The Accidental Buddhist

This is a quick, enjoyable read about a spiritual search that in some ways parallels my own, although Moore goes much deeper in his quest by undertaking retreats in several different Buddhist traditions. Written in the 90s, it refers to the emergence of a “cottage industry” of Buddhist books; at this point, nearly 15 years later, that cottage industry is a virtual Buddhist-Industrial Complex, with several glossy magazines, meditation supply megastores, and countless books published each year, including, it seems, one every few months from the Dalai Lama and another from Thich Nhat Hanh.

Don't read this one to learn about Buddhism. There are better texts for that. But it's worth the read to see how one person followed the path. Stay tuned for Moore's The Mindful Writer, coming in 2012, which applies some of what he's learned on that path to the writing process.