Giving Thanks: Rediscovering the heart of gratitude by Philip Plyming (Canterbury Press, £13.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER price £11.19); 978-1-78622-643-3).
“For the first time in generations, young people today are growing up poorer than those before them, facing an uncertain world filled with serious threats. In such a climate, gratitude can feel difficult. Yet for over 350 years, a powerful resource has helped believers frame their thanksgiving: The General Thanksgiving from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. This theological masterpiece has guided generations in expressing profound truths in an accessible way, providing a framework for gratitude even in the hardest times. Giving Thanks seeks to reintroduce this prayer to the contemporary church.”
Blythe Spirit: The remarkable life of Ronald Blythe by Ian Collins (John Murray, £14.99 (£13.49); 978-1-399-81909-1). New in paperback
“Drawing on unparalleled access to letters, notebooks, published works, drafts, and conversations from decades of friendship, Ian Collins tells the full story of Ronald Blythe for the first time. The result is a sensitive, revelatory portrait which celebrates a fascinating, complex man and casts new light on one of our greatest writers.”
The Quaker Faith: Friends of love and truth by Stuart K. Masters (T & T Clark, £16.99 (£15.29); 978-1-5381-8535-3).
“In this accessible introduction to the Quaker tradition, Stuart Masters traces the roots of the Quaker way in 17th-century English Puritanism and founder George Fox, and the role of such early leaders as James Naylor and, reflecting Quakerism’s progressive views on gender, Margaret Fell. Masters then describes how the movement has developed and changed over time, producing a number of different expressions in the world today.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.
