Things my Dog has Taught Me: About being a better human by Jonathan Wittenberg (Hodder, £9.99 (£9); 978-1-473-66438-8). New in paperback.

“Our dogs can teach us how to appreciate the wonderful world in which we live, and how to develop better relationships with our friends and families, says author Jonathan Wittenberg.”

Giving Attention: Becoming what we truly are by Michael Mayne (Canterbury Press, £5.99 (£5.40); 978-1-78622-100-1).

“Originally given as a series of retreat addresses, it focuses on timeless aspects of spiritual experience and means of growth.”

How to Live: What the Rule of St Benedict teaches us about happiness, meaning and community by Judith Valente (William Collins, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-0-00-830041-8).

“This is a book about living-not just surviving. It is a book about how to live a balanced, meaningful, and conscious life rooted in the ancient and time-tested wisdom of the rule. Valente's book reflects her training as a journalist.”

Biography of Silence: An essay on meditation by Pablo d’Ors (Parallax Press, £11.99 (£10.80); 978-1-946764-23-2).

“With silence increasingly becoming a stranger to us, one man set out to become its intimate: Pablo d’Ors, a Catholic priest whose life was changed by Zen meditation. With disarming honesty and directness, as well as a striking clarity of language, d’Ors shares his struggles as a beginning meditator: the tedium, restlessness, and distraction.”

Stained Glass by Aidan McRae Thomson (Amberley, £8.99 (£8.10); 978-1-4456-8324-9).

“This book examines not only the history of stained glass, but the techniques used to make it, from the first sketches all the way to installation.”

Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.