Daily readings come in many different styles, to suit our different personalities.There is a wide choice here and some suggested readings suitable for special occasions and times of need.

Through the Year with Newman

- Daily Readings

Edited by Bernard Dive

This is a book of readings drawn from the writings of that great philosopher and theologian John Henry Newman. In a long introduction the editor Bernard Dive explains what Christianity meant to Newman, and although Newman was an intellectual, the spirit was more important to him than the intellect in realising the unity and consistency of Christianity. A stage in his intellectual and spiritual development was his conversion from Anglo-Catholicism to Roman-Catholicism. In all of Newman’s books, but particularly in his Apologia pro Vita Sua, he has much to say about the human conscience where God had already manifested Himself to mankind. The readings, one for every day of the year as well as for moveable feasts, are all drawn from Newman’s extensive body of work. It is a very worthwhile bedside book to be read slowly and pondered over.

Review by John Irvine (08/03/12)

Paperback
Price: £10.99
Publisher: Burns & Oates imprint of Continuum
Published: November 2011
ISBN: 978-0-826-43919-2

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Mark in 40 Days

- Daily Readings From the Gospel

by Simon & Chris Danes

The brothers who are this book’s authors suggest it can be used by an individual – during Lent especially, but equally well at any other time of the year or for group study, but I have my doubts about the latter. I wonder how many groups, which tend to meet no more often than weekly, would be willing to commit to 40 consecutive sessions on one Gospel.
My impression of these 40 studies is that they are ideal for an individual to undertake an in-depth study of Mark – the earliest, and shortest, of the Gospels.
The 40 studies are supplemented by 4 studies in more detail: The Son of Man: The Kingdom of God: The Eucharist in Christianity today: Did the Resurrection really happen?
Highly recommended for individual use.

Review by Nick Horton (20/02/12)

Paperback
Price: £9.95
Publisher: St Mark's Press
Published: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-907-06211-7

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Precious Thoughts

- Daily Readings from the Correspondence of Thomas Merton

Selected and edited by Fiona Gardner

Many will be familiar with the writings of Thomas Merton, I am not, so came to this almanac of a year’s daily cycle of readings with a fresh pair of eyes.
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk based in the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He wrote about his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood and on the publication of this, many people wrote to him. A conservative estimate is that he wrote over 10,000 letters to over 2,000 correspondents: the principal subject being spiritual guidance.
The route to finding and exploring true inner self for Merton is silence and contemplation – here is an acceptance that we cannot ‘know’ and must just faithfully ‘accept’, surrendering to something more than self.
These daily readings offer ‘an opening into something other’ – perhaps what Boris Pasternak meant when he wrote:- ‘Thomas Merton…whose precious thought and dear bottomless letters enrich me and make me happy.’ (Back cover)
This anthology will stimulate its readers to deeper silence and contemplation and, I suspect, open the eyes of many to the riches of Merton’s writing. No-one need be put off by thinking that his writings are beyond them. These excerpts are thoroughly accessible. I look forward to using them myself and thoroughly recommend them.

Review by Nick Horton (03/01/12)

Paperback
Price: £10.99
Publisher: DLT (Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd)
Published: November 2011
ISBN: 978-0-232-52883-1

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Every Day With The Father

by Mark Stibbe

Many people feel that John’s gospel is ‘beyond them’ – too theological – too much concerned with concepts to be relevant to real life situations. They think that the Synoptic Gospels are more ‘people-centred’ and therefore easier to read and understand, and thus more relevant.
Mark Stibbe tackles this ‘John problem’ head on. 365 mini expositions on verses from John in verse order from 1:1 to 21:2. In them he focuses on what he believes to be John’s treasures – the Fatherhood of God – Papa, Daddy, Dad – the jewel in John’s crown. His mission is to demonstrate how Jesus reveals the Father’s love – how Jesus is a window onto ‘the world’s greatest Dad’.
I was drawn, like many I suspect, to see what Stibbe makes of John 3:16, which others have described as John’s Gospel in a nutshell. Stibbe encourages us to focus on the subject of the verb love – and that subject is God – and God in John’s terms means the Father. And the object of the verb is the world – in the Greek kosmos – the WHOLE world. God is wooing us – not coercing us – to a loving relationship with him.
I can’t quite make up my mind whether this is to be seen as a book of days, to be read throughout a calendar year –or one to throw a slightly different spotlight on a particular verse or parable from that of more conventional commentaries. Perhaps it is not for me to decide: some people will use it in the first way and some in the second.
What I do know is that it is a treasury bringing new jewels constantly to our consciousness.

Review by Nick Horton (26/11/11)

Hardback
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson
Published: November 2011
ISBN: 978-0-857-21026-5

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Fragments of Your Ancient Name

- 365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation

by Joyce Rupp

There’s a big clue in the title!! ‘Fragments’ – a book small in format with a daily quote, reflection and ‘task’ for the day. I put task in quotes because some days it is a task, some days a thought to carry through the day – but each one contains one or two words from the day’s quote.
Rupp chooses from a very catholic palette for her daily quotes – ranging from the Bible to the Qur’an: from Rainier Maria Rilke’s love poems to Leonard Cohen.
Each day a new name for God, ranging from ‘I am that I am’ (Exodus 3: Jan 1) through ‘Stealer of hearts’ (Hindu) and ‘You who question souls’ (Leonard Cohen) to ‘Gate Keeper’ (Wisdom 6: Dec 31)
I suspect that those who use these daily Glimpses, as I intend to do in 2012, will increasingly find their spiritual life enriched. Rupp’s final phrase for the day on New Year’s Eve is ‘I walk with hope into the New Year.’
May you walk with hope into this book and may your hopes be realized.

Review by Nick Horton (18/11/11)

Hardback
Publisher: Sorin Books imprint of Ave Maria from Alban Books
Published: April 2011
ISBN: 978-1-933-49528-6

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Reflections for Daily Prayer – Advent 2011 – Eve of Advent 2012

Contributions from Alan Bartlett, Rosalind Brown, Steven Croft, etc.

Having used Bible Reading notes of various kinds over the years, I find the variety of writers, the variety of the commentaries and the relevance to the Daily Readings in the ‘Reflections’ series excellent. I don’t always agree with the writers which I find very stimulating, as it makes me examine why I don’t agree. This searching of my own mind as well as the Scriptures can show me that I may well be wrong, not a bad thing for a full-time parish priest. There are mornings when the insights are so good, particularly for difficult readings, that I subsequently use them in the 8am CW Daily Prayer service in one of my five churches; on occasion I have read out the whole reflection. I hope that these continue to be published!

Review by Pam Sanders (13/08/11)

Paperback
Price: £16.99
Publisher: Church House Publishing (CHP) part of Hymns Ancient & Modern
Published: Summer 2011
ISBN: 978-0-715-14230-1

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Words for Today: 2012 - A Year of Fresh Perspectives on the Bible Edited by Nicola Slee
ISBN: 978-1-905-89342-3 Price: £8.75	Published: July 2011
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Light For Our Path: 2012 - A Year of Bible Reflections From Around the World Edited by Kate Hughes
ISBN: 978-1-905-89341-6 Price: £8.75	Published: July 2011
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Exploring the Fascinating Life of Jesus - From Matthew to John in Ten Minutes a Day by Roger Ellsworth
ISBN: 978-0-852-34720-1 Price: £10.99	Published: 2010
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Near to the Heart of God - Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns by Robert J. Morgan
ISBN: 978-0-800-73395-7 Price: £10.99	Published: 2010
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One Year Alone With God - 366 Devotions on the Names of God by Ava Pennington
ISBN: 978-0-800-71951-7 Price: £12.99	Published: 2010
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365 Days With Spurgeon, Vol 5 - A Further Collection of Daily Readings from Sermons Preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon…… Selected and arranged by Terence Peter Crosby
ISBN: 978-1-846-25230-3 Price: £12.00	Published: 2010
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Celebrating the Seasons - Daily Spiritual Readings for the Christian Year Compiled by Robert Atwell
ISBN: 978-1-853-11249-2 Price: £25.00	Published: 23 April 1999
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Words For Today 2011 - A year of Fresh Perspectives on the Bible Edited by Nicola Slee
ISBN: 978-1-905-89328-7 Price: £8.50	Published: 30 July 2010
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Light For Our Path 2011 - A Year of reflections from Around the World Edited by Kate Hughes
ISBN: 978-1-905-89327-0 Price: £8.50	Published: 30 July 2010
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The Journey Home - Spiritual Guidance for Every Day by Nick Aiken
ISBN: 978-0-281-06230-0 Price: £9.99	Published: 21 January 2010
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The Excellent Way - 365 Readings to Transform Your Life From the writings of R.T.Kendall edited by David Maloney
ISBN: 978-0-340-97982-2 Price: £10.99	Published: November 2009
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Through the Year with Michael Ramsey: Devotional readings for Every Day - SPCK Classic Edited by Margaret Duggan
ISBN: 978-0-281-06123-5 Price: £9.99	Published: 2009
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Matthew Henry - Daily Readings Edited by Randall J. Pederson
ISBN: 978-1-845-50509-7 Price: £11.99	Published: October 2009
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Life With Lucas 2 - Daily Readings Throughout the year by Jeff Lucas
ISBN: 978-1-853-45500-1 Price: £8.99	Published: March 2009
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