Lysa TerKeurst, the president of Proverbs 31, a ministry for women, takes #2 in Religion Nonfiction with her 2018 reflection on the unexpected in It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. The book, which depicts TerKeurst’s marital struggles as well as her cancer diagnosis, is being promoted through an online Bible study hosted by FaithGateway.com, a website presented by HarperCollins Christian Publishing that offers book recommendations and other resources from leading authors. Registration incentives for the online Bible study, which kicks off on August 19, includes free access to TerKeurst's teaching videos and the first chapters of It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, while separate promotions through the Proverbs 31 bookstore, B&N, and other online retailers are offering the book at a discount.
In addition to her #2 spot, TerKeurst also takes #10 with her 2016 examination of rejection in Uninvited. While speaking to PW, TerKeurst described the book as a way to let readers know “that I hurt like they hurt so they can have the hope that they can heal like I’ve started to heal, too.”
Two devotionals also charted in Religion Nonfiction as the summer reading season reaches its peak—Sarah Young’s classic 365-day devotional Jesus Calling takes #4, while 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs follows at #6.
Overcomer, the novelization of a new film of the same name by War Room directors Alex and Stephen Kendrick, debuts at #3 on PW’s Religion Fiction list. National marketing and publicity for the book included media coverage in Christian outlets such as Family Fiction, World Magazine, and Crosswalk as well as podcast interviews on Moody Radio, Home Front with Cynthia Davis, and more. Overcomer hits theaters on Aug. 23.
