Every year from all the books we review on this website, we choose the Best Spiritual Books. In addition to 50 adult books, we include 10 Best Spiritual Children's Books.
These are the titles that have most impressed and inspired us during the year. Since we only review books that we want to recommend to you for your spiritual journey, this selection actually represents the best of the best. Through diverse approaches, drawing upon the wisdom and practices of the world's religions, these books explore the quest for meaning and purpose, wholeness and healing, commitment and community, contemplation and activism.
We congratulate the authors and publishers of these exceptional contributions to today's spiritual renaissance. Click on the title link to read the full review.
All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson, editors.
An astonishingly rich and informative survey of ways to cope with climate change from women's spiritual perspectives.
The Awe Factor by Allen Klein
An exploration of the effects of awe experiences with some tips and tools to help you have them.
Awestruck by Jonah Paquette
A wide-ranging exploration of the benefits of awe experiences.
Back-Pocket God by Melinda Lundquist Denton and Richard Flory
A report on the changing and varied ways young people relate to religion.
Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee
Lessons from the life and spiritual practices of the martial artist.
Biophilia You + Nature + Home by Sally Coulthard
A beautifully illustrated book packed with ideas for bringing the outside inside to your home or workplace.
The Book of Moods by Lauren Martin
A book conveying a lot of everyday wisdom through the best use of illustrative quotations we've seen in 2020.
The Book of Soul by Mark Nepo
Reflections, stories, and journal prompts for a year-long spiritual journey.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
A hard-hitting and enlightening expose on the caste system in the United States.
Choose Wonder Over Worry by Amber Rae
A guidebook, filled with exercises and journaling prompts, for prioritizing wonder over toxic emotions.
Dorothy Day by John Loughery and Blythe Randolph
A monumental exploration of the life, legacy, and spirituality of the Catholic activist.
Earth - Our Original Monastery by Christine Valters Paintner
A practical guide to an understanding of Earth as a teacher of contemplative practices.
Embracing The Inconceivable by Ellen Brix
Lessons from an interspiritual practitioner about oneness, mystery, and letting go of separation.
Eye of the Heart by Cynthia Bourgeault
A masterful presentation of a map of the cosmos with a focus on the energy exchanges between the visible and invisible worlds.
The Great Belonging by Charlotte Donlan
A fresh and transformative reframing of loneliness
Howard Thurman & The Disinherited by Paul Harvey
A substantive review of the spiritual life and work of the Black theologian and activist.
Ignite Your Light by Jolene Hart
Practical ways, organized by times of the day, to help you replace an energy crisis with an energy renewal.
In the House of Remembering by Kabir Helminski
Thirty sohbets or spiritual conversations about the Sufi path from a shaikh of the Mevlevi Order.
Laughter Yoga by Mandan Kataria
Techniques to encourage the profound health benefits of unconditional laughter.
Ledger by Jane Hirshfield
A soulful poet's observations on the human condition and the world situation.
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace by Jon M. Sweeney
Essays on the prayer styles of early Franciscans with suggested liturgies on prayers of St. Francis, St. Clare, and the Holy Fools.
Master of You by Cate Stillman
Ayurvedic and yoga techniques that reinvigotate your capacity to make your life your practice.
Materiality as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann
A call by a Christian theologian to rethink money, food, body, time, and a home place.
Moon Bath by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear
Bathing rituals aligned with the rhythms of nature for nurturing your body, mind, and soul.
A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year by Jane McMorland Hunter
Poems that remind us why we treasure and must look after nature.
A New Silence by Beverly Lanzetta
A treasure-trove of prayers and practices for the contemplative life.
Non Obvious Megatrends by Rohit Bhargava
The trend-curator's prognostications about the what's happening that will shape the future.
Opening to Grief by Claire B. Willis and Marnie Crawford Samuels
A good beginner's manual on grief packed with spiritual practices repurposed for this common human experience.
Peaceful Heart by Dzigar Kongtrul
A substantive look at how patience can be an antidote to aggression and help us maintain a peaceful heart.
Politics & Conscience by Roger Lipsey
A beautiful presentation of the legacy of the extraordinary statesman Dag Hammarskjold.
The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile
A handbook of traditional and new ways to turn everyday activities into rituals.
Prayers for Calm by Becca Anderson
A wonderful resource that can be used to plant seeds of wisdom in your day.
Real Change by Sharon Salzberg
One of today's leading Buddhist teachers on spiritual tools for activism.
Recipes for a Sacred Life by Rivvy Neshama
A wonderful collection of personal stories revealing the path of everyday spirituality.
The Rumi Prescription by Melody Moezzi
An invitation to join the author on a mystical and healing journey of love with Rumi.
Sacred Balance by Melinda Emily Thomas
An exquisite, lyrical, and practice-oriented exploration of the path of spiritual balance.
Secrets of Divine Love by A. Helwa
A substantive and sweet overview of Islamic understandings of God's unconditional love and mercy.
Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict by Marilyn McEntyre
Dazzling essays on the amazing power, variety, and impact of words.
Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times by Philip Goldberg
A practical resource to help you build your own spiritual routine.
Strange Rites by Tara Isabella Burton
A fascinating, adventuresome, and encyclopedic overview of seven new faiths in a post-religion age.
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas by Matthew Fox
A handbook of spirituality gleaned from the 13th century Catholic theologian.
Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
An accessible and practical self-help book for those of all spiritual traditions or no tradition.
Tiny Habits by B.J. Frogg
Empowering information on how and why small changes can become lasting changes.
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray
A tribute to all the commonplace, run-of-the-mill experiences that can bring delight into your life.
The Way of Suffering by Michael Leach, James T. Keane, and Doris Goodnough, editors.
A multidimensional collection of essays, stories, and poems about the manifold meanings and challenges accompanying suffering.
When Tears Sing by William Blaine-Wallace
A multidimensional presentation of the value of lamenting in our hurting world.
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
A brilliantly insightful explanation of how negative partisanship has reshaped the political landscape in the United States.
Windows to the Soul by Yvonne Banks-Martin
A collection of short pieces of wisdom to nourish your soul.
Writing Straight with Crooked Lines by Jim Forest
Stories from the life of the peace activist and Eastern Orthodox writer.
The Yoga Almanac by Lisetta Cheresson and Andrea Rice
A resource filled with ideas on how to to nurture your body, mind, and spirit throughout the year.
Children's Books
Beautiful Shades of Brown by Nancy Churnin
The true story of an African-American artist whose love of her craft brought her paintings to the National Portrait Gallery.
The Fish Who Found the Sea by Alan Watts
A parable about trusting ourselves to our true element.
Freedom We Sing by Amyra Leon and Molly Mendoza
An exuberant, colorful, love-filled story that conveys the experience of embracing freedom.
Lilah Tov Good Night by Ben Gundersheimer
A beautifully illustrated bedtime tale that doubles as a poignant refugee story.
Outside In by Deborah Underwood
A warm, evocative reminder — essential during the pandemic — that we belong to the outdoors no matter where we are.
Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna
A funny, touching account of bubbles, tears, fears, and other things that transform.
A Very Big Problem by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
A heartening look at God's intervention when each part of creation vies to be loved most.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
A vibrant reminder of water's sacredness and our responsibility to safeguard it from harm.
A Whale of a Mistake by Ioana Hobai
The perils and potentials of a mistake swallowing you whole.
Why Do We Cry by Fran Pintadera
Gentle and honest reassurance about the many reasons for tears.