The Landscapes of Science and Religion: What are we disagreeing about? by Nick Spencer and Hannah Waite (OUP, £35 (£31.50); 978-0-19-887875-9).

“Drawing on extensive research with over a hundred leading thinkers in the UK . . . The Landscapes of Science and Religion takes the much-needed step of asking what science and religion actually are, before turning to the familiar question of how they relate to one another. Building on this, by paying particular attention to those who sense some form of conflict here, Spencer and Waite explore where the perceived conflict really lies. What exactly are people disagreeing about when they disagree about science and religion, and what, if anything, can we do to improve that disagreement and bring about a fruitful dialogue between these two important human endeavours.”

The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Narrative, edited by Keith Bodner (Cambridge University Press, £23.99 (£21.59); 978-1-108-81028-9).

“Analysis of biblical narrative has enjoyed a resurgence in recent decades, and this volume features essays that explore many of the artistic techniques that readers encounter in an array of texts. . . Designed for use in undergraduate and graduate courses, this Companion will serve as an excellent resource for instructors and students interested in understanding and interpreting biblical narrative.”

Richard Hooker: Theological method and Anglican identity by Philip Hobday (T & T Clark, £28.99 (£26.09); 978-0-567-70808-3). New in paperback

“For some, Hooker and Anglicanism are basically reformed; for others, fundamentally Catholic; for some embodying a ‘middle way’ between Roman Catholic and Protestant extremes; and for others simply confused and incoherent. This book challenges those perceptions by showing that ‘reformed’ and ‘catholic’ are not intrinsically opposed.” 

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