In this powerful, evocative collection, master storyteller John O'Donohue explores themes of love and loss, beginnings and endings. Inspired by the ancient wisdom of the Celtic tradition and the rugged, majestic landscape of his birth, the west of Ireland, here he also creates a unique vision of a place and time, and the echo of a memory that will never fade.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In God, Reza Aslan sheds new light on mankind's relationship with the divine and challenges our perspective on the history of faith and the birth of religion. From the origins of spiritual thought to the concept of an active, engaged, divine presence that underlies all creation, Aslan examines how the idea of god arose in human evolution, was gradually personalized, endowed with human traits and emotions, and eventually transformed into a single Divine Personality: the God known today by such names as Yahweh, Father, and Allah. Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, God challenges everything we thought we knew about the origins of religious belief, and with it our relationship with life and death, with the natural and spiritual worlds, and our understanding of the very essence of human existence.

When St Patrick came to Ireland in the 5th century AD, he encountered the Celtic people and a flourishing spiritual tradition that had already existed for thousands of years. He also discovered that where the Christians worshipped one God, the Celts had many and found divinity all around them: in the rivers, hills, sea and sky. The ancient Celtic reverence for the spirit in all things survives today - a vibrant legacy of mystical wisdom that is unique in the Western world.

Now, in this exquisite book, Irish poet and scholar John O'Donohue shares with us the secrets of this ancient world. Using authentic Irish prayers and blessings, he reveals the treasures that lie hidden within your own soul and the 'secret divinity' in your relationships. As he traces the cycles of life and nature, he draws from the holy waters of Ireland's spiritual heritage to lead you to a place where your heart can be healed and nourished.

It is a place where you will discover your own anam cara, your true 'soul friend'.

Author and psychologist Dr Susan Forward offers effective alternatives for achieving inner peace and freeing yourself from frustrating patterns of relationships with your parents. Millions of lives are damaged by the legacy of parental abuse:* Parents who ignored their children's needs or overburdened them with guilt. * Parents who were alcoholic or addicted to drugs.

* Parents who were exploitative and cruel, or simply indifferent and inadequate. When these children reach adulthood the damage done by their toxic parents manifests itself in depression, or difficulties with relationships, careers and decision-making. In Toxic Parents, Dr Susan Forward shows why it is so difficult to put the past behind you and helps readers to confront this painful legacy with tested self-help techniques.

With this book as your guide, you will discover an exciting new world of self-confidence, inner strength and emotional independence.

Ever though about trying meditation but didn't know how to get started? With Meditation for Beginners Jack Kornfield shows you how simple it is to start - and stick with - a daily meditation practice. 'Insight' or visspana meditation is the time-honoured skill of calming the spirit and clearing the mind for higher understanding. Now, in this complete course created for beginners, renowned teacher Jack Kornfield offers a straightforward, step-by-step method for bringing meditation into your life.

Using six guided meditations on the CD attached, you will discover how easy it is to use your breath, physical sensations - and even difficult emotions - to create tranquillity and loving kindness in your everyday life. These simple, elegant practices are so easy to learn that you will begin enjoying the benefits of medication immediately - while laying the foundation for a lifetime of inner discovery and awakening.

From the Paleozoic volcanoes that stained its soil, to the Saxons who occupied it, to the Tudors who traded its wool, to the Land Girls of wartime, John Lewis-Stempel charts a sweeping, lyrical history of Woodston: the quintessential English farm. With his combined skills of farmer and historian, Lewis-Stempel digs deep into written records, the memories of relatives, and the landscape itself to celebrate the farmland his family have been bound to for millennia. Through Woodston's life, we feel the joyful arrival of oxen ploughing; we see pigs rootling in the medieval apple orchard; and take in the sharp, drowsy fragrance of hops on Edwardian air.

He draws upon his wealth of historical knowledge and his innate sense of place to create a passionate, fascinating biography of farming in England. Woodston not only reminds us of the rural riches buried beneath our feet but of our shared roots that tie us to the land.

In A Book of Secrets, internationally bestselling author Derren Brown considers the value and benefit of having pain in our lives, asking: * Is it in those moments that we are faced with adversity that we find the most lasting rewards? * Do we spend so much time trying to make sense of our lives that we forget what makes us wonderfully us? * What are the secrets that show us how to meet challenging moments head on?In thirteen fascinating chapters, Derren takes us back to his own scenes of childhood humiliation, to lonely evenings on tour, to being paralysed by shyness at a dinner party hosted by famous guests, to navigating middle age and to finding love. By sharing his own moments of anger, frustration, loneliness and loss, Derren reveals how it's possible to find consolation and compassion in our most challenging times.

A Book of Secrets is a profound and practical guide to finding value in sadness and strength from what life throws at us - it is from the difficulty of life that we find meaning and grow.