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Sergio De La Mora Urges a Heart Revolution
This New Year's, don't make just another resolution. Make a heart revolution.That's what pastor Sergio De La Mora tells readers of his first book, Heart Revolution: Experience the Power of a Turned Heart (Baker, Jan.). De La Mora, leader of one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation, says "unturned hearts" are the cause of failed marriages, unsuccessful careers, and our country's divided government.
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Religion in Review
Among the original RBL reviews of books coming in December and January are One.Life, a challenge for today’s Christians by Scot McKnight (Zondervan); Fall to Grace by Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye (FaithWords); Courage to Stand by Minnesota’s governor and possible presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty (Tyndale House); and The Soul of Leadership by Deepak Chopra (Harmony), which urges leaders to find and live their vision. Sneak peeks of reviews coming in the December 13 issue of PW include three stars, Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire by Jennifer Wright Knust (HarperOne); Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life and Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte (Thomas Nelson); and Hearing the Call: Liturgy, Justice, Church and World by Nicholas Wolterstorff (Eerdmans).
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Editor’s Note
At the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion (Oct. 30-Nov. 1) and the Society of Biblical Literature (Nov. 20-23) talk of economic recovery was in the air, and new sales statistics offer other hopeful signs
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Short Takes
Vanessa Miller’s Long Time Coming tops the Black Christian Fiction list; Thomas Nelson prepares to launch Max Lucado retail program; Simon & Schuster acquires and publishes Kennedy book touted by Oliver Stone from Catholic house Orbis; the updated NIV is available online
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November 2010 Catholic Marketplace Bestsellers
Matthew Kelly continues to have the greatest number of titles on the list; James Martin’s new book for HarperOne has moved up; the pope comes in at #4; C.S. Lewis is a durable favorite across denominations
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Living More with Less: An Idea Whose Time Has Come Again
The time has come again for a 30-year-old book to teach how to live more simply in a complex world
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Comedian and Artist Produce ‘A Love Story with Blood’: The Comic Torah
A comic book version of the Torah is at once lighthearted and respectful
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English-Language Tanach Opens Judaism’s Central Text to a New Generation
As Hannukah is upon us, a groundbreaking English-only contemporary translation of the Tanach promises to open the Hebrew Bible to a new generation
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Hendrickson Introduces Oldest Bible at SBL
Hendrickson debuted its facsimile edition of the world’s oldest Bible at the SBL meeting
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Publishers Report Less Economic Anxiety, Good Business at Biblical Scholars’ Meeting
The annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature found publishers upbeat and looking forward to a return to concurrent meetings with the American Academy of Religion
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Editor's Note
This weekend I head to the annual meeting of the Association of American Religion, held this year October 29-November 1 in Atlanta, Ga. The conference offers many sessions for professors of religious studies, and the topics provide clues for trends that will eventually bubble up into trade publishing. The scholarly segment of publishing is in the same flux as the rest of the industry, but with some unique challenges I will be talking to publishers about.
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It’s a Wrap-Up
Some nontraditional Christmas books include In the Dark Streets Shineth (Shadow Mountain, Oct.), the story of Winston Churchill’s wartime White House Christmas, recounted by historian David McCullough, and the irreverent Atheist’s Guide to Christmas, edited by comedy writer and journalist Ariane Sherine (Harper Perennial, Nov.). There is also a brace of Amish tales, and The Christmas Spirit by Joel Osteen (Free Press, Nov.), with memories of his childhood celebrations.
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October 2010 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers
Sarah Young's Jesus Calling rides the top of the Christian hardcover list; commentaries for NIV and KJV Bibles, both hardcover and paperback, are firmly ensconced; longtime stars like Max Lucado and Joyce Meyer take their places; and new bright lights Frances Chan and David Platt are still going strong.
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What Does the Bible Say About Animals?
Animal advocate and Southwestern University professor of religion and the environment Laura Hobgood-Oster’s new book, The Friends We Keep, restores animals to their rightful place as a Christian concern.
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Ilan Stavans
Versatile scholar Ilan Stavans takes a look at what the Hebrew Bible says about human love in its many forms.
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Short Takes
New World Library’s Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest, by Michael Krasny, the host of KQED's Forum, has sold through a first printing and gone back to press….MyStudyBible.com, an online service for reading and studying the Bible, has been launched by Lifeway Christian Resources and features their new Holman Christian Standard Study Bible…. A World Alliance of Interfaith Clergy is holding its annual conference November 12-14 in Litchfield, Conn….. Christian Trade Association for India has been formed in Bangalore…. The Sam Hill Group and Glass Road Public Relations have formed a partnership to get Christian books adapted for movies….
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Religion in Review
Original RBL reviews of books coming in November include On the Right Track , a story of redemption by disgraced track star Marion Jones (Howard); Signposts: A Devotional by publishing executive Eric Kampmann (WND Books); Beyond a House Divided by Carl Anderson (Doubleday), who argues that Americans share more values than many assume; and Shalom/Salaam by Thomas Block (Fons Vitae), which traces the common history of Sufism and Kabbalah. Sneak peeks of reviews coming in the November 8 issue of PW include two stars, Unconditional? The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness by Brian Zahnd (Strang/Charisma House, Jan.) and Heaven’s Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr and Madwoman by Leigh Erich Schmidt (Basic, Dec.).
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Happy 400, King James Version
Next year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, the foundational translation and key shaper of the English language and literature. Publishers are marking the occasion in various ways, beginning this month.
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The State of the Word Is Good
If frontlist publishing is a hare dashing to bestsellerdom, then Bible publishing, in the words of one publishing executive, is the tortoise, steadily plugging away toward a better bottom line.