist and preacher Wallis writes in response to what he identifies as the current “constitutional crisis,” urging readers to return to the tenets of Jesus as a means to save America from polarizing bitterness and anger.
Remarkable: Living a Faith Worth Talking About by Brady Boyd (Howard, $26, ISBN 978-1-9821-0137-4). Boyd, the senior pastor of New Life Church, draws parallels between the early church at Corinth and today’s culture to suggest how Christians can stay true to their beliefs and live a loving life.
Sculpting the Buddha Within: The Life and Work of Shinjo Ito by Shuri Kido (Wisdom, $19.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-61429-619-5). Poet Kido describes the life of Shinjo Ito (1906–1989), founder of one of the main traditions of Buddhism, which has almost one million members worldwide.
Sept. 8
What They Meant for Evil by Rebecca Deng (FaithWords, $22, ISBN 978-1-5460-1722-6). Deng, one of the first unaccompanied refugee children to enter the U.S. in 2000 after South Sudan’s second civil war, tells her journey of entering a refugee camp after her village was attacked when she was four years old.
Sept. 9
The Good Name: The Power of Words to Hurt or Heal by Samuel T. Logan Jr. (New Growth, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64507-028-3). Historian and minister Logan encourages readers to see the dangers of “false witness” among Christians, especially when dealing with disagreements.
Sept. 10
What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life by Phil Zuckerman (Counterpoint, $26, ISBN 978-1-64009-274-7). Sociologist Zuckerman examines the arguments for a morality informed by religion, urging that major challenges such as climate change and growing inequality are best approached from a framework of secular morality.
We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel by Daniel Gordis (Ecco, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-287369-9). National Jewish Book Award–winner Gordis evaluates the tensions between American and Israeli Jews and offers a vision of Jewish life in response to the pressures of this growing divide.
Faithful Friendships: Embracing Diversity in Christian Community by Dana L. Robert (Eerdmans, $19 paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-2571-1) argues that good friendships are a vital and transformative part of the Christian life, and that Christians have the responsibility to make friends across cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and religious lines.
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Unlocking the Jewish Roots of Christianity by John Bergsma (Image, $25, ISBN 978-1-984823-12-0). Scholar Bergsma aims to show how the mysterious and long-forgotten scrolls, discovered in an Egyptian cave in 1947, reveal more fully the Jewish roots of Christianity.
Believers: Faith in Human Nature by Melvin Konner (Norton, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-393-65186-7). Anthropologist Konner examines the nature of religiosity and how it shapes and benefits humankind by answering attacks on faith by scientists and philosophers, such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.
Sept. 11
Secularism: A Very Short Introduction by Andrew Copson (Oxford Univ., $11.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-19-874722-2). The chief executive of the British Humanist Association explores secularism through accounts of momentous episodes in world history, such as the transition of Europe from religious orthodoxy to pluralism and the global struggle for human rights and democracy.
Sept. 17
How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations by Max Lucado. (Thomas Nelson, $24.99, 978-0-7180-9613-7). Lucado, the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Tex., lends his uplifting tone to this combination of modern research and scriptural lessons based on principles of living a happy life.
Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need by David Platt (Multnomah, $22, ISBN 978-0-7352-9141-6). The lead pastor at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C., recounts his soul-searching journey through impoverished villages in the Himalayan mountains.
Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins (Random House, $27, ISBN 978-1-984853-91-2). Atheist scholar Dawkins provides a brisk introduction to modern atheism and challenges some of the basic assumptions made by religions worldwide.
Joseph and the Way of Forgiveness: A Biblical Tale Retold by Stephen Mitchell (St. Martin’s Essentials, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-250-23752-1) presents a novelistic version of the biblical tale in which Jacob’s favorite son is sold into slavery and eventually becomes viceroy of Egypt.
Sept. 24
The Little Book of Meditations by Gilly Pickup (Andrews McMeel, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-5248-5200-9) teaches about the history of meditation, as well as its physical and mental benefits. Included are many quotes from thinkers and spiritualists to motivate readers to practice relaxation and reflection.
That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation by David Bentley Hart (Yale Univ., $26, ISBN 978-0-300-24622-3). Theologian Bentley Hart makes the case that nearly two millennia of dogmatic tradition have misled readers on the crucial matter of universal salvation.
Fiction
Sept. 3
The Girl behind the Red Rope by Ted and Rachelle Dekker (Revell, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-3653-8). When an apocalyptic evil is unleashed on the world, Grace and her neighbors form a strict religious community hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee. Her older brother’s questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she’s seen in a decade set in motion events that will change everything.
Fatal Strike by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-2709-0). FBI agents Leah Riesel and Jon Colbert team up to track down a killer on the loose in Galveston, Tex., who is killing law enforcement officials using injections of snake venom.
Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson (Tyndale, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-3418-0). Inspired by a true story, this historical explores the Dutch men and women who helped rescue over 600 Jewish children from a Nazi deportation center and, almost 80 years later, Ava Drake’s discovery that her wealthy great-grandfather financed the Auschwitz camps.
Listening to Love by Beth Wiseman (Zondervan, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-529-11871-4). Englischer Natalie Collins and Amish Lucas Shetler learn about one another’s faith and begin to question their own principles after lively dinner conversations at Lucas’s brother’s home.
Sept. 17
The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis (Bethany, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-3307-4). As the only daughter, Sylvia Miller has always held a special place in her Old Order family, one Adeline Pelham jeopardizes when she shows up at the Millers’ Hickory Hollow farm and reminds Sylvia of a long-buried secret.
The Oracle by Jonathan Cahn (Charisma, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-62999-629-5), based on jubilean prophecies, follows a global mystery that will determine the rise and fall of empires, the true origins of two world wars, and the facts of end-time prophecy.
Sept. 24
An Amish Second Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray, Patricia Johns, and Virginia Wise. (Kensington, $15.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-4967-1783-2). This suite of novellas follows three different Amish couples for whom the day after Christmas means the importance of family and the fulfillment of love.
New Beginnings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard (Zebra, $7.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-4201-4510-6). Recently widowed Frances Lehman is not ready to be pressured into marriage by her widowed brother-in-law, even if she and her daughter have no real means of support.
