The Cloister Walk

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith

Barbara Brown Taylor · 216 pages

In her critically acclaimed Leaving Church ("a beautiful, absorbing memoir." — Dallas Morning News), Barbara Brown Taylor wrote about leaving full-time ministry to become a professor, a decision that stretched the boundaries of her faith. Now, in her stunning follow-up, An Altar in the World, she shares how she learned to encounter God beyond the walls of any church. From simple practices such as

Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

Nadia Bolz-Weber

What if that person you've been trying to avoid is your best shot at grace today? And what if that's the point? In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling au­thor Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls “a religious but not-so-spiritual life.” Tattooed, angry and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life

Karen Maezen Miller · 180 pages

Miller uses daily household chores, laundry, kitchen, yard, to demonstrate timeless Buddhist principles. The skillful weaving of personal anecdotes, a few Zen terms, and acute insights sometimes addressing the reader directly, distinguish this book from others in the genre. Miller, a Zen priest and student of the late Maezumi Roshi, argues for the faultless wisdom of following instructions when go

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Donald Miller · 256 pages

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Anne Lamott · 281 pages

"Anne Lamott takes us on a journey through her often troubled past to illuminate her devout but quirky walk of faith. In a narrative spiced with stories and scripture, with diatribes, laughter, and tears, Lamott tells how, against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. She shows us the myriad ways in which this sustains and guides her, shining the light

What I Know for Sure

Oprah Winfrey · 240 pages

"After film critic Gene Siskel asked her, "What do you know for sure?" Oprah Winfrey began writing the "What I Know For Sure" column in O, The Oprah Magazine. Saying that the question offered her a way to take "stock of her life," Oprah has penned one column a month over the last fourteen years, years in which she retired The Oprah Winfrey Show (the highest-rated program of its kind in history), l

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis

Lauren F. Winner · 272 pages

Jesus Freak: Feeding Healing Raising the Dead

Sara Miles · 171 pages

"I came late to Christianity," writes Sara Miles, "knocked upside down by a mid-life conversion centered around eating a literal chunk of bread. I hadn't decided to profess an article of doctrine, but discovered a force blowing uncontrollably through the world." In this new book, Sara Miles tells what happened when she decided to follow the flesh and blood Jesus by doing something real. For ever

The Irrational Season

Madeleine L'Engle · 224 pages

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life

Shauna Niequist · 256 pages

This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers

Lillian Daniel, Martin B. Copenhaver · 235 pages

This Odd and Wondrous Calling offers something different from most books available on ministry. Two people still pastoring reflect honestly here on both the joys and the challenges of their vocation. Anecdotal and extremely readable, the book covers a diversity of subjects revealing the incredible variety of a pastor's day. The chapters move from comedy to pathos, story to theology, Scripture to c

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert · 288 pages

Elizabeth Gilbert digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity, offering insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need i

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

A.J. Jacobs · 492 pages

Raised in a secular family but interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to stone adulterers. The

An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World

Pankaj Mishra

On Living

Kerry Egan · 208 pages

"A hospice chaplain shares the meaning the dying make of their lives, to help us understand what is ultimately important and to make the most of our own still-being-lived lives"--

God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales

Penn Jillette · 231 pages

The outspoken half of magic duo Penn & Teller presents an atheist reinterpretation of the Ten Commandments, discussing why doubt, skepticism, and wonder should be celebrated and offering humorous stories from his own experiences.

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

Stephen Batchelor · 320 pages

This is It & Other Essays on Zen & Spiritual Experience

Alan W. Watts · 158 pages

Legends of Our Time

Elie Wiesel · 197 pages

This is a very personal account from an Auschwitz survivor. It is profound in it's view about the Holocaust as well as Judaism. If this was the only book available about the 6 million innocents murdered during the 2nd World War it would be enough. No other book would be necessary. Of all the books I have read on this subject, this one makes me want to let the issue go, as I now understand more tha

My Spiritual Journey

Dalai Lama XIV · 304 pages

"Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, was born in 1935 to a peasant family in a remote part of Tibet. Although living in exile, he is the beloved traditional and religious leader of millions of Tibetans and has become a global icon of peace, compassion, spiritual living, and nonviolent struggle for justice. The Dalai Lama's My Spiritual Journey brings the world a message: one of suffering, su

For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards

Jen Hatmaker · 224 pages

The popular writer, blogger, and television personality reveals with humor and style how Jesus' extravagant grace is the key to dealing with life's biggest challenge: people. The majority of our joys, struggles, thrills, and heartbreaks relate to people, beginning first with ourselves and then the people we came from, married, birthed, live by, live for, go to church with, don't like, don't und

Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

Glennon Doyle Melton · 269 pages

A New York Times essayist shares her journey from a self-destructive college student to a devoted family woman and teacher while illuminating the importance of trusting in a higher power and being truthful about life's challenges. "For years Glennon Doyle Melton built a wall between herself and others, hiding inside a bunker of secrets and shame. But one day everything changed: Glennon woke up to

A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories that Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit

Mike Huckabee · 208 pages

The former presidential candidate and current talk-show host shares twelve true and heartwarming stories from his past that help recall the real meaning of Christmas.

Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent

N.D. Wilson · 208 pages