Nonfiction

Oct. 1

Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion by Anne Graham Lotz (Multnomah, $23.99, ISBN 978-0525651048). The Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham unpacks key biblical lessons alongside personal insights to explore how she sees the Holy Spirit shaping her everyday life.

The Preachers Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities by Kate Bowler (Princeton Univ., $29.95, ISBN 978-0691179612) Historian Bowler examines the rise of Christian women celebrities (in particular, those in what she calls a celebrity preachers wife role, like Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, and Victoria Osteen) to explore how they balance the demands of celebrity culture and a conservative, male-dominated faith.

7 Days of Christmas by Jen Hatmaker (Abingdon, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-5018-8827-4) addresses seven key areasfood, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, stresswhose practices Christian readers can consider during Christmas for reducing consumption to bring more joy into ones life.

Bible Prophecy and You: Predictions, Fulfillments, and What to Watch for Next by Len Woods and Christopher D. Hudson (Barbour, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64352-097-1) describes predictions about Israel, other biblical kingdoms, and Jesus, before detailing predictions about Israel and the end-times found in scripture.

Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation, edited by Carolyn L. Karcher (Interlink, $20 paper, ISBN 978-1-62371-914-2). Forty Jewish activists and scholars share autobiographical essays describing how they, as devout American Jews, disentangled themselves from Zionism.

52 Promises from God: Reflections to Soothe Your Soul by Jessie Seneca (Momosa, $15 paper, ISBN 978-0-9844804-3-2) asks readers to jump-start their faith and assures them that God fulfills promises to those who follow his word.

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig (NavPress, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-188-2). Greig, cofounder of the 24-7 Prayer movement, urges readers to pray with passion, explaining to Christians how prayer is conversation with God.

Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are by Holley Gerth (Revell, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-2955-4). Blogger and life coach Gerth offers 60 short devotions geared toward empowering women, as well as prompts for journaling and personal reflection.

Everything You Need by David Jeremiah (W, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-2393-1). Jeremiah, founder of the international ministry Turning Point, explores 2 Peter 1:510 to highlight seven critical tools: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love.

Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose by Rebekah Lyons (Zondervan, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-310-35614-1) details the four rhythms that she believes lead to a vibrant life: rest, renew, connect, and create.

Prosperity Magick: Spells for Wealth by Cassandra Eason (Sterling, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-4549-3678-7). Druid magical practitioner Eason describes spells intended to help readers get promotions, win the lottery, overcome debt, and avoid costly scams, among others.

Oct. 4

The Godman and the Sea: The Empty Tomb, the Trauma of the Jews, and the Gospel of Mark by Michael J. Thate (Univ. of Pennsylvania, $79.95, ISBN 978-0-8122-5151-7). An associate research scholar at Princeton closely examines the Gospel of Mark, judging it an exemplary text that responds to and makes meaning of the trauma arising from the crucified and missing body of Jesus.

Oct. 8

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Phelps-Roper, a granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, provides a vivid account of her upbringing and explains her reasons for leaving the controversial church.

Bitchcraft: Simple Spells for Sweet Revenge and Everyday Annoyances by Kerry Colburn (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-358-19698-3) provides spells to empower the modern woman to exact revenge and take charge.

Breathing as Spiritual Practice: Experiencing the Presence of God by Will Johnson (Inner Traditions, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-62055-687-0). Buddhist retreat leader Johnson offers a close look at the importance of breath in each major religion, including within the Jewish teachings of ruach and the Islamic poetry of Rumi.

The Ancient Magick of Trees: Identify and Use Trees in Your Spiritual and Magickal Practice by Gregory Michael Brewer (Llewellyn, $24.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7387-6162-6). Part field guide and part magical resource, this compendium seeks to help readers identify more than 100 common trees across North America and Europe, as well as discover their medicinal and magical properties.

Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice by Justin Von Bujdoss (North Atlantic, $19.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-62317-395-1) is a guide for practitioners, dharma teachers, chaplains, and clergy who want to understand and apply Vajrayana (tantric) Buddhism in the context of contemporary life.

Domestic Monastery by Ronald Rolheiser (Paraclete, $16, ISBN 978-1-64060-372-1). Friar Rolheiser examines how the life of the monastery can apply to those who dont live inside the walls of the cloister.

A Theory of Everything (That Matters): A Brief Guide to Einstein, Relativity, and His Surprising Thoughts on God by Alister McGrath (Tyndale Momentum, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-3807-2) examines the life and work of Einstein.

Welcoming the Unwelcome: Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World by Pema Chdrn (Shambhala, $24.95, ISBN 978-1611805659). Chdrn, a Buddhist nun and internationally bestselling author and poet, asks readers to embrace suffering to cultivate courage, love, and connection in this collection of essays and meditations.

Oct. 11

The Flowing Grace of Now: Encountering Wisdom Through the Weeks of the Year by Macrina Wiederkehr (Sorin, $15.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-932057-18-8). Benedictine Wiederkehr offers weekly reflections in order to reveal the spirituality of everyday life, inviting readers to take in the quotes of renowned teachers and learn from their wisdom.

Oct. 15

Mary Magdalene Never Wore Blue Eye Shadow: How to Trust the Bible When Truth and Tradition Collide by Amanda Hope Haley (Harvest House, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7369-7512-4) connects scripture to popular literature, providing Christian readers a reference point for its interpretations.

The Will of God: Understanding and Pursuing His Ultimate Plan for Your Life by Charles F. Stanley (Howard, $26, ISBN 978-1-982104-79-5). Pastor Stanley seeks to help readers discover Gods purpose in this guide to discovering how scripture addresses everyday decisions and challenges.

Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church by Julianne Stanz (Loyola, $17.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-8294-4884-9) aims to help Christians grows in relationship with Jesus through individual journaling and group exercises.

Hexing the Patriarchy: 26 Potions, Spells, and Magical Elixirs to Embolden the Resistance by Ariel Gore (Seal, $22, ISBN 978-1-58005-874-2) offers a blueprint for the feminist uprising, offering incantations, enchantments, rituals, and wisdom designed to protect women and bring down the patriarchy.

Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison (WaterBrook, $17.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-525-65288-5). A community organizer and advocate for racial reconciliation offers a call for Christians to move toward deeper bonds of friendship and more empathetic understanding of others as a response to the current divisive culture.

Oct. 16

Qigong and the Tai Chi Axis: Nourishing Practices for Body, Mind, and Spirit by Mimi Kuo-Deemer (Ixia, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-486-83737-6). This introduction to qigong and the yin-yang balance of tai chi, the ancient Chinese art of movement meditation, offers insights into these practices benefits.

Oct. 22

Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life by Arianne Braithwaite Lehn (Chalice, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8272-0080-7). Pastor Braithwaite Lehn provides prayers for confession, transition, waiting, and struggle.

Oct. 29

Speaking of God: An Essential Guide to Christian Thought by Anthony G. Siegrist (Herald, $18.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-5138-0606-8). Pastor and theologian Siegrist aims to help readers recover a basic language around Christian theology, explaining concepts such as creation, sin, redemption, the church, and discipleship.

The Karma of Cats: Spiritual Wisdom from Our Feline Friends (Sounds True, 17.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-68364-253-4). Spiritual teachers, writers, and animal experts share stories and reflections on lessons learned from their feline friends, exploring the unique ways cats embody core spiritual values.

Fiction

Oct. 1

What Comes My Way by Tracie Peterson (Bethany House, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-1904-7). Ella Fleming, a member of the Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza, a wild west show comprising all-female performers, is on the run in the third installment of the Brookstone Brides series.

The More the Merrier: An Amish Christmas Romance by Linda Byler (Good Books, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68099-470-4). Set during the Great Depression, this romance centers on the Miller family and the death of patriarch Eli Miller, an event that rallies their Amish community around Elis wife and eight children, but only for a brief period.

Stitches in Time by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8007-2752-9). Horse trainer Sam Schrock feels a new lease on life when schoolteacher Mollie Graber moves to the Amish community of Stoney Ridge.

Oct. 8

Synapse by Steven James (Thomas Nelson, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7852-2525-6). Thirty years in the future, when Kestrel Hathaway, a pastor in Cincinnati, witnesses a terror attack, shes drawn into a world of conspiracies and lies that she and Jordan, her cognizant robot, have to untangle before its too late.

The Last Man at the Inn: A Novel of One Mans Quest to Believe by R. William Bennett (Shadow Mountain, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-62972-603-8) imagines how a contemporary of JesusSimon, an ordinary spice merchantintersects with the Christian messiah at the major milestones of his life and ministry.

Oct. 14

A Cross to Kill by Andrew Huff (Kregel, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-2274-4). John Cross, a mild-mannered small-town pastor, used to be an assassin for the CIAand his old life is coming back to haunt him in this first book of Huffs Shepherd Suspense series.

Oct. 22

The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts (Thomas Nelson, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7180-7568-2). Brighton and her friend escape a rural Pennsylvania asylum, which has been the only home shes ever known. With no real name or money, they embark upon a journey across 1940s Middle America in search of a new home.

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Religion and Spirituality Books Preview: October 2019 - Publishers Weekly