1 of 4
2 of 4
3 of 4
4 of 4
Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl Paperback £7.99
A timeless work, reminding us all how to rise above suffering and deepen the art of living.
Frankl was a prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the Second World War. Interned at Auschwitz, he observed the ways in which his fellow inmates did and did not cope in camp conditions. He recalls and describes how people dealt with their own survival when stripped of absolutely everything: food, clothes, warmth, dignity and hope.
The book comes in two halves. In the second half, Frankl writes about his philosophy and theory of psychology. Although hard-hitting, the core message in this work is, I feel, a life-affirming, profound way to bring in the New Year.
A favourite inspirational quote for me is:
“We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”.
Devon's Spiritual Places: The Search for God in an Ancient Landscape, by Nick Pannell. Paperback £10
Journalist Nick Panell has produced a hearfelt, inspirational book of photographs and information about 18 sites in Devon which have taken people into a realm of spiritual reconnection. Beautifully produced and spilling over with the peace and tranquility of the area's familiar, and much less familiar, beauty spots.
Top 5 Titles
The Sellout, by Paul Beattie. Paperback £12.99. Man Booker prize winner. A satire about the history and legacy of racism in America.
The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold, by Tim Moore. Paperback £14.99 The author travels 9,000 along the route of the old Iron Curtain on a tiny-wheeled, two-geared East German shopping bike.
Hello Is This Planet Earth, by Tim Peake. Harback £20 Astronaut Tim Peake's first book, containing 150 stunning photographs taken by him on board the International Space Station.
The Noise of Time, by Julian Barnes Paperback £7.99. A fictionalised, well-researched account of how Shostakovich survived in the Stalin era.
Children's
The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop , by Clarie Balding. Hardback £9.99. 9-year old Charlie's eccentric parents buy a perfect racehorse. He is thrilled, but there one problem: he won't gallop. Charlie believes in him and doesn't lose heart...