Nonfiction

Nov. 1

The Bullying Breakthrough: Real Help for Parents and Teachers of the Bullied, Bystanders, and Bullies by Jonathan McKee (Shiloh Run, $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68322-688-8). The author shares his own heartrending story and offers a sobering glimpse into what it is like to be bullied, providing helpful ways to connect with kids, open doors for dialogue, and give kids encouragement.

Odd(ly) Enough: Standing Out When the World Begs You to Fit In by Carolanne Miljavac (Barbour, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-68322-789-2). Social media star Miljavac aims to inspire women to become more courageous and confident about God’s purpose for their lives.

Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism by Malka Z. Simkovich (The Jewish Publication Society, $29.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-8276-1265-5). Historian Simkovich explores the world of the Second Temple period (539 BCE–70 CE), in particular the vastly diverse stories, commentaries, and other documents written by Jews during the end of this period.

How to Be Spiritual Without Being Religious by D. Patrick Miller (Hampton Roads, $14.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-5717-4842-3). Written for a growing number of Americans who are rejecting formal religious affiliations, Miller examines big questions such as why am I here through what he calls “the spirituality of ordinary life,” such as practicing compassion for others.

November 6

Why Religion? A Personal Story By Elaine Pagels (Ecco, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-0623-6853-9). Pagels, who teaches religion at Princeton University, draws on tragedy in her life to explore why religion is still around in the twenty-first century.

Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, Monsters by Mary-Jane Rubenstein (Columbia Univ., $35, ISBN 978-0-231-18946-0). Taking the excommunication of Baruch Spinoza as a seminal point, Rubenstein seeks to diagnose Western religious repugnance with pantheism, or the idea that God and the world are identical.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha!: What Fake Buddha Quotes Can Teach Us About Buddhism by Bodhipaksa (Parallax, $11.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-946764-35-5). This humorous book takes fake Buddha quotes as a launching point for a discussion on what the Buddha really did say.

Love Again, Live Again: Restore Your Heart and Regain Your Health by Joan Hunter (Whitaker, $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-64123-154-1). Hunter lays out healing strategies for readers overcoming trauma from past relationships.

The Voice: Listening to God’s Voice and Finding Your Own by Sandi Patty (Zondervan, $22.99; ISBN 978-0-310-35233-4) chronicles the painful personal history of Dove Award-winning singer Patty and her path with faith.

Nov. 13

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst (Nelson Books, $22.99; ISBN 978-0-7180-3985-1). TerKeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministry, delves into her husband's affair as well as her battle against breast cancer in this book, which PW said in its starred review feels "like time spent in an honest conversation with a trusted friend."

God in the Qur’an by Jack Miles (Knopf, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-307-26957-7). The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of God: A Biography offers a portrait of the God of Islam, creating a character study similar to those he did on Christ and Yahweh.

The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy (W, $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7852-2084-8). Through books, television, music, and movies, digital media entrepreneur Knox found many of the answers he was searching for about God. Here he explores how pop culture has helped shape his life and carve out the foundation of his faith.

A Call to Revolution by the Dalai Lama with Sofia Stril-Rever (Morrow, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-06-286645-5). This manifesto from the Dalai Lama offers solutions for these chaotic, aggressive, divided times.

Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, ISBN 978-1-328-80269-9). A protégé and friend of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel, Burger chronicles the intimate conversations the two had over decades together as teaching colleagues.

The Monkey is the Messenger by Ralph de la Rosa (Shambhala, $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-6118-0584-0) addresses “monkey mind,” or repetitive thoughts that interrupt meditation, and argues for embracing the dilemma.

Rare, Medium, or Done Well by Mike Huckabee (Worthy, $24.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-6839-7302-7). In this update to his 2000 title Live Beyond Your Own Lifetime, the former governor offers advice contrary to “living in the moment,” according to the publisher.

When I Spoke in Tongues by Jessica Wilbanks (Beacon, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-8070-9223-1) is a memoir from a former fundamentalist Christian who found her way back to faith as well as her family.

Nov. 15

The Jewish God Question by Andrew Pessin (Rowman & Littlefield, $34, ISBN 978-1-5381-1098-0) collects what Jewish thinkers have said about the existence of God, how to read the Bible, and more, shedding light on the Jewish philosophical tradition.

Nov. 20

The Luckiest Man: How a Seventeen-Year Battle with ALS Led Me to Intimacy with God by John Paine (Nelson Books, $22.99; ISBN 978-1-4002-1002-2). Though faced with a terminal illness that eventually led to pain and paralysis, Paine was able to experience a new relationship with God and a hope that changed his perspective.

Nov. 22

Clueless in Galilee: A Fresh Take on the Gospels by Mac Barron (Our Sunday Visitor, $14.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-68192-234-8). This collection retells Gospel stories in a humorous way, offering an offbeat perspective on scripture as well as food for thought.

Nov. 27

You Welcomed Me: Loving Refugees and Immigrants Because God First Loved Us by Kent Annan (IVP, $15 paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-4553-8). Annan, a senior fellow at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute of Wheaton College, examines common responses to people in need that are based in fear and misunderstanding.

Fiction

Nov. 6

The Noel Stranger by Richard Paul Evans (S&S, $19.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-5011-7205-2) Humiliated by her recent divorce, Maggie Walther searches for renewal during the Christmas season.

On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7180-9054-8). Pastor Jack McReady must find the courage to tell Daisy Pendleton he’d like to be more than just her spiritual leader.

A Season of Grace by Lauraine Snelling (Bethany, $22.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-3063-9) follows Norwegian immigrant Nilda Carlson in 1910 Minnesota who fears a dangerous man from her past.

Nov. 13

A Seat by the Hearth by Amy Clipston (Zondervan, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-3103-4908-2). Priscilla returns to Amish life, this time with her six-year-old son, where she learns hard lessons about love and trust.

Nov. 27

The Making of Mrs. Hale By Carolyn Miller (Kregel, $15.99 paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4535-4) follows Julia Hale whose brief marriage forces her to find hope in God and forgiveness from her family.