Postcards from the Land of Grief: Comfort for the journey through loss towards hope by Richard Littledale (Authentic, £9.99 (£9); 978-1-78893-071-0).
“Grief can often feel like a gnawing homesickness for a place where you used to live, but to which you can never return. Richard Littledale has written a series of short, candid thoughts and reflections from his own experience of widowhood that will resonate and bring comfort and understanding to anyone experiencing bereavement.”
In the Bleak Midwinter: Through Advent and Christmas with Christina Rossetti by Rachel Mann (Canterbury Press, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-1-78622-162-9).
“n the Bleak Midwinter explores the power of Advent and the joy of Christmas through the poetry of Christina Rossetti. Best known for her poems-turned-carols In the Bleak Midwinter and Love Came Down at Christmas, Rossetti's rich and wondrous faith provides an inspiring seasonal companion.”
Using Christian Contemplative Practice with Children: A guide to helping children explore stillness and meditation in worship by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton (JKP, £14.99 (£13.50); 978-1-78592-662-4).
“How stillness, mindfulness and other contemplative practices can be used with children in worship. Looking at the benefits this can offer for a child's wellbeing, and ability to reflect on their own beliefs, this guide is full of ideas and practical examples on how to introduce a more reflective approach to children's work in Christian settings.”
Yours Truly: Parables and stories by Murray Watts (SPCK, £9.99 (£9); 978-0-281-08094-6).
“Here is a collection of brilliant and poignant parables, for personal reading and public use. Each offers a penetrating insight into some aspect of the Christian faith.”
Gods at War: Understanding three millennia of religious conflict by Oliver Thomson (Amberley, £20 (£18); 978-1-4456-9471-9).
“Gods at War examines the role played by religions in starting or supporting wars from ancient Egypt and Israel to the current conflicts in Yemen and the Ukraine. It not only analyses the traditionally recognised wars of religion such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years War and the many Islamic jihads, but also addresses the role played by nearly all religions in encouraging warrior kings, dictators and even democracies to wage wars, supporting them with money, promises of paradise in the after-life, guarantees of victory (God is on their side) and ceremonial to keep up morale.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.