Lament that Generates Covenant and Other Essays by Walter Brueggemann (Cascade Books, £19 (£17.10); 979-8-3852-1771-7).

“This collection of essays pertains to matters that urgently concern our faith. My work consists in recognition that our various systems of meaning, power, and control are decisively penultimate, even though we conduct ourselves as though they are ultimate. Thus, our articulation of theology and faith are momentary and require endless rearticulation.”

Dazzling Darkness: The lives and afterlives of the Christian Mystics by James Harpur (Hurst, £25 (£22.50); 978-1-911723-90-5).

“Deeply researched and highly engaging, Dazzling Darkness tells the stories of towering figures like Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, and highlights many lesser-known mystics, including Mary of Egypt, Seraphim of Sarov and Charles de Foucauld, allowing their voices to sing out to future generations.”

More than Nine Lessons and Carols: The life of Eric Milner-White 1884-1963 by Allen Warren (Sacristy Press, £30 (£27); 978-1-78959-397-6).

“More than Nine Lessons and Carols offers full appreciation of the many different facets of a complex and confident character and the contributions he made to church and civic life.”

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