The January-February issue of Preaching magazine has a major focus on the best books published during the past year, and we are not alone.
The Dec. 27, 2004, issue of World magazine reports, “The top 10 sellers for the year 2003 at Barnes & Noble bookstores give a snapshot of the culture. The biggest seller was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. After the occult fantasy for kids was an occult fantasy for adults, The DaVinci Code, which presumes to construct a new Jesus who would be more in accord with contemporary tastes than the Christ of the Bible. (No, Jesus did not marry Mary Magdelene. He already has a bride. She is called the church.)
“Three of the top 10 are diet books (Nos. 3, 4 and 10), all of which can be summed up in one sentence: Carbohydrates make you fat. There are three Oprah Book Club-type books, which commendably try to bridge the gap between seriousness and popularity: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (No. 5), The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (No. 9) and an excellent book about a horse, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (No. 6).
“Despite the success of a number of conservative authors, they were beat out by Hillary Clinton, whose Living History came in at No. 8. An explicitly Christian title did make the top 10: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (No. 7).” (Click here to read the entire article.)