Britain’s Slavery Debt: Reparations now! by Michael Banner (OUP, £14.99 (£13.49); 978-0-19-888944-1).

“Offers a reasoned and concise discussion of the historical, ethical, and practical issues surrounding reparations. Engages seriously with the case against reparations, but offers persuasive counter arguments and clarification of the issue. Provides a practical proposal for a way forwards, regarding the amount of money which might be due and how it might be raised.”

I, Julian by Claire Gilbert (Hodder, £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-399-80754-8). New in paperback

“I, Julian is the account of a medieval woman who dares to tell her own story. Battling grief, plague, the church and societal expectations, and compelled by her powerful visions, Julian finds a way to live a life of freedom — as an anchoress, bricked up in a small room on the side of a church. Helped by Thomas, a Benedictine monk from Norwich Cathedral, she writers of what she has seen and offers word of counsel to others. Julian's manuscripts are protected by trusted sisters and are passed from hand to hand, become the first book to be written by a woman in English.”


Listening Together: Meditations on synodality by Timothy Radcliffe (Liturgical Press, £11.99 (£10.79); 978-0-8146-8882-3).

“The Synod on Synodality held in Rome in October 2023, gathered Catholics from all over the world to listen, pray, and reflect on a new way of being church. Dominican priest Timothy Radcliffe, the official retreat master and spiritual advisor for this assembly, was appointed by Pope Francis to deliver a series of retreat talks and meditations to the delegates during the assembly of the Synod on Synodality. Those talks are offered here, as well as Radcliffe’s further reflections on our current challenges and where we could be headed as a church. He then provides a specific Dominican experience as an example of synodality-in-action.”   

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