My favorite books on mindfulness, inner peace, and serenity

Why am I passionate about this?

Having studied what people believe (and why we believe what we do), it’s important to question the origin of our opinions, who gave them to us, and most importantly, why we are still carrying them today. I’m drawn to books that make you think rather than telling you what to think. 


I wrote...

Buddhist Boot Camp

By Timber Hawkeye,

Book cover of Buddhist Boot Camp

What is my book about?

A collection of journal entries on a journey to living a simple and uncomplicated life. Each chapter is only a page long and can be read in any order. While the book is not about Buddhism in the scholarly sense, it is an invitation to mindfully live at peace with the world (both within and around us), with the intention to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire. As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Timber Hawkeye Why did I love this book?

If Buddhist Boot Camp answers the question why it’s beneficial to live a mindful life, then Atomic Habits more specifically tells us how to start. This book offers practical, applicable, and easy ways to implement changes in our lives in order to get the most out of every moment with one small change at a time.

By James Clear,

Why should I read it?

22 authors picked Atomic Habits as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 4 million copies sold!

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the…


Book cover of Meditation: A Simple Eight-Point Program for Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life

Timber Hawkeye Why did I love this book?

This is the very first book that started my personal journey into meditation and mindfulness back in high school. Every page in this wonderful book reads like gentle guidance from an old, wise, and sometimes funny man, sharing stories and practical tools to end the suffering we cause to ourselves.

By Eknath Easwaran,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Meditation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the (second) Out of Print edition. The newest edition is the fourth edition titled "Passage Meditation - A Complete Spiritual Practice"

This handbook of meditation practice is a complete guide to a unique approach to tapping inner resources by training concentration on inspirational passages. Meditation and the Eight-Point Program that compliments and supports it can be used by anyone who wanst sity of California, Berkeley, in 1960 on the Fulbright exchange program and established the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Northern California in 1961. His 1968 Berkeley class is believed to be the first accredited course in…


Book cover of The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

Timber Hawkeye Why did I love this book?

I tend to be literal, logical, and cerebral. The Untethered Soul explains spirituality in a way that resonates with me in a way that traditional scripture does not. If you are open to it, this book will shift the way you think, and it will turn your world upside-down (in a good way). It offers plenty of food for thought in each paragraph. 

By Michael A. Singer,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked The Untethered Soul as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define. In this book, spiritual teacher Michael Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness, the fact of our ability to observe ourselves and the world around us. By tapping into…


Book cover of Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Timber Hawkeye Why did I love this book?

I wish I had read this book when I was younger, back when I was foolishly trying desperately to “fit in”. So, now I recommend everyone read Jonathan Livingston Seagull (especially teenagers) because we all need reminders not to follow the masses (because the “m” is sometimes silent). This book is a celebration of trailblazing, living your own truth without excuses, and experiencing true liberation.

By Richard Bach,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Jonathan Livingston Seagull as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This classic work is now available for the first time in paperback. Since 1951, when the last of the Witchcraft Acts was repealed, many books have been written about the reappearance of witchcraft and the development of a pagan theology. Churchmen have denounced it. Sociologists have wondered at it. Journalists have penned sensational stories about it. But until the publication of this book, no one had told the real story of it from the inside as frankly as it is told here.

Doreen Valiente, one of witchcraft's most widely known figures, was a close friend of the late Gerald Gardner,…


Book cover of Living Buddha, Living Christ

Timber Hawkeye Why did I love this book?

There is a misconception that reading Buddhist scripture would somehow steer the reader away from God, but given the chance, it does exactly the opposite, actually strengthening the reader's existing faith (whatever it may be). Many of the people who attend my public talks, discussions, and Q&A’s, jokingly refer to themselves as “Recovering Catholics” in search of deeper meaning, and this book beautifully bridges the gap between traditions, highlighting how compatible the two practices can be with one another.  

By Thich Nhat Hanh,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Living Buddha, Living Christ as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace if applied, would build a monument of ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.' Martin Luther King, Jr.

Budda and Jesus Christ, perhaps the two most pivotal figures in the history of humankind, each left behind a legacy of teachings and practices that have shaped the lives of billions of people over the course of two millennia. If they were to meet on the road today, what would each think of the other's spiritual views and…


You might also like...

Book cover of Dulcinea

Ana Veciana-Suarez Author Of Dulcinea

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I became fascinated with 16th-century and 17th-century Europe after reading Don Quixote many years ago. Since then, every novel or nonfiction book about that era has felt both ancient and contemporary. I’m always struck by how much our environment has changed—transportation, communication, housing, government—but also how little we as people have changed when it comes to ambition, love, grief, and greed. I doubled down my reading on that time period when I researched my novel, Dulcinea. Many people read in the eras of the Renaissance, World War II, or ancient Greece, so I’m hoping to introduce them to the Baroque Age. 

Ana's book list on bringing to life the forgotten Baroque Age

What is my book about?

Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.

By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his muse to gossip. But when Dolça receives his deathbed note asking to see her, she races across Spain with the intention of unburdening herself of an old secret.

On the journey, she encounters bandits, the Inquisition, illness, and the choices she's made. At its heart, Dulcinea is about how we betray the people we love, what happens when we succumb to convention, and why we squander the few chances we get to change our lives.

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in meditation, mindfulness, and seagulls?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about meditation, mindfulness, and seagulls.

Meditation Explore 252 books about meditation
Mindfulness Explore 108 books about mindfulness
Seagulls Explore 13 books about seagulls