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 20 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 and spiritual paths, 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.
The Asking by Jane Hirshfield
A thick collection from a poet of wonder and compassion.
Awe by Dacher Keltner
A call to improve mental and physical health through the experience of awe.
Becoming Ella Fitzgerald by Judith Tick
A biography of the jazz singer who transformed American song.
bell hooks' Spiritual Vision by Nadra Nittle
Teachings on love as an expansive spiritual practice.
Casting Indra's Net by Pamela Ayo Yetunde
A pathway to overcoming our current polarization.
Christmas at the Nativity by Pope Frances
A celebration of the humble God who identifies with human beings.
Come Forth by James Martin
A thorough exploration of the God of new life.
Cradled in the Arms of Compassion by Frank Rogers, Jr.
Practices discovered by a professor of spiritual formation that helped him heal from childhood sexual abuse.
Curveball by Peter Enns
Redefining "crises of faith" as opportunities for Christianity’s growth.
Death Nesting by Anne-Marie Keppel
Spiritual and practical guidance for caring for someone at the end of life.
The Eloquence of Silence by Thomas Moore
Forty stories and thoughts from many sources plus commentaries illuminating the value of emptiness in daily life.
Embodying Tara by Chandra Easton
A volume on sacred feminine wisdom and compassion.
Enchantment by Katherine May
An inspiring call to re-enchant our worlds.
Finding the Words by Colin Campbell
Advice on grieving well by learning to talk about it.
A Future We Can Love by Susan Bauer-Wu
Wisdom about justice and presence from two spiritual leaders, generations apart, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg.
The Gospel According to James Baldwin by Greg Garrett
An excellent summary of Baldwin's prophetic witness.
The Healing Path by James Finley
A treasure trove for those seeking healing.
Heart to Heart by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
A collection of crucial (and adorable) ecological wisdom.
Holy Runaways by Matthias Roberts
Suggestions for finding God after leaving church.
Jesus, Companion in My Suffering by Joyce Rupp
A spiritual retreat on how to love others with our broken-open hearts.
The Kabbalah of Writing by Sherri Mandell
Insights and writing prompts that lead to spiritual awakening.
The Key to Creativity by Hilde Ostby
A celebration of idleness and boredom.
The Love of Thousands by Christine Valters Paintner
A guide to finding companions beyond the visible world.
Loving Our Own Bones by Julia Watts Belser
Fresh reflections on disability and spirituality.
A Master Class on Being Human by Brad R. Braxton and Anthony B. Pinn
A dialog that proves adults can still listen, learn, and change.
Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness and Light by Jon M. Sweeney and Mark S. Burrows
Re-voicings in the form of poetry of the key themes and unconventional understandings in Meister Eckhart’s thought.
My Body and Other Crumbling Empires by Lyndsey Medford
A book of compassion for your body, ailments and all.
The Mysterion by Kabir Helminski
A masterwork on the Sufi worldview as taught by Rumi and practiced through everyday spirituality.
Oak and Lotus by Kenneth McIntosh
An interspiritual guide to encounters between East and West.
Practice the Pause by Caroline Oakes
Teachings on the Gospel, centering, and neuroscience.
Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
A call to napping as a protest against capitalism and white supremacy.
Say One Kind Thing by Susan Verde
A book about speaking to yourself with compassion.
Sit in the Sun by Jon M. Sweeney
A human’s observations of his cats’ behaviors that can be seen as spiritual practices.
Skating on Thin Ice by Ezra Bayda
Teachings on the path of self-realization based on personal experiences and spiritual practices.
Spirit Wheel by Steven Charleston
An indigenous elder's summary of the mysteries he's discovered.
Teilhard de Chardin: A Book of Hours by Teilhard de Chardin, Kathleen Deignan and Libby Osgood
A collection of prayers for communion with evolution's God.
This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley
A call to embodiment and a spirituality of rage, lament, and justice.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners by Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Mordy Levine
A presentation of the most essential teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.
Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein
A memoir about spinning wool for wholeness, justice, and understanding.
The Voices of Nature by Nicolas Mathevon
Observations that show the connections among species.
The Wandering Mind by Jamie Kreiner
An exploration of ancient practices for paying attention to the now.
Wild Grace by Chelan Harkin
Verse descriptions of how a relationship with God might feel.
A Wild Path by Douglas Wood
Essays that nurture wilderness in the soul.
Wild Yoga by Rebecca Wildbear
A call to connect to the Earth through yoga.
The Wisdom of Morrie by Morrie Schwartz
A collection of insights from a retired sociology professor.
With the Best of Intentions by Lucinda Mosher (ed.), Elinor J. Pierce (ed.), and Or N. Rose (ed.)
Practical guidance on hospitality in interreligious encounters.
You Are Not Stuck by Becky Vollmer
Advice for clearing away your blockages.
Your Body is a Revolution by Tara Teng
An invitation to discover the intuitive voice inside our bodies.
Your Heart Was Made for This by Oren Jay Sofer
A guide to practical applications of Buddhist meditation.
Zero at the Bone by Christian Wiman
A pathway to working through everyday, ordinary despair.
Always Sisters by Saira Mir
A gentle, tender tale about the ache of pregnancy loss.
An American Story by Kwame Alexander
A fiercely honest look at the history of slavery and resilience.
Ancestory by Hannah Salyer
A breathtaking journey through ancient rock art, with an emphasis on carefully protecting it.
Ancient Night by David Alvarez and David Bowles
A timeless new myth about moonlight, drawn from Mesoamerican lore.
The Art and Life of Hilma af Klint by Ylva Hillström and Karin Eklund
A fascinating biography of an artist who was ahead of her time.
Big Tree by Brian Selznick
The epic quest of two tiny seeds to discover their destinies in a vast panorama of time.
Dear Mama God by Daneen Akers
Expressions of thanks to the Mother of us all.
Flipflopi by Linda Ravin Lodding and Dipesh Pabari
An inspiring true story of eco-ingenuity.
Grandpa's Window by Laura Gehl
A sensitive depiction of a child's grief eased by her art.
Heart Berry Bling by Jenny Kay Dupuis
Anishinaabe culture conveyed through a grandmother's sharing her love of beading with her granddaughter.
Hello, Mister Blue by Daria Peoples
Insight into how to see, know, and love our neighbor, including those without homes.
The Honey Jar by Joan Schoettler
A story of the love and an heirloom that sustain a refugee family through nearly unbearable losses.
The Hospital Book by Lisa Brown
A lively mix of humor, honesty, and sympathy around the experience of a first hospitalization.
I Am Earth's Keeper by Lisa M. Hendey
A poetic journey through glorious vistas that remind us to connect with and care for creation.
The Moon Is a Ball by Ed Franck and David Colmer (trans.)
Endearing tales of two (nearly) inseparable friends.
More than Words by Roz MacLean
A welcoming, inclusive view of many modes of communication.
My Baba's Garden by Jordan Scott
An evocative book about heart-to-heart communication between a Baba and her grandson.
No World Too Big by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley
A dynamic monologue about Marinel Ubaldo, Philippine climate-change activist.
Remember by Joy Harjo
A poem that reminds us who we are on this generous Earth.
Whatever Comes Tomorrow by Rebecca Gardyn Levington
Guidance for children who need a break from worries.