Shaping the Second Enlightenment by Canon Timothy Russ (available from James Schofield: [email protected] £8.50). The late Canon Timothy Russ of Northampton diocese was an enthusiastic disciple of the Jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan. After Canon Russ’s death, as an affectionate tribute to his memory, parishioners Hugh Wells and James Schofield compiled this book from his papers and talks. All who are drawn to Lonergan’s writings on the challenges facing the Church in the modern age will enjoy the stimulating presentations, reflections and arguments in this two-part compilation. From Rome to Royal Park by Gerald O’Collins SJ (Gracewing, £12.99). The author, former professor at the Gregorian University in Rome, concludes his memoirs with this third volume which describes his life after returning home to Australia for his retirement. Full of anecdotes about his friends, including the Tablet editor John Wilkins, and reminiscences about personalities such as Tony Blair and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the author regales the reader with his recent activities: lecturing, travelling and writing.
Alive, Alive Oh! by Diana Athill (Granta, £12.99). A longstanding editor for the publisher Andre Deutsch, Diana Athill has written this collection of essays as a reflective rounding-off to her long life (she is now 97). They include recollections of her privileged childhood, a serious miscarriage in her 40s, memories of an earlier abortion and what it was like to retire to a home originally established to assist those single women who had worked all their life but had few savings for their old age. As her title implies, Athill, confident and strong-minded, is still glad to be alive.
Availability by Robert J Wicks (Alban Books, £9.99). In this new edition of a popular book, first published in 1986, Robert Wicks introduces a modern readership to his appeal for the integration of spirituality and personal growth. Reflecting on writers such as Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton, the author shows how self-awareness, compassion for others and personal prayer are interrelated. To be available to others is to be available to God: the key is to place ourselves continually in the presence of the Lord. This will provide us with the true gift of availability towards others.
Don’t Trust, Don’t Fear, Don’t Beg by Ben Stewart (Guardian / Faber Books, £12.99) Subtitled “100 Days as a Prisoner of Putin – The Story of the Arctic 30”, this book tells the story of the crew of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, who scaled a Russian oil platform in the Barents Sea in September 2013 and were seized by President Putin’s commandos. The “Arctic 30” were subsequently sentenced to 15 years in jail. Stewart, a former Guardian journalist, led the global media campaign to free them.
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