Hey fellow book lovers! It’s time to share my ten favorite reads from last year. As always, please note that these aren’t necessarily books that came out in 2016. They’re just my top favorites of the 54 books I read during the year.

Without further ado, here’s the list!

City of Refuge by Starhawk. Oh, so very, very good… This is a sequel to her novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, which is on my list of all-time favorite stories. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t live up to the original, but I needn’t have been. I most highly recommend the whole series (there’s a prequel, too, called Walking to Mercury). Simply outstanding.

The Top Ten Things Dead People Want to Tell YOU by Mike Dooley. This author has a talent for making spirituality whimsical and simple, while still deep enough to be captivating. His latest book is excellent.

Dream Alchemy: Shaping Our Dreams to Transform Our Lives by Ted Andrews. Using myths and tales from around the world and universal archetypes, Andrews teaches you how to deftly use your personal dreams to shed light on your life and your purpose. I’m really into dreams, and I find this to be one of the best and most useful books on dreaming I’ve read yet (another dream author I highly recommend is Robert Moss).

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix. Having read the original Abhorsen trilogy as a family back when the kids were little, this prequel intrigued me. It was excellent. My favorite thing about this book is how the author takes a known evil character from the trilogy, and tells her story in a way that makes her a sympathetic main character. That really takes some skill! Even if you don’t know the Abhorsen trilogy, it’s a terrific story.

The Book of Ho’oponopono: The Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness and Healing by Luc Bodin, Nathalie Bodin Lamboy, and Jean Graciet. This book has both science and spirituality, mingled together in a readable way. Ho’oponopono is a spiritual practice connected with shamanism, prayer, and quantum metaphysics. The authors weave many disparate topics together seamlessly, and ultimately describe Ho’oponopono as “an art of living, not a therapy.” I tried the Ho’oponopono technique for myself, and found it to be very effective. It is simple and portable, yet the effects can be seen almost immediately, both within my own psyche and in the changes in my outer-world experience. Read this book, and then try it for yourself!

Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I took my time with this book, savoring a short chapter or two at a time. Dr. Dyer’s translation of the Tao Te Ching is lyrical and clear. His short essays about each precept are thought-provoking. I learned a lot from this book.

The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life (Volumes 1 and 2) by Drunvalo Melchizedek. This is another set of books from which I learned a ton. If you are at all interested in sacred geometry and how the Universe works (in a mystical sense), Melchizedek is essential reading.

Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy by Pam Grout. BlackLion and I read this at the same time, and started our 30-day gratitude experiment in mid-September. I’m still doing it as part of my daily practice. Pam Grout has a talent for creating compelling practices and games that coax you to uplevel your vibration. Quick to implement, easy, and joyful.

The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul by Danielle LaPorte. This book actually took me longer than a year to read and work through, off and on. Not because it’s not good – it’s just a deep process. I emerged with my power words (which LaPorte calls core desired feelings), including LUMINOUS, which is my 2017 word of the year. This book is powerful spiritual tool.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I can’t believe I hadn’t read this sooner (it was published in 2011, and is the first book of a trilogy). I loved it. It has witches, vampires, and demons, an epic love story, and scholarly research. What’s not to love? Seriously though, the writing is good and the story is captivating. I look forward to book two.

I also want to mention my own new book that I wrote and published in 2016. The Heart of the Goddess: A Handbook for Living Soulfully is my favorite of the four books I’ve written so far. I think that’s because it encompasses my mission so fully. You can find out more about it here.

Happy reading!