Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling maintains its #1 perch on PW’s Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers list for July, but Touchstone’s 2003 edition of Norman Vincent Peale’s classic self-help title, The Power of Positive Thinking, makes its first-ever appearance on the list at #2. Initially published in 1952, the book has sold millions of copies and has been translated into over 40 languages, according to the publisher. As the 60th anniversary of its publication approaches this fall, and amid S&S’s new audio releases of Peale’s work, more readers are turning to the collection of confident phrases and tips for “Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living,” as the sub-title suggests. A condensed e-book edition is available free on Guideposts.org, the website for the magazine Peale founded before his death in 1993.
Also making its debut on our Religion Nonfiction list, Martha Hickman’s 1994 devotional Healing After Loss comes in at #9. The book features a year’s worth is meditations on grief that are intended to comfort and strengthen readers. Healing After Loss was mentioned during an interview with business owner Mary Celeste Bealle in the Financial Times last month, and the book is considered a classic in the bereavement category, according to publisher HarperCollins.
In Religion Fiction, Mitch Albom’s The Stranger in the Lifeboat remains #1 from last month, followed by Debby Giusti, who debuts with Soldier Protector at #2. In it, the Christian novelist writes two stories—The Officer’s Secret and The Soldier’s Sister—as part of her mass market paperback 2in1 Military Heroes series for Harlequin's Love Inspired imprint. The book is available with steep discounts on AbeBooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and more.
