The day Warren Harlan Pease returns home from the war in Iraq, the first person he meets is Jesus. Dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, Jesus walks from the ocean onto the New Hampshire beach where Warren goes to find solace. What follows is a journey through Warren’s life, as Jesus—who insists Warren call him “Ray”—travels with Warren to meet the family and friends who stayed behind when Warren went to war.

One by one, Warren introduces Ray to his loved ones: first to Bethie, Warren’s high school sweetheart and the mother of his daughter, Dodie; then, in turn, his father, his best friend, Ryan, to whom Bethie is now engaged, and even Warren’s dead mother. As the unlikely pair moves from place to place, Warren’s life unfolds before him again. Soon Warren begins to understand that the journey is one of healing for his soul as much as for his wounds. As the meaning of Warren’s return unfolds, the bitterness of war and loss turns into a discovery of peace and hope.

James Landis’ novel The Last Day is haunting and beautiful, rippling with skillfully intertwined themes of faith, love, religion and war. The voice of the young soldier is powerfully real, carried forth in a simple, direct style that is nevertheless richly poetic and thoroughly compelling. And while Warren does not question his duty in the war, the story does not shirk from the graphic, horrible reality of Iraq itself. Flashback scenes are told in the voice of one who has been there, a soldier in the midst of blood, filth and violence—a vivid contrast to the quiet, intimate moments that surround Warren as Jesus leads him through his home. What makes these disparate visions work so well is that the author completely disappears into Warren’s voice. Reading The Last Day is like sharing Warren’s thoughts, as if the story were a memoir rather than a novel.

But it is a novel, and an exceptional one. Landis writes with mastery and grace, weaving together fiction and philosophy with profound beauty. Through an ordinary hero, Landis has crafted an extraordinary literary work. Like Warren, the reader will discover that The Last Day is worth sharing with loved ones.

Howard Shirley is a writer in Franklin, Tennessee.

Christian author and minister Max Lucado is among the nation’s most popular and prolific inspirational writers, and The Christmas Candle shows why readers are drawn to his warm, simple stories.

It’s 1864 in the English village of Gladstone, and shopkeepers Edward and Bea Haddington are awaiting a visit from an angel yes, an angel. It seems that every 25 years, Gladstone receives a visit from a glowing messenger, who lights a candle that bestows a miracle on whoever receives it. As villagers make their case to Edward and Bea as to why they should get the blessed candle, the Haddingtons wonder whether they should save this miracle for themselves.

A powerful reminder of the true meaning of faith and community, The Christmas Candle is a welcome respite from the harried commercialism of the holiday season.

In Elizabeth Berg’s lyrical recasting of the story of Mary and Joseph, The Handmaid and the Carpenter, we are reminded that the parents of Jesus were a startlingly young, humble couple. Deeply in love, they are struggling to understand the mystery of what visiting angels have told them: that Mary will bear the Son of God.

Berg, the author of more than a dozen novels including the 2000 Oprah Book Club selection Open House, brings remarkable freshness and respect to one of the most told, most beloved stories in human history. Her Mary and Joseph are devoted partners, but in awe of the idea that they’ve been chosen to bring forth a savior. What shall I make of these exotic fabulations? Joseph asks his wife. For, in truth, these things seem more fit for stories that children might tell than as direction for our lives. A quietly joyful take on the Immaculate Conception, Berg’s graceful story breathes new life into an ancient tale.

Collin Boyd stepped off the Metro bus on his way to work, and across the street he saw himself strolling down the sidewalk. So begins Relentless, author Robin Parrish’s entry into the thriller/sci-fi genre and the first in a planned trilogy.

After that mind-bending sight, Collin realizes he is no longer Collin Boyd. He is now Grant Borrows, although he has no idea who Grant Borrows is, and someone else is living his old life. A motorcycle-riding assassin with a totally cool sword stalks him with cat-and-mouse glee while Grant spends his time leaping from one frying pan into the next. Parrish writes with the verve and attitude of a New York City cab driver, plunging ahead with barely a glance at oncoming traffic, slinging you from side to side with near misses and narrow escapes before delivering you, safe, to your destination. There’s a reason this novel is called Relentless. Mike Parker is a former pastor who writes from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The local newscast is the bread ‘n’ butter for most television stations, and the news anchors are hometown heroes in our celebrity-obsessed society. But can you really tell the whole story in a 30-second sound bite? When does news become entertainment? And what is a conscious-stricken reporter supposed to do about it anyway? That is the premise for author Rene Gutteridge’s laugh-out-loud funny send-up of TV news, Scoop.

Ray Duffey truly believes he is doing his community a service by reporting the news. At least, he did, before the channel’s drive for ratings shifted the focus from what is important to what is sensational. But when Ray encounters his boss’ new assistant, Hayden Hazard, a fresh-faced slip of a girl who innocently expresses her faith in public, out loud, on purpose Ray finds his own faith in himself and his profession restored.

Mike Parker is a former pastor who writes from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

If you believe everything you hear on the news, marriage is on the decline, divorce is on the rise and relationships are considered disposable commodities on the same level as paper plates and plastic spoons. But even when affection grows cold, cutting the tie that binds can be an excruciating experience. Popular pastor, speaker and best-selling author T.D. Jakes mines the emotions of a couple on the cusp of divorce in his latest contemporary novel, Not Easily Broken. Dave and Clarice Johnson make an attractive, intelligent, upwardly mobile couple, both successful in their own realms. Yet something is missing from their marriage. An incapacitating auto accident, coupled with a beautiful rehab nurse, only serves to exacerbate their wounded relationship. Jakes pulls no punches as he explores the ramifications of allowing your love to grow cold, and your heart to grow hard.

Mike Parker is a former pastor who writes from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The most recent addition to Karen Kingsbury’s Red Glove Series, Sarah’s Song is the story of how one woman’s faith can touch multiple lives. Frail with heart failure, 86-year-old Sarah Lindeman prays for the strength to get through one more Christmas and the chance to tell her story through the words of a song she wrote years before words that were “born of despair, desperate for a second chance.” Sarah knows she must share with someone else that year of 1941 when “heaven cracked open and spilled stardust and miracles into the life of a woman who had given up hope.” Beth Baldwin, Sarah’s nurse in her assisted living facility, is the one God chooses. Though she’s never quite sure why, at least not until the very end, Beth allows Sarah to show her the aged ornaments that decorate her small Christmas tree. Over the course of 12 days, Beth hears their story of grace given and love bestowed, which adds hope and direction to her own life and marriage.