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Search our database of more than 5,000 book and audio reviews. Remember, we only review resources we recommend for your spiritual journey.
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Books
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Book Reviews

Click here to see the S&P Awards: The Best Spiritual Books of 2011

India
DEVOTION
India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck — A spellbinding survey of India's sacred landscape and the pilgrims who frequent these places and spaces.
Read the Review and an excerpt on questing.


Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism
DEVOTION
Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism by Llewellyne Vaughan-Lee — A probe of the mystical prayers of Christians and Sufis and what they have in common.
Read the Review and an excerpt on listening.


The Book of the Elders
FAITH
The Book of the Elders: Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Systematic Collection by John Wortley — An authoritative and expanded collection of sayings of the Desert Fathers.
Read the Review.


The Practicing Mind
HOPE
The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life by Thomas M. Sterner — A comprehensive look at the important role of the practicing mind in our everyday lives.
Read the Review and an excerpt on hope.


The Mindful Writer
IMAGINATION
The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life by Dinty W. Moore — A Buddhist perspective delineating the challenges and rewards of being a writer.
Read the Review and an excerpt on you.


A Unified Theory of Happiness
JOY
A Unified Theory of Happiness: An East Meets West Approach to Fully Loving Your Life by Andrea F. Polard — A compelling map about the good things that can grow out of a synthesis of Western science and Eastern wisdom.
Read the Review and an excerpt on teachers.


Freedom from Pain
NURTURING
Freedom from Pain: Discover Your Body's Power to Overcome Physical Pain by Peter A. Levine and Maggie Phillips — A toolbox of therapies, methods, and exercises to deal with and overcome chronic pain.
Read the Review.


Running with the Mind of Meditation
NURTURING
Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind by Sakyong Mipham — A salute to the healthy, healing, and spiritual powers of running and meditation.
Read the Review and an excerpt on nurturing.


The Five Keys to Mindful Communication
OPENNESS
The Five Keys to Mindful Communication: Using Deep Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts and Accomplish Your Goals by Susan Gillis Chapman — An examination of the essential elements of mindful communication.
Read the Review and an excerpt on silence.


The Thing You Think You Cannot Do
SHADOW
The Thing You Think You Cannot Do: Thirty Truths about Fear and Courage by Gordon Livingston — A hard-hitting and timely collection of 30 essays of cultural criticism.
Read the Review and an excerpt on meaning.


Unflappable
TRANSFORMATION
Unflappable: Six Steps to Staying Happy, Centered, Peaceful No Matter What by Ragini Elizabeth Michaels — The balancing of opposites as a fulfilling pathway to peace and contentment.
Read the Review and an excerpt on you.


Eternal Consciousness
X-THE MYSTERY
Eternal Consciousness by John S. Dunne — An exploration of the vast mysteries of the Christian faith using illustrative material from a wide variety of wisdom traditions.
Read the Review.


Ten Poems to Say Goodbye
YEARNING
Ten Poems to Say Goodbye by Roger Housden — Ten poems that touch upon the separations and departures that are part of the fragility and loss of the human adventure.
Read the Review.


When Women Were Birds
YOU
When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams — An astonishing memoir about Terry Tempest Williams's quest to discover her own values and visions through a creative look at her mother's legacy.
Read the Review and an excerpt on yearning.


See more Books & Audios Recently Reviewed


Children's Books


Isabella's Garden
CONNECTIONS
Isabella's Garden by Glenda Millard — A lovely depiction of a garden and its interdependence with other elements of the natural world.
Read the Review.


Mooshka
CONNECTIONS
Moosha: A Quilt Story by Julie Paschkis — An exquisitely written and illustrated children's book about ancestors, stories, and sharing.
Read the Review.


Look! Look! Look! at Sculpture
IMAGINATION
Look! Look! Look! at Sculpture by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace — An enchanting tale about three mice who sneak into a museum for their own private course in art appreciation.
Read the Review.


New York, Baby!
JOY
New York, Baby! by Ward Jenkins — An adventurous day trip to New York City.
Read the Review.


The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
KINDNESS
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems — A whimsical children's book about courtesy and sharing.
Read the Review.


Little Bird
KINDNESS
Little Bird by Germano Zullo — A marvelous and captivating parable about freedom, soul singing, and joy.
Read the Review.


Chloe, Instead
LOVE
Chloe, Instead by Micah Player — A colorful children's book conveying a child's mixed feelings about her baby sister.
Read the Review.


Backseat A-B-See
MEANING
Backseat A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout — A playful children's picture book about road signs.
Read the Review.


Picture My Day
MEANING
Picture My Day by Severine Cordier — A children's scapbook that engenders the spiritual practice of gratitude.
Read the Review.


In the Garden
NURTURING
In the Garden by Elizabeth Spurr — A little boy's expression of his nurturing instinct in gardening.
Read the Review.


Lola Reads to Leo
NURTURING
Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn — A heartfelt tale of a little girl who cherishes books, reading, and sharing stories.
Read the Review.


Earth Day, Birthday!
OPENNESS
Earth Day, Birthday! by Maureen Wright — Story about how a disagreement among animals in the jungle opens the door to a both/and view of the world and reality.
Read the Review.


Let's Have a Tree Party!
PLAY
Let's Have a Tree Party! by David Martin — A playful celebration of party animals in a tree.
Read the Review.


A Secret Keeps
QUESTING
A Secret Keeps by Marsha Wilson Thall — A boy's quest to discover what kind of a gift his grandfather has given him.
Read the Review.


A Leaf Can Be . . .
REVERENCE
A Leaf Can Be . . . by Laura Purdie Salas — An earth-cherishing children's book about the wonders of tree leaves.
Read the Review.


Step Gently Out
REVERENCE
Step Gently Out by Helen Frost — A wedding of poetry and photography that take us on a stroll in the mysterious world of insects.
Read the Review.


Nibbles' Garden
TRANSFORMATION
Nibbles' Garden: Another Green Tale by Charlotte Middleton — A fetching tale about the spiritual firepower of creativity and transformation.
Read the Review.


My Mama Earth
WONDER
My Mama Earth by Susan B. Katz — A perfect children's picture book for Earth Day.
Read the Review.



Now In Paperback



After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by N. T. Wright

Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked about Book of All Time by Kristin Swenson

The Compassionate Life: Walking the Path of Kindness by Marc Ian Barasch

The Cosmic Dance: An Invitation to Experience Our Oneness by Joyce Rupp

Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences by Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry

Finding Inner Courage by Mark Nepo

The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary by Angeles Arrien

The Future of Faith by Harvey Cox

The Green Bible: Understand the Bible's Powerful Message for the Earth

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus by Philip Gulley

Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light by Joan Chittister

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin

A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough by Wayne Muller

A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith by Brian McLaren

Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade -- and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone

Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr

Seeking Paradise: The Spirit of the Shakers by Thomas Merton and Paul M. Pearson

Simple Ways: Towards the Sacred by Gunilla Norris

The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse: A Breakthrough Program for Connecting with Your Soul's Deepest Purpose by Debbie Ford

The Way of Simplicity: The Cistercian Tradition by Esther De Waal

What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West by Feisal Abdul Rauf

Books & Audios for Spiritual Journeys
Whether you are exploring sacred texts, spiritual teachings, novels, poetry, cultural criticism, essays, or children's books, when reading exercises your faith, fires your imagination, stirs your soul, and expands your circle of compassion, it is a spiritual practice. Frederic and Mary Ann share some specific ways they deepen their reading experiences.

Making Reading Sacred
Exceptional Excerpts
Many of our book reviews include excerpts that illustrate a writer's insights. Every day we link one excerpt off the top of the "Updates" column on the homepage.

• See an Archive of the Spiritual Readings of the Day.
Special Features
Best Spiritual Books of 2011: Our choices of the books that most impressed and inspired us — highly recommended for your spiritual journey.
Douglas Wood — A Voice of the Heart: A profile of the remarkable writer and his books for all ages
Children's Books on the Unity of the Human Family: A joyful series of photographic essays
Thanks for Everything, Bill: An Open Letter to Bill Moyers on the Occasion of His Retirement
Jesus Books: a bibliography of titles revealing a wide spectrum of ideas about his teachings, ministry, and mission
100 Multifaith Resources: Resources that explore all the wonderful possibilities for broadening our understanding of both spirituality and practice in our world where people of different traditions are intentionally interacting.
Modern Spiritual Masters Series: An outstanding collection of the essential writings of key teachers from many traditions.
Spiritual Perspectives on September 11: Catholic, Buddhist, Anglican, and others, plus photograph collections
Summer Reading Suggestions: Beyond the Typical Beach Reads
The Spiritual Path of Grief: A collection of comforting words of wisdom from contemporary teachers
A Devotional Toolkit for Times of Crisis: 50 practices from the world's religions and the resources that best describe them.
Books That Speak to Your Condition: a special reading list put together after the 9/11 terrorist attacks — helpful for any difficult time
The Wonder Writers: seven writers who will turn you toward the pole of wonder.
Rich Deposits of Mystical Wisdom: a beguiling fable by Roger Housden and an amazing collection of translations by Daniel Ladinsky that are welcome resources for pilgrims on a mystical path.
The Spiritual Dimensions of Conscious Aging: Good books, videos, and audios that signal a broadening and deepening of the way we see aging.
Interviews
Andrew Harvey on adab, the Sufi practice of courtesy and respect
Mary Pipher on self-care, happiness, the value of Buddhist practices, and her memoir Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World
Elizabeth Lesser on creating your best life, practices for difficult times, connecting with nature, spiritual teachers and mentors, and the role of pain in the spiritual life.
Thomas Moore on the process of becoming a person through your experiences, obedience to one's calling, imagination, mystery, and his book A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do
Sam Keen on wonder, reverence, and his book Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds
Megan McKenna on justice, following Jesus, and her book On Your Mark
Robert Thurman on Infinite Life
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, author of God's Paintbrush, on children's spirituality
Phil Cousineau on The Olympic Odyssey
Book Galleries
The 12s: Galleries of Inspiring Quotations and Images on Spiritual Practices
Winter: Images and Quotes for Reflecting on the Meanings and Messages of the Season
Prayers for Our Leaders: Prayers collected for the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States
Shoe Fleur: from photographer Michel Tcherevkoff, a gallery of shoes and purses made from flowers
Meinhard Craighead: A Retrospective: images from the Southwestern artist's Crow Mother and the Dog God
The Sacred Balance: A Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature: David Suzuki and Amanda McConnell with Maria DeCambra point out connections that give meaning
Put on a Happy Face: Pop culture images to make you smile
Buddha: Asian statues beautifully photographed by Jon Ortner
Talking to God: Stunning photographs of individuals talking to God in their own ways in diverse settings
Timeless Prayers for Peace: Multiple Christian prayers for various settings
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