The best new books I’ve read in the last month are
- (5.0) The Power of Beliefs: How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success and a Better Life by Shawn Achor (Crown Currency, 2026)
- (4.5) Unvaccinated Under God: Religion and Vaccine Hesitancy in Modern America by Kira Ganda Kieffer (Princeton University Press, 2026)
- (4.5) Defrocked: Good News from a Bad Pastor for a Better Church by Lillian Daniel (Westminster John Knox Press, 2026)
- (4.5) Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities by Amy Butler and Dawn Darwin Weaks (Chalice Press, 2025)
- (4.5) Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance by Laura Vanderkam (WW Norton & Company, 2026)
- (4.0) Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Took, and Priest by James Martin (HarperOne, 2026)
- (4.0) Embodied Reconciliation: Congregational Healing as Pastoral Care by Leanna K. Fuller (Fortress Press, 2026)
- (4.0) Keeping People Interested: How Leaders Use Marketing to Capture and Sustain Attention by Jonathan K. Lo (Foundry Publishing, 2026)
The Power of Beliefs
Shawn Achor’s The Power of Beliefs: How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success and a Better Life is one of the few books I’ve read this year that led me to rethink and compelled me to revisit some of my beliefs and the ways they lead me to show up in the world. Drawing on research in positive psychology, Achor makes a compelling case that the beliefs we hold about ourselves, others, and the future profoundly shape our ability to thrive. Rather than offering simplistic advice or yet another how to styled self-help volume, he provides practical, evidence-based strategies for strengthening seven core beliefs that foster resilience, optimism, meaningful relationships, and lasting success.
Importantly, this book stands out because it reflects an ethical depth that distinguishes it from much of the self-improvement genre. Achor’s academic background in ethics is evident in his thoughtful approach to character, relationships, and the choices that shape a meaningful life. He concludes by inviting readers to embrace the belief that there is something greater than themselves, which he presents broadly enough to resonate across religious traditions and also with those who simply acknowledge a reality beyond the self. Rather than prescribing a particular faith, Achor highlights how this belief, like the other six, contribute to a richer and more meaningful life.
Welcome Back
Four of this month’s authors have previously been featured on So What Faith in connection with other books they have written:
- Amy Butler. In 2023, I named Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other as one of the two most impactful books I read that year.
- Lillian Daniel. In 2026, I recognized Lillian Daniel as one of So What Faith‘s top all-time authors. Two of her books earned places on the blog’s annual Top Ten lists: When Spiritual but Not Religious Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church (2013) and Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To (2016).
- James Martin. My first mention of James Martin’s writing came before I began formally rating books, when I wrote a brief review of his 2010 book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. In 2014, I gave Naked and You Clothed Me: Homilies and Reflections for Cycle A – a collection to which Martin contributed – a 5.0 rating. That same year, I rated his then recently published Jesus: A Pilgrimage 4.5.
- Dawn Darwin Weaks. In 2024, I rated her 2022 book, Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church, 4.0.