Book Review: The Friendship Book 2021

Title: The Friendship Book
Published: 8th July 2020
Publisher: D.C.Thomson & Co Ltd
​ISBN13: 978-1845358129
Number of Pages: 176
Available from: Amazon

I have bought the annual Friendship Book for many years. It provides a thought for each day of the year, offering information about the lives of famous people as well as anecdotes about the author’s experiences. The written illustrations are full of thought-provoking ideas and, although it is not a religious book, I find it a source of inspiration for sermons and letters for the church magazine.

The intention is to read one short section a day, but I find the book a real page-turner and read it from cover to cover within a week. Whilst I sense the author is a Christian, The Friendship Book is suitable for anybody. If one day’s snippet does not prove helpful, chances are the following reading will. On more than one occasion, the book stops you in your tracks, demanding attention and careful reflection. 

I have at least 15 years worth of The Friendship Book annuals, and I am fascinated about where the writer gets his information. He is remarkably well informed, and the books reveal countless treasures. Writing one Minister’s Letter a month is sufficient pressure for me, whereas the author manages to write a thought for each day every year.

All my copies of The Friendship Book sit on my bookshelf, where I have filed them after extracting any ideas for sermons and magazine articles. I realise this is a waste of a resource, and I should read and reread the books often. Rather than placing it on a shelf, the book could sit on an occasional table where people could pick it up, open any page and be well rewarded. 

The Friendship Book has become a friend. I recommend it to anyone who likes to have snippets of information rather than essays. ​