New Releases I’m Excited About: Early 2021 Nonfiction

Posted January 3, 2021 by meezcarrie in Christian, Most Anticipated Early 2021, nonfiction / 2 Comments

Welcome to the final post for this seasonal blog series in which I look at my overflowing TBR lists (I would be looking at my TBR bookcases but they’re still all packed in boxes and YES I’m getting twitchy about it, why do you ask? lol) and then I look at all the delicious new books coming out …. and I resign myself to never ever getting caught up – but what a problem to have! Today we’re finishing up with Early 2021 NonFiction New Releases (January-April).

Here is the schedule of posts for the week so you can zero in on your fave genre!

Wednesday: Contemporary Fiction (non-Amish & non-suspense)
Thursday: Historical Fiction (non-Amish & non-suspense)
Friday: Mystery/Suspense (non-Amish)
Saturday: Amish Fiction
Saturday: Speculative/Youth
TODAY: Non-Fiction

In my continued quest to streamline these posts I’m only selecting a few I’m most giddy about to spotlight here. I’ll also include links to all the January-April 2021 releases, each in their own list by month. You can also keep up with 2021’s new books as I learn about them by bookmarking the ‘2021 Releases‘ page on my blog menu & checking it each month!

Yes, I do enjoy nonfiction but I’m pretty selective about it. However, there’s still a lot of books coming out in early 2021 that really interest me! I hope you find something in here that interests you too!

spotlight on titles i’m most giddy about

(click on book title to go to its goodreads page if available)

HOW TO FIGHT RACISM
Jemar Tisby
Zondervan / January 5, 2021

How to Fight Racism is a handbook for pursuing racial justice with hands-on suggestions bolstered by real-world examples of change. Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism in our relationships and in everyday life through a simple framework–the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice–that helps readers consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist action. This book is for anyone who believes it is time to stop compromising with racism and courageously confront it. Tisby roots the ultimate solution to racism in the Christian faith as we embrace the implications of what Jesus taught his followers. Readers of the book will come away with a clear model for how to think about race in productive ways and a compelling call to dismantle a social hierarchy long stratified by skin color.

COURAGEOUS SIMPLICITY
(in)courage
Revell / January 5, 2021

“I’m just so busy and tired.” These words fall from your lips as easy and often as your next breath. You’re weary of your packed schedule and frenetic pace and responsibilities at every turn. Even good things no longer feel life-giving. You long for a simpler life. You want to be able to face daily burdens and the chaos of this world and say with confidence, “It is well with my soul.” But how? (in)courage is ready to come alongside you through Courageous Simplicity, a six-session Bible study on living in the simple abundance of Jesus. This study will help you release control of what frays your soul and will lead you to true refreshment. As you train in the spiritual practice of simplicity, you will discover the God who loves you lavishly and wants to show you how to live with a heart open and surrendered to his presence.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER THINGS WE DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
Ryan Casey Wallker
Thomas Nelson / January 5, 2021

Mental illness loves to tell lies. One of those lies is that you really should be able to manage what you’re struggling with. Pastor and psychotherapist Ryan Casey Waller says no. Mental health issues are not a symptom of a spiritual failing or insufficient faith; rather, suffering is the very thing our Savior seeks to heal as he leads us toward restoration. And yet, as Waller has experienced personally, the battle can be lonely and discouraging. But it doesn’t have to be. Waller bridges the gap between the spiritual and the psychological in this empathetic, imminently helpful guidebook, reminding us all that we are not alone. Hope starts now.

THEY TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
Charles Martin
Thomas Nelson / January 5, 2021

In the first century, believer didn’t just mean someone who heard and agreed with Jesus; it meant someone who acted on that belief. And when the outside world saw the faith of these new believers, they declared “they turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). That’s the kind of believer Charles Martin wants us to be. The kind who understands that the truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is so powerful, it reshaped history. The kind of believer who lives with that same world-changing faith today. In his second non-fiction work, he uses his talents as a novelist to walk you through the lives of the disciples in the aftermath of the Resurrection and as they spread the message of the Gospel and “turn the world upside down”, leading up to Paul’s ministry in Thessonalica. In his beloved lyrical style, Martin illuminates key moments from Scripture and shares stories from his own life as a disciple.

WOMEN WHO RISK
Tom and Joann Doyle
Thomas Nelson / January 26, 2021

Despite enormous risks to themselves and their families, former Muslim women are now influencing their husbands and their children and bringing others to faith in Jesus Christ. No matter where they live, these women are the God-ordained spiritual gatekeepers of their families. Tom and JoAnn Doyle have worked for twenty-five years in the Middle East and are master storytellers of the miraculous works of God happening in the Muslim world. With a clear call to action, they “sound the alarm” to the body of Christ, using inspirational stories straight out of the underground church—stories you don’t get on the news. The Doyles believe that women are a major reason why more Muslims than ever before are coming to faith in Christ. Over the years they have discovered that once God sets a Muslim woman free, she becomes an unstoppable force for God. Women Who Risk takes readers into the intimacy of Muslim homes in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and other hot spots to see the drama of Christ at work. The stories of these women are both breathtaking and heart-rending. Living on the edge, these women spread the gospel without fear, and the victory of the gospel is thrilling for all to see. They are the new heroes of the Middle East.

PRAYERS FOR KNOWING GOD
Tony Evans
Harvest House / February 2, 2021

In times of crisis and change, knowing God is the only path to heart-deep stability and peace. Through prayer, you can experience His love, His character, and His strength—and have your faith transformed as God empowers you to continue advancing His kingdom on earth. In Prayers for Knowing God, Dr. Tony Evans guides you through more than 50 prayers designed to enable you to identify and understand God’s attributes. As a follower of God, seeking to knowing Him is the greatest quest you can undertake. This book will help you put the knowledge you’ve gained from Scripture into practice through an active, personal connection to your heavenly Father.

THAT SOUNDS FUN
Annie F. Downs
Revell / February 2, 2021

We know there are certain things we must have to survive–food, shelter, and safety to name a few. But there are also aspects of life that truly allow us to be joyful and fulfilled. For popular podcaster and bestselling author Annie F. Downs, fun is close to the top of that list. Few would argue that having fun doesn’t enrich our lives, but so much gets in the way of prioritizing it. Tough days, busyness, and feelings that are hard to talk about keep us from the fun that’s out there waiting to be found. With That Sounds Fun, Annie offers an irresistible invitation to understand the meaning of fun, to embrace it and chase it, and to figure out what, exactly, sounds fun to you–then do it! Exploring some research and sharing some thoughts behind why fun matters, she shows you how to find, experience, and multiply your fun. With her signature storytelling style and whimsical vulnerability, Annie is the friend we all need to guide us back to staying true to ourselves and finding the fun we need.

OUT OF MANY, ONE
George W. Bush
Crown / March 2, 2021

Out of Many, One brings together forty-three full-color portraits of men and women who have immigrated to the United States, alongside stirring stories of the unique ways all of them are pursuing the American Dream. Featuring men and women from thirty-five countries and nearly every region of the world, Out of Many, One shows how hard work, strong values, dreams, and determination know no borders or boundaries and how immigrants embody values that are often viewed as distinctly American: optimism and gratitude, a willingness to strive and to risk, a deep sense of patriotism, and a spirit of self-reliance that runs deep in our immigrant heritage. In these pages, we meet a North Korean refugee fighting for human rights, a Dallas-based CEO who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico at age seventeen, and a NASA engineer who as a girl in Nigeria dreamed of coming to America, along with notable figures from business, the military, sports, and entertainment. President Bush captures their faces and stories in striking detail, bringing depth to our understanding of who immigrants are, the challenges they face on their paths to citizenship, and the lessons they can teach us about our country’s character.

THE WELL-WATERED WOMAN
Gretchen Saffles
Tyndale Momentum / April 6, 2021

In the chaos of our everyday, it can be difficult to live out and apply the truths of Scripture. We want more of Jesus, but we find ourselves looking to our own lives and accomplishments for our worth and identity. And while that may buoy us for a time, we’re often left feeling dried up, discouraged, and longing for more. Gretchen Saffles knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and unable to flourish. In The Well-Watered Woman, Gretchen leads us to the Well of fullness, the Word of freedom, and the Way of fruitfulness. She teaches that God’s Word will satisfy us for all eternity. Using Scripture and her own personal story of surrender, Gretchen offers spiritually hungry women tangible tools to not only know Jesus more but to live a life that thoroughly enjoys Him, seeks Him, and follows Him into freedom.

books i want to read that aren’t up yet

Sewing Patterns books by June McCrary Jacobs:
Valentine’s Day Table Decor (January)
Valentine’s Day Gifts (January)
Valentine’s Day Hand Puppets & Treat Bags (January)
Easter Gifts (February/March)
Easter Friends Hand Puppets (February/March)