Season Feature

Mary Butterwick received a mention in a review by Pat Ashworth in the July edition of the Church Times,

“[Mary Butterwick’s life is] a story that deserves to be told, and Carmel Thomason has done a service in telling it.”

Mary is a well known ‘local hero’ in Teeside, and all the more so for being a tough Northern woman, with heart and soul, in her 80s and still going strong!

For your copy of Every Moment Counts click here 

 One Fine Potion: The Literay Magic of Harry Potter

As Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 premiered in cinemas on 15th July, it marks the end of an era. This last entry in the most popular film series of all times (out grossing Star Wars and the James Bond films, among others), drawn from the most popular fiction of all time, offers the final occasion for Harry Potter fans to come together and celebrate the story and characters that have shaped their lives. Greg Garrett, Professor at Baylor University, and author of One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter, calls this summer “a luminal moment. For all of us who have loved the books, or the movies, or both, we’ll never again have such an excuse to be a community gathered around Harry and his story. His courage and self-sacrifice have made us want to be braver people. His friendships with people like Ron and Hermione have made us want to be better friends. And his compassion for people who were marginal—or in this last installment, even for his enemies—has made us want to be more compassionate people.”

Garrett, a critically-acclaimed novelist from Austin, Texas, who also writes about culture, religion, and politics, argues that the Harry Potter epic has been so popular because it dramatizes many of our deepest and most important concerns. “In a world where we’re told we need to be individuals looking out for ourselves only, Harry and those around him constantly put others first. In a world where we’re told we need to be meaner than our enemies, Harry shows us the power of compassion and nonviolence. And in a world where we’re constantly bombarded by images and stories that threaten to break us down, Harry’s life reminds us the importance of hope in a better future.” Ultimately, stories such as Harry’s, Garrett says, make it possible for us to live in our own stories more wisely.

Rowan Williams: “One of the most searching and honest of Christian writers today.”

Independent Catholic News: “Garrett’s exposition of Rowling’s achievement is lucid, well written and convincing.”

Beliefnet: “a beautiful analysis of Harry Potter.”

Jolyon Mitchell, University of Edinburgh: “Intelligent, carefully researched and well written, One Fine Potion is a thought-provoking and eye-opening account of the Literary Magic of Harry Potter.”

   For your copy click here

David Wilbourne’s Lent choices for Church Times - DLT titles favoured 
 
Beyond Crucifixion: "This book itself proves a beautiful mosaic of the practical and spiritual. Each reflection ends with a striking prayer worthy of Michel Quoist. “And when we really need it, send us an angel,” one prayer concludes. Crisp has."
 
Feast + Fast: "A wonderful, earthy, spiritual book, brimming with an arresting spirituality: “God is that deep-rooted pain within the universe from which love grows.”" Church Times
“Practical, searching, accessible and humane: a very good invitation to Christian discipline.” Archbishop Rowan Williams