Whether or not you are a religious person, it’s important to have a basic understanding of world religions. I’m willing to bet that any newspaper on any day will have a story that relates in some way to religion, because while religion is a powerful motivator, it’s also a tremendous source of violence and tension. World religions influence politics and laws, and shape our identities. Billions of people around the world belong to one faith or another, so it’s imperative to learn why and what they believe.

Here are two new titles that immediately caught my eye:

The Jew is not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism, by Tarek Fatah

Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide, by Brett Mccracken

If you're interested in why people belive what they believe, then check out these new titles and hundreds of others, available at your local branch. If you're nearest branch doesn't have what you're looking for, remember that we're happy to deliver books to the branch of your choice, for free!

I always enjoy Alain de Botton’s work. To me, he’s equal parts psychologist, poet and philosopher.

His latest book is called A Week at the Airport, and though I am afraid of flying (or, perhaps because I am afraid of flying?), I really enjoyed reading it.

De Botton was asked by British Airways to write this book. He was given a week’s accommodation at the airport’s hotel, and access to the behind-the-scenes happenings that most of us have never even imagined. He interviewed both passengers and airline managers, and he even had a photographer present, who captured the amazing images that appear throughout. This book is filled with poignancy – a huge surprise, given that it’s about an airport, of all places. You definitely won’t have read anything like it, before! And after reading it, you won’t ever look at flying the same way again.

Or, at least, he is in Philip Pullman's enthralling novel, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. I’ve recently finished reading this alternative version of the New Testament story, and I loved it! It was un-put-down-able, if I may coin a phrase.

As a student of religious studies, I was made aware that before the Bible was assembled as the book we now know, there were all sorts of different myths and stories about Jesus. Some of these stories claim that Jesus was a twin; others claim that Jesus escaped to Egypt while an unsuspecting dupe was crucified in his place. How fascinating to consider the alternatives...

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is a story (repeat: story!) about Jesus and his twin brother, Christ. All the familiar players are involved: Mary, John the Baptist, Barabbas, and a flock of uptight Pharisees. But, this is a story unlike the one you may have read in Sunday school.

Pullman’s writing style is effortless and spare and yet he creates such wonderfully rich characters and atmospheres.

Check this book out over the Christ(s)mas holidays! I especially recommend it for those who are interested in religious studies, Bible studies, history and spirituality, and storytelling.

I listen to podcasts from BBC radio, and I recently heard philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah discussing the role of honour in the 21^st century. Appiah’s interests lie primarily in moral progress, and how that progress is made.

The Chinese tradition of footbinding had existed for centuries, but within a generation, it was completely eradicated. How did this happen? Appiah argues that reason, morality and religion are not enough to spur moral revolutions. Morally repugnant practices are changed only when they come into conflict with honour.

I can't wait to delve into it! Yes, I’m going to spend my “down time” reading about footbinding, the Atlantic slave trade, and the aristocratic custom of duelling. That’s just how I roll.

The next time you hear about a great new book, go online and place a hold through our website. That way, you’ll beat me to the punch!

WOW – what a fantastic book! Portia De Rossi is a gay actress, married to well-known talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres. In Unbearable Lightness, De Rossi reflects on her past and shares insights into why she developed and eventually overcame both anorexia and bulimia.

This is a wonderful book; I read it in only a few days. De Rossi is insightful, sharp, funny, honest and unflinching about her past. What surprised me most was her skill as a prose writer. I may be judgemental, given that I don’t typically assume former models with long blonde hair are “the literary type”, but De Rossi certainly is. In articulate and poignant descriptions, she reveals how difficult it is to be an actress (let alone a gay actress) in a culture of beauty, thinness and body obsession.

Read this book if you struggle with anorexia or bulimia. Read it if you’ve ever felt too fat or too thin. Read this book if you enjoy biographies. Read this book if you’re a fan of the TV program Arrested Development.

I have a new appreciation for De Rossi’s work, and I’m sure you will, too!

Sam Harris is a philosopher and a neuroscientist. In The End of Faith, he writes emphatically and convincingly about the dangers of religious faith. Letter to a Christian Nation is his follow-up, and it is Harris’s response to the thousands of letters and responses that The End of Faith provoked. Now, Harris is back, but his focus has changed. In The Moral Landscape, he aims to convince you that we can figure out morality using scientific methods and principles. Sound like a mammoth task? An unlikely one? One that’s long overdue?

Check out The Moral Landscape today!