Joy and Felicity by Sarah Meyrick (Sacristy Press, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-1-78959-176-7).
“What happens when everything you thought you knew about your family turns out to be a lie? Joy and Felicity have always been like chalk and cheese. Self-sufficient and practical, Joy was a war baby who was forced to stand on her own two feet at a very young age. Her younger sister Felicity is the cosseted darling of the family. Highly musical and doted on by her father, Felicity looks set for a career as a singer until disaster compels her to choose a very different path. Now their mother is dying. And there are secrets buried deep in the past. Will the truth finally set them free? As the sisters meet at her bedside to say goodbye, they discover a bond that runs far deeper than either of them ever imagined.”
Discovering Luke: Content, interpretation, reception by Joel B. Green (SPCK, £25 (£22.50); 978-0-281-07542-3).
“Discovering Luke is the perfect introduction to the interpretation of Luke’s gospel. Through a critical assessment of key interpreters and interpretative debates, this is a New Testament commentary that encourages in-depth study of the text and a genuine grappling with the theological and historical questions raised. As part of the Discovering Biblical Texts series, Discovering Luke draws on a range of author-, text- and reader-centred methodological approaches as complementary rather than mutually exclusive ways of understanding the text. It also focuses on the reception history of Luke’s gospel, increasingly viewed by Biblical scholars as a vital aspect of interpretation rather than an optional extra. Discovering Luke is an ideal Bible commentary for students and those looking to dig deeper into this key book of the New Testament. You will gain a solid grasp of the structure and content of Luke’s gospel, and a thorough understanding of a wide range of interpretative approaches and theological concerns that will enhance your own reading of the text.”
Heaven Come down: The story of a transgender disciple by Chrissie Chevasutt (DLT, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-1-913657-20-8).
“Heaven Come Down is the stunningly powerful testimony of someone growing up with severe dysmorphia and gender dysphoria, in a broken dysfunctional family, and their discovery of hope, love and faith through the healing power of God. Chrissie Chevasutt’s tumultuous journey has taken her through drug addiction, prostitution, and begging on the streets of India, before being led to the feet of Jesus. It is a story of hope for anyone who has or is suffering from addictions, suicidal ideation, homelessness, mental illness and the crisis of sexual or gender identity conflict, and seeks to build bridges in places where the Church and the transgender community have been divided.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.