Notable New Book Releases: September

Good day to you, fellow book lovers!  I’m excited to announce that the Book Nook column will now go live every Saturday at Fancy Little Things!   The first week of every month, I’ll write about exciting new releases in the world of Christian fiction and non-fiction publishing.  If you’re a reader like me, you’re probably always on the hunt for some fresh, interesting new reads.  I keep track of all of the books I read and want to read on Goodreads.  You can find my Goodreads profile here and feel free to “friend” me – I’m always looking for more bookish friends and I love seeing what other people are reading!   I’m even toying around with the idea of starting a Fancy Little Things readers’ group on Goodreads so we can give each other suggestions and share in our reading adventures.  Please comment if you’d be interested in such a group.  Also here are some exciting new releases!

With Every Letter: A Novel (Wings of the Nightingale by Sarah Sundin.  I read Sarah’s last trilogy about World War II and love it.  The characters were deep, realistic, and Sara’s attention to historical detail is impressive.  I can’t wait to read her new trilogy.  In With Every Letter, Lt. Mellie Blake is a nurse serving in the 802nd Medical Squadron, Air Evacuation, Transport. As part of a morale building program, she reluctantly enters into an anonymous correspondence with Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer in the 908th Engineer Aviation Battalion in North Africa. As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other’s true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face to face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage to their past? And can they learn to trust God and embrace the gift of love he offers them?

Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus by John Ortberg.  One of my favorite books is WHAT IF JESUS HAD NEVER BEEN BORN?by D. James Kennedy.  When I saw the book Who is This Man, it reminded me of that book and when one of the reviewers said it was similar, I knew I wanted to read it.   I think it is good for us as Christians to step back once in a while and take a look at who Jesus was and his impact on world history.   If you are in higher academia or wind up in conversations in which you are discussing Christianity with people who loathe Christianity, this book will likely encourage you and remind you of the positive historical impacts Christianity has had, one of my favorite being the promotion of education and Jesus’ uncommon respect for and treatment of women during his ministry.

The following description of the book makes me want to dig into it!

From the Dark Ages to Post-Modernity he is the Man who won’t go away. And yet . . .you can miss him in historical lists for many reasons, maybe the most obvious being the way he lived his life. He did not loudly and demonstrably defend his movement in the spirit of a rising political or military leader. He did not lay out a case that history would judge his brand of belief superior in all future books. His life and teaching simply drew people to follow him. He made history by starting in a humble place, in a spirit of love and acceptance, and allowing each person space to respond. His vision of life continues to haunt and challenge humanity. His influence has swept over history bringing inspiration to what has happened in art, science, government, medicine, and education; he has taught humans about dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and hope.

The Judge by Randy Singer.  I love legal thrillers and can’t get enough of Grisham and Connelly.  That’s why I’m terribly excited that Christian publishers are branching out and picking up legal thriller authors!  In fact, I’ll be reviewing the first legal thriller I’ve read that was published by a Christian publishing company next week.  I can’t wait to start on this one! When a brilliant billionaire is diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, he realizes that all his considerable wealth cannot prepare him to meet his Maker. But he has an idea that might: he will stage the ultimate reality show. With his true agenda hidden, he auditions followers from all the world’s major religions, inviting them to the trial of their lives on a remote island, where they must defend their beliefs against spiritual challenges.Oliver Finney, a feisty old judge with his own secrets, is chosen to defend Christianity. As the program takes a strange twist, he quickly realizes he is trapped in a game of deadly agendas that may cost him his life. With Internet access monitored, Finney sends coded messages to his law clerk, Nikki Moreno. Aided by a teen crypto-geek, Nikki soon discovers the key to understanding Finney’s clues in an apologetics book Finney wrote and must race against time to decipher the mysteries contained in the ancient words of Christ before her boss dies defending them.

Unending Devotion by Jodi Hedund is a historical romance novel that looks like it could be good.  Many reviewers said it is fast paced and interesting, a book that easily grabs your attention.  Also, apparently it isn’t the typical love story – it tells the story of the love between sisters and the redemption of one sister.  It sounds pretty good and it has an appealing cover that reminds me of fall.  I’m sold.

In 1883 Michigan, Lily Young is on a mission to save her lost sister, or die trying. Heedless of the danger, her searches of logging camps lead her to Harrison and into the sights of Connell McCormick, a man doing his best to add to the hard-earned fortunes of his lumber baron father.  Posing during the day as a photographer’s assistant, Lily can’t understand why any God-fearing citizen would allow evil to persist and why men like Connell McCormick turn a blind eye to the crime rampant in the town. But Connell is boss-man of three of his father’s lumber camps in the area, and like most of the other men, he’s interested in clearing the pine and earning a profit. He figures as long as he’s living an upright life, that’s what matters.  Lily challenges everything he thought he knew, and together they work not only to save her sister but to put an end to the corruption that’s dominated Harrison for so long.

Any new releases you’re looking forward to reading this September?  Don’t you just love curling up with a book and a pumpkin spice latte?

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