What I look for when I read contemplative books

I often get asked to recommend “the best” contemplative books. I’m happy to do so (see this post for a recent attempt to list some of the better books), but today I thought I’d do something a bit different.

Instead of just rolling off a list of my personal favorites, I’ll share with you how I decide which books I consider to be truly worth reading, savoring, and sharing.

There are a lot of contemplative books out there, and new ones are published every month. If you tried to keep up with all the...