Many people like to look up their family tree, but it is rare for someone to place their lineage into historic context. Bill Griffeth, an award-winning CNBC financial journalist, did, when he rediscovered American history while doing a little genealogical research along the way. By Faith Alone: One Family’s Epic Journey Through 400 Years of American Protestantism is the chronicle of his geographic, historical and spiritual journey. Griffeth began his expedition in England where, in the early 1600s, his ancestors found themselves on the minority side of the Protestant Reformation. They were Puritans, those much maligned yet remarkably versatile dissenters who insisted they could restore Christianity to its unadulterated roots. The Puritans were soon losing their argument with the Church of England and had to, in Griffeth’s words, become strict Anglicans, or leave the country. They left, although for some the leaving may have had as much to do with a desire for better economic prospects as with religious conviction.

After several years of financial and religious prosperity in the Netherlands, Griffeth’s ancestors decided the New World would provide even greater opportunities, and they joined the early migrants so famously known as the Pilgrims. America proved a land full of peril and promise and seemed an ideal place for those of devout faith to test their resolve. Thousands of their brethren joined the growing New England settlements, where the human tendency to quarrel produced a growing list of denominations. It also produced the Salem witch trials. Griffeth’s account of that horror is tinged with his personal relationship, however distant in time, with two of the victims.

Part travelogue, part family tree, part testimony, By Faith Alone is at heart an account of the spiritual development of America, an aspect of history often left out of schoolbooks. It is a story of people whose convictions drove them to a hostile world where they founded a nation. It is also, says Griffeth, acknowledging the cause of his family’s wanderings, the story of a journey that never would have happened if Henry VIII’s request for a divorce had been granted.

Set in the late 19th century, The Prayer Chest by August Gold and Joel Fontinos is a story of fate, spirituality and mystery. The men in the Hutchinson family have a curse hanging over their heads that takes their lives at a young age. Joseph Hutchinson tries to outwit the curse, but his bargaining leads to his wife’s death. He mourns by distancing himself from his two young children, Daniel and Mary, and his grief is compounded when he learns he’s about to lose his farm. Desperate and angry, Joseph retreats to the attic, where he discovers a gift that profoundly touches lives: a wooden box that carries the message Bring your prayers to the Prayer Chest, my son, and all that you ask shall be answered one by one, and a book of instructions, written by a Hutchinson ancestor.

The characters soon understand that the magic of the chest comes from within. But can a man who’s forgotten how to trust have faith that the Prayer Chest will save his family? With their livelihood and hearts on the line, Joseph, Mary and Daniel strive to embrace the power of their discovery and pray for miracles.

Suzy Fisher’s death spurs a life-altering series of events in the Pennsylvania Amish community. She drowned when rowing with a group of Englischers, and her unbaptized wayward ways mean she has surely been kept out of heaven. Nellie Mae’s grief for her sister is overwhelming. Some individuals in the community are becoming interested in modern leisures, and their desires to own tractors and embrace salvation lead to excommunication. On the eve of a great schism in the church, Caleb Yoder begins secretly courting Nellie Mae. The two struggle to stay together as their families are divided. The Parting is the winning inaugural installment of a three-book series exploring young emotion, family life and a contentious rebirth. Beverly Lewis’ extensive research supports a vivid story.

Otto Ringling narrates Breakfast with Buddha, the latest offering from Roland Merullo (Golfing with God), with a side order of scrambled skepticism. And why shouldn’t he? He’s on a cross-country road trip with a cryptic robe-wearing monk. Otto was suckered into taking his sister’s guru along for the ride from New Jersey to his parents’ North Dakota farm, and Rinpoche isn’t making it any easier. The peaceful stranger is short on words but big on riddles, and Otto progresses from frustration with his enigmatic companion to amusement at the man’s ability to find joy in small things to a quiet admiration for the spiritual leader everyone seems to revere.

Somewhere between bowling and yoga class, Rinpoche teaches Otto to examine himself, and readers will be rooting for the success of this unlikely pair. Merullo’s clear writing ensures that readers will master Rinpoche’s sometimes cryptic reflections as well.

Just Beyond the Clouds is a glimpse of love from different angles. More than anything else, widower Cody Gunner mourns his late wife Ali and loves his brother Carl Joseph, who has Down syndrome. When he takes time off work to visit his family, Cody discovers that Carl Joseph isn’t quite the same: He knows the bus schedules, has table manners and is learning life skills at the local Independent Learning Center. Troubled by his brother’s joyous conviction that he’ll soon be living on his own, Cody confronts the clinic’s director, Elle Dalton. The overly protective older brother advocates for Carl Joseph’s removal from the clinic, but Elle’s faith in her students and their development as well as her beauty does not go unnoticed by Cody, who feels disloyal to Ali. Karen Kingsbury is a prolific and best-selling author in the Christian fiction world, and her simple, romantic stories keep readers coming back for more.

When innkeepers Jack and Laurel Conner pass away in each others’ arms on the same night, their three children reunite to mourn. The siblings’ own issues are pushed aside after they discover boxes of Wednesday Letters, which Jack wrote to his wife every week of their 39-year marriage. The letters are comforting until a shocking secret is unearthed. As the town gathers to mourn the beloved couple, their youngest son Malcolm struggles to cope with losing his parents in light of the discovery.

In The Wednesday Letters journalist and author Jason F. Wright tenderly demonstrates just how far love and forgiveness can take two people. Samantha, Matthew and Malcolm are moved by the power of devotion so evident in their parents’ lives, and the letters serve to influence their choices and strengthen their hearts.

Angela Hunt’s Doesn’t She Look Natural? is the first of three novels in a planned series. When Jennifer Graham inherits a historic Victorian home in Mt. Dora, Florida, the newly divorced mother of two hopes that this is the answer to her financial troubles. She plans to sell the house and use the money to move herself and her boys out of her mother’s home, where she fears they are overstaying their welcome. Upon arriving at Fairlawn Home, however, she discovers that much work is needed before the house is ready for the cutthroat real estate market . . . and that, in addition to being a home, it’s also a funeral parlor.

Jennifer must forget her philandering ex-husband; work alongside Fairlawn’s current resident, Gerald; avoid fighting with her mother; and dodge small-town gossip, all while suddenly burdened with running a funeral home. Hunt, who is perhaps best known for writing the popular Heavenly Daze series with Lori Copeland, juxtaposes life and death to serve as a point of reflection for her characters, but also to pay homage to the mortician ministry and its effect on loved ones left behind.

Mary Ann Winkowski, consultant to CBS’s Ghost Whisperer, sees dead people and willingly talks with them. She helps disruptive spirits move on from their earthbound states. In the intriguing When Ghosts Speak, Winkowski looks into humanity, the afterlife and the relationship between the two. One part spooky, one part inspirational and all-around fascinating, it makes for a spine-tingling read.

With our troops mired in a difficult war overseas, natural disasters a seemingly more common occurrence, and violent crime an ongoing concern, many Americans are seeking an emotional respite. Joyce Meyer, who was named one of the most influential evangelical leaders in America by Time Magazine, offers a beacon of hope in her latest book The Power of Simple Prayer: How to Talk with God About Everything, coming next month. Using a straightforward teaching style, Meyer clearly depicts the ease with which a consistent, daily prayer life can bring comfort to our lives. Steering clear of vague generalizations and obscurities, Meyer details numerous characteristics of prayer, including what constitutes prayer (it’s easier than you think!), Biblical examples of simple prayer, different types of prayer and hindrances to effective prayer. Meyer even address the physical aspects of prayer, encouraging readers not to feel they must conform to the accepted prayer posture kneeling, head bowed, hands clasped but instead to find their personal prayer comfort zone. Testimonials about answered prayer from Meyer as well as others infuse this prayer instruction book with a personal and inspirational feel.

In her poignant memoir The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray, Lindsey Crittenden explores the evolution of her prayer life as a relationship with God. Depicting a lifetime of love, discovery and pain, Crittenden writes in an organic stream of vignettes in which the details are far less important than the sentiment associated with the events described. Crittenden’s language aches with an authenticity that is beautiful and raw as she paints a portrait of her journey with God from infatuation, to passion, to commitment, to crisis, to comfortable. Though Crittenden’s views about the nature of prayer are powerful, it is her sentiment so genuine and real that the reader feels like a voyeur peeking into a window of her soul that makes this book such a treasure. The Water Will Hold You is not necessarily for those who already understand the importance and power of prayer, but instead perhaps for the world’s cynics those who are not sure if they want to believe and those who do not yet know what they believe.