Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Critical Appropriation of Russian Religious Thought by Jennifer Newsome Martin (Notre Dame University Press, £20). Though a technical dissection of von Balthasar’s encounter with various aspects of Orthodox theology, this study raises broader issues that confront many Catholic thinkers. To what extent and with what levels of appreciation and caution are those beyond the Catholic fold to be recruited? Von Balthasar’s strategies, which influenced his thought on everything from beauty to radical evil, provide valuable if contentious lessons. 15 Days of Prayer with Chiara Lubich by Florence Gillet (New City, £10). This small book is a selection of the meditations and reflections of Lubich brought together by Florence Gillet, her close friend and translator. It is part of a series, each containing a brief biography of the spiritual leader, a guide to creating a format for prayer, and 15 sessions accompanied by questions for reflection. Lubich’s charism lay in ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. Here her collaborator hopes that Lubich’s wish that “They all may be one” (John 17:21) will resonate among a new readership. Between Apocalypse and Eschaton by Joseph Flinner (Forestress Press, £35). Few would question the influence of the Jesuit theologian Henri du Lubac on 20th-century Catholic thought, though the precise nature of his legacy remains contested. Flinner explores relatively neglected areas – du Lubac’s ventures into eschatology and politics – and has much to say on du Lubac’s place in a complex post-Vatican II discussion: was the Council to be seen as the beginning of an organic process of revision or was it best understood as a necessary but limited theological and/or pastoral corrective? Love: The Joy That Wounds: The Love Poems of Rumi (Souvenir Press, £9.99). Rumi, born in Persia in 1207, founded the order of the Whirling Dervishes of Sufism and wrote thousands of poems. This small book provides an introduction to his short, passionate verses, still hugely popular among certain sections of the Muslim world. Each page is illustrated by the beautiful calligraphy of Lassaad Metoui, which contributes to their exotic appeal, in lines such as: “Oh sky, without me, do not change / Oh moon, without me, do not shine / Oh earth, without me, do not grow / Oh time, without me, do not go.” The Chaplin Machine by Owen Hatherley (Pluto Press, £16.99). This book is about the hidden history of Soviet film, art and architecture in the early 20th century. Hatherley challenges the common view that communist culture was austere and humourless. He discovers the Soviet love for American slapstick, the Russian passion for permanent circuses and Lenin’s fondness for circus clowns in a stimulating work which includes many photographs, cartoons and advertising posters that reveal a different side to “the great Russian revolutionary experiment”.