Here are 65 books that Comfortable With Uncertainty fans have personally recommended if you like Comfortable With Uncertainty. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Essence Of Buddhism

Lodro Rinzler Author Of Take Back Your Mind: Buddhist Advice for Anxious Times

From Lodro's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Lodro's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Lodro Rinzler Why Lodro loves this book

For anyone looking to study Buddhism from tip to tail, this is a go-to resource. Traleg Rinpoche introduces what are known as the three yanas, or vehicles, of Buddhism and breaks each out in precise and clear language. Is this the most flowery prose you will find in Buddhism? No. It is extremely straight-forward and educational. A trusted resource I will likely return to over and over again.

By Traleg Kyabgon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Essence Of Buddhism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This lucid overview of the Buddhist path takes the perspective of the three "vehicles" of Tibetan Buddhism: the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. While these vehicles are usually presented as a historical development, they are here equated with the attitudes that individuals bring to their Buddhist practice. Basic to them all, however, is the need to understand our own immediate condition. The primary tool for achieving this is meditation, and The Essence of Buddhism serves as a handbook for the various meditative approaches of Buddhist practice.

Beginning with the Four Noble Truths, Traleg Rinpoche incorporates the expansive vision of the bodhisattva…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Real Love

Lodro Rinzler Author Of Take Back Your Mind: Buddhist Advice for Anxious Times

From Lodro's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Lodro's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Lodro Rinzler Why Lodro loves this book

Sharon Salzberg literally wrote the book on loving-kindness twenty-plus years ago. This book is it's sequel, although not heralded as such publicly. It is about how to cultivate an open and loving heart, even in the midst of difficult times. For an author who consistently knocks it out of the park, this book shines forth as a beacon of friendship.

By Sharon Salzberg ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In Real Love, one of the world's leading authorities on love tells us how to find it, how to nurture it, how to honor it-and most of all how to rethink it ... This book has the power to set your heart at peace.' -Susan Cain, author of Quiet

What is love? Sharon Salzberg believes that love is a powerful healing force for us all, and that modern associations with romance and adoration are limiting. By redefining love, she helps us to recognize our desire for happiness and enhance our connections with each other.

Real Love is a creative toolkit…


Book cover of When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Rachel Krentzman Author Of As Is

From my list on transforming pain and trauma into wisdom through presence and mindfulness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a physical therapist, certified yoga therapist, and Hakomi practitioner who has spent over twenty-five years helping people heal from physical and emotional pain through the integration of yoga, mindfulness and western medicine. My passion for this topic comes from my own transformation—moving through trauma and burnout into a life guided by mindfulness, movement, and compassion. I’ve seen again and again that presence is the medicine that changes everything. Writing and teaching about this path feels like offering others the same lifeline that once saved me.

Rachel's book list on transforming pain and trauma into wisdom through presence and mindfulness

Rachel Krentzman Why Rachel loves this book

This book met me in one of the darkest seasons of my life after my second divorce.

Pema Chödrön’s voice feels like a steady heartbeat—calm, wise, and utterly human. She doesn’t promise to remove pain; she invites us to stay present with it. Every page taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to face it with open eyes and a soft heart.

I return to this book whenever I need to remember that groundlessness is not failure; it can be the greatest freedom.

By Pema Chödrön ,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked When Things Fall Apart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Pema Choedroen reveals the vast potential for happiness, wisdom and courage even in the most painful circumstances.

Pema Choedroen teaches that there is a fundamental opportunity for happiness right within our reach, yet we usually miss it - ironically, while we are caught up in attempt to escape pain and suffering.

This accessible guide to compassionate living shows us how we can use painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion and courage, ways of communication that lead to openness and true intimacy with others, practices for reversing our negative habitual patterns, methods for working with chaotic situations and ways to cultivate…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

Bodhipaksa Author Of This Difficult Thing of Being Human: The Art of Self-Compassion

From my list on finding and building compassion.

Why am I passionate about this?

I went through a particularly hard time several years ago and to get through it I was forced to dig deep into what I’d learned about compassion and self-compassion over three decades of meditating. Because I’m a meditation teacher, I wanted to share with my students everything I learned about being kind and supportive toward myself as I went through the toughest challenges I’d ever faced so that they could benefit as well. That’s why I wrote This Difficult Thing of Being Human. Self-compassion has become the core of everything I’ve taught since then, and one of the wonderful things about it is that once you’ve shown yourself compassion, you automatically find yourself treating others with compassion too.

Bodhipaksa's book list on finding and building compassion

Bodhipaksa Why Bodhipaksa loves this book

Sharon Salzberg is undoubtedly the preeminent teacher of lovingkindness meditation in the west, and probably the world. When I read her book I’d already been practicing this form of meditation for a dozen years, and yet dipping into it now reminds me of how much of my own teaching draws on Sharon’s pioneering work. If you want to learn to develop lovingkindness, which is the basis of compassion, Sharon’s book is the ideal place to start.

By Sharon Salzberg ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Lovingkindness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and find a greater sense of connection with others. Our fear of intimacy—both with others and with ourselves—creates feelings of pain and longing. But these feelings can also awaken in us the desire for freedom and the willingness to take up the spiritual path.

In this inspiring book, longtime meditation practitioner and teacher Sharon Salzberg shows how the Buddhist path can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each one of us, drawing on Buddhist teachings, wisdom from various traditions, her personal experiences, and guided meditation exercises. With these…


Book cover of Man’s Search for Meaning

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From Wade's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Wade's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Wade Richardson Why Wade loves this book

The world continues to witness genocide through many of the decades following World War II. While genocide is the worst tragedy of civilization, human suffering is ubiquitous. Frankl outlines how we can find meaning in the greatest of suffering. He saw three possible sources of meaning: in taking responsible action in work or doing something significant; in love and caring for others; and in courage toward one’s choice of attitude in difficult times. He saw suffering as meaningless, but suffering is given meaning by how we respond to it.

By Viktor Frankl ,

Why should I read it?

50 authors picked Man’s Search for Meaning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the outstanding classics to emerge from the Holocaust, Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's story of his struggle for survival in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. Today, this remarkable tribute to hope offers us an avenue to finding greater meaning and purpose in our own lives.


Book cover of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Aymar Jean Escoffery Author Of Reparative Media

From my list on finding your personal AI: Ancestral Intelligence.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to think of television as a third parent. As a child of immigrants, I learned a lot about being an American from the media. Soon, I realized there were limits to what I could learn because media and tech privilege profit over community. For 20 years, I have studied what happens when people decide to make media outside of corporations. I have interviewed hundreds of filmmakers, written hundreds of blogs and articles, curated festivals, juried awards, and ultimately founded my own platform, all resulting in four books. My greatest teachers have been artists, healers, and family—chosen and by blood—who have created spaces for honesty, vulnerability, and creative conflict.

Aymar's book list on finding your personal AI: Ancestral Intelligence

Aymar Jean Escoffery Why Aymar loves this book

This book helped me release shame after a colleague of mine told me my work wasn’t “science.”

Here’s the truth: to create a healing platform, I needed to tap into ways of thinking that academia sees as “woo woo” and “savage.” I looked to the stars. I meditated. I did rituals and read myths.

Dr. Kimmerer, trained as a traditional botanist, realized that the Indigenous myths and stories she was told as a child contained scientific knowledge passed down for generations by her tribe.

She realized there were scientific truths her community knew for millennia that traditional scientists only discovered within the last 100 years. This is the power of Ancestral Intelligence, disregarded by the same science that ultimately created AI.

What stories, fables, and myths have taught you valuable lessons about the world?

By Robin Wall Kimmerer ,

Why should I read it?

59 authors picked Braiding Sweetgrass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Called the work of "a mesmerizing storyteller with deep compassion and memorable prose" (Publishers Weekly) and the book that, "anyone interested in natural history, botany, protecting nature, or Native American culture will love," by Library Journal, Braiding Sweetgrass is poised to be a classic of nature writing. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer asks questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces indigenous teachings that consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take "us on a journey that is…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are

Elizabeth Reninger Author Of When Therapy Doesn't Work: A Mindfulness Guide to Emotional Repair

From my list on psychological healing and spiritual inquiry.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by the relationship between non-dual spiritual inquiry and the resolution of mental-emotional imbalances. On the one hand, our non-dual essence (the being-awareness that is aware of these words right now) remains wholly independent of and untouched by any phenomenal circumstances. It is non-phenomenal, unconditioned, causeless peace and joy. And yet, the human body-mind almost inevitably manifests physical and/or psychological imbalances that can be skillfully resolved. So, what’s the relationship between the enjoyment of our primordial perfection and the cultivation of this ephemeral yet still precious human body-mind? This is the question that I very much enjoy exploring. 

Elizabeth's book list on psychological healing and spiritual inquiry

Elizabeth Reninger Why Elizabeth loves this book

I adore these delightfully spontaneous and deeply insightful commentaries on verses from the Tao Te Ching—compliments of spiritual teacher Byron Katie.

I’ve explored various translations of the Tao Te Ching, along with various commentaries. And this remains one of my favorites. It’s infused throughout with the understanding that the cause of all psychological suffering is believing our thoughts. As it turns out, “Don’t believe everything you think” is very good advice!

I’m guessing that Lao Tzu (the author of the Tao Te Ching) would also have very much enjoyed these commentaries on his legendary text. 

By Byron Katie , Stephen Mitchell ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Thousand Names for Joy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Byron Katie is one of the truly great and inspiring teachers of our time. I encourage everyone to immerse themselves in this phenomenal book.” –Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

In her first two books, Loving What Is and I Need Your Love–Is That True? Byron Katie showed how suffering can be ended by questioning the stressful thoughts that create it. Now, in A Thousand Names for Joy, she encourages us to discover the freedom that lives on the other side of inquiry.

Stephen Mitchell–the renowned translator of the Tao Te Ching–selected provocative excerpts from that ancient text as a stimulus for…


Book cover of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Carmen Vlasceanu Author Of Dare to C.A.R.E.

From my list on guiding you towards a more meaningful life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm Carmen F. Vlasceanu, PhD, FIH, hospitality executive, mentor, and author who believes in leading with a good heart and living with purpose. Through my book Dare to C.A.R.E. and the life coaching I offer, I help people reconnect with their inner power, serve others authentically, and grow in every area of life. As a single mom, global citizen, and lifelong learner, I’ve walked through burnout, reinvention, and bold dreaming. These books have helped me rediscover my voice, redefine my mission, and remember what really matters. They helped ground me in faith, encouraged my evolution, and reminded me why meaningful connection always comes first.

Carmen's book list on guiding you towards a more meaningful life

Carmen Vlasceanu Why Carmen loves this book

This book helped me shift my mindset, and I first picked it up during a stressful phase of my life. I gave myself some time to simply breathe and take it in. It reminded me that the “now” is not just a passing second, but a sacred space where peace and clarity live.

I love how it helped me stop living in the echo of yesterday or the fear of tomorrow. I remember closing my eyes and whispering, “This moment is enough,” and feeling my shoulders relax for the first time in weeks. It helped me feel more connected with myself, my son, my clients, and in doing so, intentionally live every moment with more compassion, stillness, and supremacy.

By Eckhart Tolle ,

Why should I read it?

28 authors picked The Power of Now as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**CHOSEN BY OPRAH AS ONE OF HER 'BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH'**

The international bestselling spiritual book, now with a new look for its 20th anniversary. Eckhart Tolle demonstrates how to live a healthier, happier, mindful life by living in the present moment.

************

'I keep Eckhart's book at my bedside. I think it's essential spiritual teaching. It's one of the most valuable books I've ever read.' Oprah Winfrey

To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart…


Book cover of The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Kelly Winegarden Hall Author Of Love Works

From my list on bringing empowered organizations to life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born into a family and community of hardworking, service-oriented people with attraction to abundance, entertaining friends, and giving gifts. To earn money, I started selling gift wrap and greeting cards around eight years old, babysitting most of the kids in my small Iowa town at some point, and working summers in the fields at age 12.

As my career unfolded, I had a great seat at the table in multinational corporations, global business teams, private-equity-sponsored growth companies, and a disruptive innovation venture. My effectiveness as a colleague and a leader has been dramatically enhanced by the stories great writers share, and I only hope someone else is helped by the stories I’ve captured in Love Works.

Kelly's book list on bringing empowered organizations to life

Kelly Winegarden Hall Why Kelly loves this book

This book literally changed my life and my relationships with myself and others forever. Before this book, I was living my life through the filters of my stories of right and wrong, how things ‘should’ be done, and doing my best to trust my instincts and intuition. I underestimated the power of words, including my words. I made assumptions about people and situations, and autopilot guided my path through the best and worst of challenges and opportunities.

This book, along with the Fifth Agreement, opened my mind to the human condition of subconscious programming. I read the book, listened to the book, and listened to the book while reading the book to deeply embrace the truths presented.

Thanks to all books published by the Ruiz family, which share the Toltec traditions with the world, I have found grace and compassion for the weight and impact of my own stories,…

By Don Miguel Ruiz ,

Why should I read it?

24 authors picked The Four Agreements as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

•  A New York Times bestseller for over a decade
•  Translated into 46 languages worldwide
 
“This book by don Miguel Ruiz, simple yet so powerful, has made a tremendous difference in how I think and act in every encounter.” — Oprah Winfrey

“Don Miguel Ruiz’s…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of The Overstory

Geoffrey Carter Author Of In Bad Faith

From Geoffrey's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Geoffrey's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Geoffrey Carter Why Geoffrey loves this book

This sweeping epic of the relationship between ourselves and the natural world is not only amazing, it is breathtaking in its breadth and ambition. Weaving together the story threads of nine character whose lives have been deeply affected by trees and forests, the non-linear narratives join the nine from their initial captivations with nature to their political empowerment as they eventually join forces as activists. The writing is in turns beautiful, suspensful, and fascinating, as when two of the characters live on a tree stand an ancient redwood to protect it from loggers. Those passages are nothing less than revelatory. A must read for anyone who has enjoyed a walk in the woods and who would like to do so agin.

By Richard Powers ,

Why should I read it?

40 authors picked The Overstory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of-and paean to-the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers's twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours-vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see…


Book cover of The Essence Of Buddhism
Book cover of Real Love
Book cover of When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

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