Recovery

Sober for Good, by Anne Fletcher, an open-minded look at how people get and stay sober. This book explores some of the AA myths without attacking AA. A great read for anyone who wants to know how recovery actually works for real people.

Not God, by Ernest Kurtz (author of The Spirituality of Imperfection), the story of the founding of AA. Helpful for understanding the roots of the program.

The Mindful Addict, by Tom Catton. An amazing recovery memoir that follows the spiritual journey of this longtime 12 Step member whose story appears in basic text of one of the 12 Step programs.

Buddhist
Buddha’s Brain, by Rick Hanson and Rick Mendius. Fascinating study of the way meditation works neurologically. The book is focused on using these insights in practice. It is not a dry, scientific book, but really a Dharma book that helps you understand how meditation works and how to get the most out of it.

In the Buddha’s Words, by Bhikkhu Bodhi. The perfect introduction to the Pali Canon, the earliest Buddhist teachings.

Non-fiction
The Case for God, by Karen Armstrong. An amazing exploration of the history of the concept of God. In the first chapter she takes apart the fundamentalist approach to God as well as the superficiality of the attacks of the neo-atheists.

The Harvard Psychedelic Club, by Don Lattin. A fun exploration of how the sixties happened. Tim Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil are the main characters.

Fiction
Castle Richmond, by Anthony Trollope. My favorite 19th century author. I read him to “clean my palette” and settle into a quiet, winter read.

Any Human Heart, by William Boyd. One of my favorite contempoary novelists (see Brazzaville Beach) tells the story of one man's life through his "journals." Born in 1906, a student at Oxford who publishes his first book at 22, goes on to meet Hemingway, Picasson, Joyce, and Woolf. The book absorbs you in the joys and tragedies of one remarkable man's life spanning most of the 20th century.