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Most Spiritual Books of:
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Book Reviews
Best Spiritual Books of 2009 (So Far)
BEING PRESENT
Guardians of Attention by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell — A celebration is words and illustrations of dogs and cats as spiritual teachers of stillness, joy, and being present.
Read the Review and an excerpt on being present.
Guardians of Attention by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell — A celebration is words and illustrations of dogs and cats as spiritual teachers of stillness, joy, and being present.
Read the Review and an excerpt on being present.
BEAUTY
The Way of Beauty: Five Meditations for Spiritual Transformation by Francois Cheng — Five elegant and philosophical meditations on the meaning of beauty.
Read the Review the Review and an excerpt on beauty.
The Way of Beauty: Five Meditations for Spiritual Transformation by Francois Cheng — Five elegant and philosophical meditations on the meaning of beauty.
Read the Review the Review and an excerpt on beauty.
CONNECTIONS
Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler — An immensely revealing and thought-provoking overview of social networks and how the spiritual practice of connections is changing and transforming our lives.
Read the Review and an excerpt on connections.
Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler — An immensely revealing and thought-provoking overview of social networks and how the spiritual practice of connections is changing and transforming our lives.
Read the Review and an excerpt on connections.
DEVOTION
Wonderland: The Zen of Alice by Daniel Doen Silberberg — A sprightly use of Alice in Wonderland as a spur to seeing ourselves clearly and discovering our oneness with everything.
Read the Review and an excerpt on devotion.
Wonderland: The Zen of Alice by Daniel Doen Silberberg — A sprightly use of Alice in Wonderland as a spur to seeing ourselves clearly and discovering our oneness with everything.
Read the Review and an excerpt on devotion.
FAITH
Eternal Life: A New Vision Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell by John Shelby Spong — As a lifelong learner and a spiritual seeker, Spong delivers a masterful meditation on God, religion, human consciousness, death, and eternity.
Read the Review and an excerpt on meaning.
Eternal Life: A New Vision Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell by John Shelby Spong — As a lifelong learner and a spiritual seeker, Spong delivers a masterful meditation on God, religion, human consciousness, death, and eternity.
Read the Review and an excerpt on meaning.
JOY
The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler — Presents detachment, contentment, and a sense of inner worth as the basic sources of happiness.
Read the Review and an excerpt on devotion.
The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler — Presents detachment, contentment, and a sense of inner worth as the basic sources of happiness.
Read the Review and an excerpt on devotion.
YOU
Dreaming Me: From Baptist to Buddhist, One Woman's Spiritual Journey by Jan Willis — An inspiring memoir about the spiritual practices of you and transformation.
Read the Review and an excerpt on you.
Dreaming Me: From Baptist to Buddhist, One Woman's Spiritual Journey by Jan Willis — An inspiring memoir about the spiritual practices of you and transformation.
Read the Review and an excerpt on you.
YOU
The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse: A Breakthrough Program for Connecting with Your Soul's Purpose by Debbie Ford — A 21-day course on detoxification and spiritual renewal.
Read the Review and an excerpt on yearning.
The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse: A Breakthrough Program for Connecting with Your Soul's Purpose by Debbie Ford — A 21-day course on detoxification and spiritual renewal.
Read the Review and an excerpt on yearning.
Children's Books
DEVOTION
Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth — Helps children get in touch with their inner artist and connect with God and others through prayer.
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Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth — Helps children get in touch with their inner artist and connect with God and others through prayer.
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IMAGINATION
The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom by Steve Smallman and Nick Schon — A delightful and playful children's book about a creative monkey who entertains himself at the expense of the other jungle animals.
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The Monkey with a Bright Blue Bottom by Steve Smallman and Nick Schon — A delightful and playful children's book about a creative monkey who entertains himself at the expense of the other jungle animals.
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KINDNESS
The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen and Elaine Greenstein — A touching story about a lonely old woman who acts from the heart in love and generosity by knitting mittens for children who need them.
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The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen and Elaine Greenstein — A touching story about a lonely old woman who acts from the heart in love and generosity by knitting mittens for children who need them.
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LOVE
Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland — A wonderful contemporary fable about the importance of expressing your affection.
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Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland — A wonderful contemporary fable about the importance of expressing your affection.
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LOVE
Piglet and Granny by Margaret Wild — A sprightly story that reveals the rewards of patience and the bounty of the ties of love between grandparents and grandchildren.
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Piglet and Granny by Margaret Wild — A sprightly story that reveals the rewards of patience and the bounty of the ties of love between grandparents and grandchildren.
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LOVE
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom — A delightful read-aloud book for very small children about friendship.
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A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom — A delightful read-aloud book for very small children about friendship.
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MEANING
If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States by David J. Smith — A thought-provoking overview of America's diversity and contrasts.
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If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States by David J. Smith — A thought-provoking overview of America's diversity and contrasts.
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MEANING
My Name Is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed — Salutes the importance of ethnic and cultural tradition to immigrants in America.
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My Name Is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed — Salutes the importance of ethnic and cultural tradition to immigrants in America.
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QUESTING
Mama, Will It Snow Tonight? by Nancy White Carlstrom and Paul Tong — Celebrates the joys of nature, the connections between animals and humans, and the wisdom of mothers.
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Mama, Will It Snow Tonight? by Nancy White Carlstrom and Paul Tong — Celebrates the joys of nature, the connections between animals and humans, and the wisdom of mothers.
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SHADOW
There's No Such Thing as Monsters! by Steve Smallman and Caroline Pedler — An enticing tale about the fears that create monsters in our minds and keep us from sleeping peacefully.
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There's No Such Thing as Monsters! by Steve Smallman and Caroline Pedler — An enticing tale about the fears that create monsters in our minds and keep us from sleeping peacefully.
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WONDER
June and August by Vivian Walsh — A playful celebration of diversity and delight in the sharing of friendship.
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June and August by Vivian Walsh — A playful celebration of diversity and delight in the sharing of friendship.
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WONDER
Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder by Thomas Locker and Joseph Bruchac — The inspiring story of Rachel Carson and the book she wrote that changed the way we see the natural world.
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Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder by Thomas Locker and Joseph Bruchac — The inspiring story of Rachel Carson and the book she wrote that changed the way we see the natural world.
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YOU
Wanda's Freckles by Barbara Azore — A gem of a children's book about self-esteem and the resilience to fend of attacks on our individuality.
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See more reviews of Children's Books
Wanda's Freckles by Barbara Azore — A gem of a children's book about self-esteem and the resilience to fend of attacks on our individuality.
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See more reviews of Children's Books
Now In Paperback
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living by Lama Surya Das The Chocolate Cake Sutra: Ingredients for a Sweet Life by Geri Larkin Christ in the Margins by Robert Lentz and Edwina Gateley Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness by Pema Chodron Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God And Your Soul's Purpose by Caroline Myss The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam's Mystical Tradition by Seyyed Hossein Nasr The Gnostic Bile: Revised Edition by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think Is Right Is Wrong, A History of What Really Makes Us Happy by Jennifer Michael Hecht The History of Last Night's Dream: Discovering the Hidden Path to the Soul by Rodger Kamenetz I'd Rather Teach Peace by Colman McCarthy It's Not About the Money: Unlock Your Money Type to Achieve Spiritual and Financial Abundance by Brent Kessel Jake Fades: A Novel of Impermanence by David Guy Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary by Marcus J. Borg Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv The Love of Impermanent Things: A Threshold Ecology by Mary Rose O'Reilley The Monk Upstairs: A Novel by Tim Farrington One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat by Jane Dobisz Praying with Icons: Revised, Expanded Edition by Jim Forest Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters - and How to Talk About It by Krista Tippett Swimming in a Sea of Death: A Son's Memoir by David Rieff A Truthful Heart: Buddhist Practices for Connecting With Others by Jeffrey Hopkins Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World by Jean Shinoda Bolen Why Can't We Be Good? by Jacob Needleman Why Good People Do Bad Things: How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy by Debbie Ford
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
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.
• Best Spiritual Books of 2008: Our choices of the books that most impressed and inspired us — highly recommended for your spiritual journey.
• Jesus Books: a bibliography of titles revealing a wide spectrum of ideas about his teachings, ministry, and mission
• The Best Spiritual Books of 2007:
• 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.
• 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
• 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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