S&P Awards

The Best Spiritual Books of 2013
99 Blessings By David Steindl-Rast A model on how blessings can deepen and enrich the spirituality of everyday life.
A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home By Sue Halpern A wonderful tribute to Pransky, a gifted therapy dog in a nursing home and an authentic spiritual teacher of love.
Animal Wise By Virginia Morell A stunning defense of animal cognition and emotion by a sensitive and compassionate science journalist.
Art as Therapy By Alain de Botton, John Armstrong A radical reinterpretation of art that makes it more relevant to everyday life and the questions of meaning and purpose.
Big Data By Kenneth Cukier, Viktor Mayer-Schonberger An assessment of the datification of society with its quantitative emphasis on all that we do.
Bird Medicine By Evan T. Pritchard A masterwork of insight and inspiration distilling the wisdom of winged spiritual teachers as interpreted by Native Americans in stories and rituals.
Blush By Shirley Hershey Showalter A sprightly and well-written memoir about the childhood and coming of age of a Mennonite girl who wants to make a splash in the world.
Burning the Midnight Oil By Phil Cousineau An engaging, entertaining, and edifying anthology of poems, prayers, and philosophical ditties for nighthawks.
Caravan of Souls By Pir Zia Inayat-Khan Insights into the spiritual life and work of the Sufi sage Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Children of the Days By Eduardo Galeano An impressive work of cogent, creative insight from a prophet who opens our eyes to the world as it could be if we would fight for peace, justice, and human equality.
Crafting Calm By Maggie Oman Shannon 40 creative projects and practices for calm, comfort, contemplation, creation, and community.
Dancing with Fire By John Amodeo Fresh takes on attachment, desire, longing, intimacy, love, and spiritual meaning in relationships.
Desmond and the Very Mean Word By Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams A spiritually animated story about Desmond Tutu's boyhood experience grappling with racial hatred against him. For Children
Dream Animals By Emily Winfield Martin A beautifully illustrated book about two children's adventures in various dreamlands. For Children
Drone Warfare By Medea Benjamin A hard-hitting alarm call about the dangers and the inhumanity of killer and spy drones.
Emotional Intimacy By Robert Augustus Masters Ways and practices to raise your emotional IQ.
Finding God Beyond Religion By Tom Stella Concerns and themes of interest to the spiritual but not religious crowd.
Finding the On-Ramp to Your Spiritual Path By Jan Phillips A timely book with a creative punch and verve for religiously unaffiliated people on a spiritual path.
Focus By Daniel Goleman A master work on attention and its value in our digital world.
Fully Awake and Truly Alive By Jane Vennard A masterful and down-to-earth resource on spiritual practices that bring zest to everyday life.
God's Other Children By Bradley Malkovsky The spiritual adventures of a Catholic scholar in India where he learns much from the Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists he encounters.
Happier Endings By Erica Brown A substantive meditation on death and dying.
Happy City By Charles Montgomery Reports on the humanizing redesign of cities and the rejoicing of urban dwellers who are thankful for the changes, especially the downplaying of cars.
Hardwiring Happiness By Rick Hanson A new classic in transformation exploring the salutary impact of the mind and positive experiences on the negativity of the brain.
How Roland Rolls By Jim Carrey A children's picture book about a wave who discovers that he's also the ocean and is interconnected with all of life. For Children
I Wish I Had . . . By Giovanna Zoboli A bountiful children's book that looks at the soulful and emotionally expressive animals that we are privileged to have as travelling companions on the road of life. For Children
In the Company of the Poor By Jennie Weiss Block, Michael Griffin Conversations and essays bringing together two prominent Christian activists for the poor.
Journey By Aaron Becker A wordless picture book in which a little girl goes on an adventure that reveals her empathy, kindness, and heroism. For Children
Living the Quaker Way By Philip Gulley A solid and substantive guide to the Quaker path and its five essential building blocks.
Mindfulness By Joseph Goldstein A summation of the multidimensional world of mindfulness.
Moment to Moment By Amy Sander Montanez Essays pondering the joys and wonders of a spiritual journey of transformation over the past 20 years.
My Neighbor Is a Dog By Isabel Minhos Martins A delightful children's tale about being open and hospitable to strangers who become neighbors. For Children
No Ordinary Apple By Sara Marlowe A children's picture book on how to engage all the senses and practice mindfulness while eating. For Children
Nurturing the Soul of Your Family By Renee Peterson Trudeau One of the best books in many a moon on spiritual parenting and the creation of soulful families.
Occupy Spirituality By Adam Bucko, Matthew Fox A profound prophetic dialogue across generations about a radical spirituality that honors both contemplation and social action.
Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent By Rami Shapiro Resources and sacred texts for seekers affiliated with no particular religious tradition.
Pilgrimage By Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook A top-drawer, eclectic, and creative meditation on the sacred art of pilgrimage.
Present Shock By Douglas Rushkoff A smart, wide-ranging, prophetic, and useful assessment of presentism.
Reduced to Joy By Mark Nepo 73 poems on the harvested meanings and memories of a full and rich life.
Social By Matthew D. Lieberman An exploration of the many ramifications of the drive for social connection.
Spiritual Connection in Daily Life By Lynn Underwood Explanation of how a program of 16 questions spurs spiritual growth.
Spiritual Ecology By Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee An inspiring collection of essays by spiritual teachers and writers marching under the banner of spiritual ecology.
Spiritual Gems of Islam By Jamal Rahman The spiritual riches of Islam conveyed through quotes and stories illustrating key concepts plus ways to apply them in everyday life.
The App Generation By Howard Gardner, Katie Davis Thought-provoking report on the App Generation and what technology is doing to their identity, intimacy, and imagination.
The Big Disconnect By Catherine Steiner-Adair, Teresa H. Barker Practical suggestions to deal with challenges created by digital work in homes and schools.
The Coming Interspiritual Age By David Robert Ord, Kurt Johnson A map of the age of interspirituality presented with a rare blend of high-powered energy, enthusiasm, and zeal.
The Deer Watch By Pat Lowery Collins A wonder-full children's picture book about a boy and his father who go on a quest to see a deer in the wild. For Children
The Dude and the Zen Master By Bernie Glassman, Jeff Bridges A playful dialogue between the famous actor and the activist Zen Master.
The End of Night By Paul Bogard An eloquently written and awesome tribute to darkness and nights.
The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo By Kent Nerburn A window into Native American spirituality that touches the heart and stirs the soul.
The King of Little Things By Bil Lepp A fanciful children's picture book that beckons us to honor and treat kindly all the little things in our lives that we take for granted. For Children
The Lunar Tao By Deng Ming-Dao Taoist meditations by a sensitive connoisseur of everyday spirituality.
The Nostalgia Factory By Douwe Draaisma An engaging book on memory and ageing that melds psychology, science, and stories from elders.
The Unwinding By George Packer A bold and illuminating four-decade portrait of the decline of America.
The Wonder of Aging By Michael Gurian An exploration of the three stages of the second half of life and the importance of becoming a spiritual elder.
Training in Compassion By Norman Fischer Substantive commentaries by a Zen master on 59 Tibetan Buddhist slogans used in mind training.
Two Shy Pandas By Julia Jarman A delightful children's book about two adorable pandas who want to be friends and break through their shyness. For Children
Walk Like A Buddha By Lodro Rinzler Wise counsel for the young who want to walk the Buddhist path.
Writing to Wake the Soul By Karen Hering Insights and exercises on writing as a spiritual practice with probes on ten key spiritual words.
Yes/And . . . By Richard Rohr A sterling collection of spiritual essays which can be seen as part of this prolific Franciscan priest's legacy work.