New religion and spirituality books hitting shelves in December include a theologian’s take on the spirituality of memory in The Practice of Remembering, a study of Buddhism through art, and more.
Nonfiction
Dec. 5
The Hundred Remedies of the Tao by Gregory Ripley (Inner Traditions, $24.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64411-899-3). This new translation of the sixth-century Taoist text provides ethical, moral, and practical guidelines geared toward living an enlightened life, along with the translator’s commentary.
The Practice of Remembering: Uncovering the Place of Memories in Our Spiritual Life by Casey Tygrett (IVP, $18, ISBN 978-1-5140-0730-3). Theologian Tygrett draws on biblical texts and practices as a guide for using memory as a tool for spiritual transformation.
André Chouraqui and the Intersection of Biblical Translation and Interfaith Dialogue by Murray Watson (Paulist, $35, ISBN 978-0809156689). A Catholic biblical scholar introduces Anglophones to French-Algerian-Israeli lawyer and politician Chouraqui who strived to form cross-cultural connections and improve relations among Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Dec. 8
Nevertheless, We Persist: A Feminist Public Theology by Rosemary Carbine (Orbis, $35, ISBN 9781626984776) explores figures and events in feminist and womanist theologies as well as public theology in order to “create community and to construct a shared public life that expands beyond single social issues and religions,” according to the publisher.
Dec. 12
Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others by Ross Chapman and Ryan Tafilowski (IVP, $15 paper, ISBN 978-1-5140-0791-4) explains how readers can use their professional lives to glorify God and serve their neighbors.
Embodying Tara: Twenty-One Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom by Chandra Easton (Shambhala, $22.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-64547-114-1) encourages readers to invoke the power of Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, through such practices as meditation.
Light of the Word: How Knowing the History of the Bible Illuminates Our Faith by Susan C. Lim (IVP, $18, ISBN 978-1-5140-0694-8). A historian gives an overview of how Christians first accepted documents that became the Bible, and how it became assembled, canonized, and authoritative in an effort to help readers grow more faithful.
The 40-Day Body Image Workbook: Hope for Christian Women Who've Tried Everything by Heather Creekmore (Bethany, $17.99, ISBN 9780764241956). A body image coach provides hands-on exercises, self-inventories, quizzes, guided questions, biblical insights, and advice for healthy eating while urging readers to “stop comparing, start living,” according to the publisher.
Dec. 19
Buddhism: A Journey Through Art by Rose M. Woodward (Interlink, $59.95, ISBN 978-1-62371-716-2) traces the history of Buddhist sculpture, iconography, and artifacts throughout Asia from the first century BCE to the present.
Soul and Sword: The Endless Battle Over Political Hinduism by Hindol Sengupta (R&L, $39, ISBN 978-1-5381-2683-7). Starting at Hinduism’s medieval origins to current-day India, journalist Sengupta traces the history of the continent, including political, economic, and diplomatic events that have led it to become the billion person-strong democracy that it is today.
Fiction
Dec. 1
The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham (Barbour, $15.99 paper, ISBN 9781636096940). A newlywed couple must work as a team to unlock secrets within Renaissance paintings of Shakespeare's tragic heroine to save their friend, Detective Jack Miracle.
Dec. 5
Him by Geoff Ryman (Angry Robot, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-915202-67-3). This sci-fi retelling of Jesus’s birth features a girl named Avigayil in Nazareth who declares that she’s a man named Yeshu, works miracles, and speaks for God.
Dec. 12
Calling on the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund (Bethany House, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-4196-3). Finola Shanahan negotiates the advances of a successful wagon maker with mayoral aspirations in 19th-century St. Louis, Mo.
