'An extraordinary testament to the human spirit...'

Jonathan Bryan has severe cerebral palsy and is incapable of voluntary speech or movement. In Eye Can Write: A memoir of a child's silent soul emerging, he describes poignantly the painstaking process of learning to communicate by moving his eyes to choose letters and thus form sentences. An extraordinary testament to the human spirit, this beautifully written book describes in detail his inner struggles and his passion for life, and, most significantly, the freedom and joy that the ability to communicate brings us.

Dancing with the Gods, by Kent Nerburn, immediately caught my eye this month, as it deals with a theme that resonates with me - that of the artistic life and the courage it takes to choose it. From issues such as coping with rejection, and financial difficulties, to the more abstruse questions of originality and inspiration, this book offers insight and comfort to those who have chosen this sometimes lonely path. With a warm and joyful tone, Nerburn gives voice to the artist's power to express the human experience and thus illuminate the darkest of places.

The Colour of Time: A New History of the World 1850 - 1960 will fascinate those of you with an interest in history, or indeed photography. Brazilian artist Marina Amaral has taken 200 contemporary photographs and restored them, in full-colour digital renditions, whilst British historian Dan Jones explains each photograph in context. This is an engrossing and beautiful exploration of a turbulent period in world history, one which has shaped the world we live in today.

For those of you who enjoy a good spy novel Anthony Quinn's Our Friends In Berlin is well worth a look. In London in 1941, at the height of the blackout, two strangers are about to meet and what transpires between them may alter the course of the war. Hitchcockian in its atmosphere and tense precision, this is sure to have you on the edge of your seat.