Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices by Darby is great gustatory reading, and appropriate here, IMHO
L

Thanks all for the contributions. You just tripled my pending books list. Some suggestions that spring to mind now:

Mostly anything from James G. Ballard. My two personal favorites are The Crystal World and The Unlimited Dream Company, but every single book he wrote deserves a read.

Same with Oliver Sacks, he hasn't been mentioned yet unless I overlooked it. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat needs to be read by everyone. No exceptions.

And a personal favorite of mine, a novel: Under the Skin, by Michel Faber.

Seconding the call that everyone should read "The man who mistook his wife for a hat". Insane reading, in every sense od the word.

Currently reading "My education" by Burroughs, great read if you can stomach the style.

Also "Other voices, other rooms" by Truman Capote is one I highly recommend. It's one of the most beautifully and eloquently written novels I have ever read in the English language. One of the few books with passages that literally took my breath away.

I'm reading third part of 'The Book of The New Sun' by Gene Wolfe. It's GREAT dark fantasy.
Here is The Guardian review I just googled up.
I can only recommend this book, it's one of the best fantasy stories I even read.

Seems like Atrium Carceri (dark ambient artist) dedicated a song to this book.
Here it is.
It's called 'Torn Citadel of The Autarch' what the book is all about. I keep listening Atrium Carceri 'Kapnobatai' album during the read.

Has anyone read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren? The pastor of a local church gave it to me and it seems to be quite popular, as 'the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history' according to Publishers Weekly. Is it Christianity-focussed or God-focussed?

Just finished "Mastering the core teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book.

Probably the best raw description of what should be done in Vipassana meditation.

Literally took my meditation to a new level after putting to practice some of the tips.

Joedirt, many thanks for your recommendation, I've just downloaded it! Lately I've been searching for a more complex book on Vipassana meditation, and this is what I was looking for.

I've finished reading Mind beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a must for anyone interested in the bardo states and clear and accessible meditation techniques that can help in mastering the mind.

My christmas book order arrived today

Where to start? Decisions, decisions.

- Psychedelic Shamanism, Jim DeKorne, updated edition.
- The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, James Fadiman
- Salvia Divinorum, Doorway to Thought-Free Awareness, J.D.Arthur
- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson

I wish I had three or four days just to sit down and read.

I am reading "In the realm of hungry ghosts" by Gabor Mate.
It's about his work treating addicts as a M.D. in downtown vancouver.
He was recently told by the canadian government to stop treating them with ayahuasca.
Blows my mind. Very good/informative read.

Michio Kaku- Parallel worlds a journey through creation higher dimensions, and the future of the cosmos.

currently checking this guy out also have one called Hyperspace.

anyone else read this author, curious to know what other think of his writtings i think i found this author through someone here on the nexus.

I absolutely second this. I just finished rereading; by far one of my favorite fantasies.

Everytime I read this thread I end buying a book, some of the best books ive read I found on this thread! I finished shantaram by gregory david roberts last month and noticed the poster doingkermit has a quote from that book in his sig, its about a guy who escapes prison in australia and ends up living in a Bombay slum as a medic, amazing book!

The Passage by Justin cronin is a good fiction end of the world type book, love apocalyptic end of the world books and this is one of the best.

The Heart of the World, by Ian Baker

a travelogue - adventure, politics, spirituality, sex and drugs - about the first journey a few years ago to the impenetrable core of the Bramhaputra/Tsangpo River.
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-World-Journey-Secret-Place/dp/1594200270

Destructive Emotions - Scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama

http://www.amazon.com/De...id=1325150177&sr=1-1

Received this wonderful gift from my parents. It contains the results of a series of scientific research on how meditation changes the brain, as well as several debates on emotions from Western and Buddhist perspectives.

This sounds very interesting.^^

I've been meaning to order that. I just finished his other book The Cracking Tower. Absolutely mind-blowing and even mentions DMT and hyperspace!

Wanna trade?

I recently finished 'The Dark Red Amulet: Oral Instructions on the Practice of Vajrakilaya' by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

Vajrakilaya is the deity of the phurba, or ritual dagger. The name could be translated as 'the Indestructible Diamond-Lightning Dagger of Wisdom & Compassion'.

The writing is simple & straightforward, but it really tapped me into the essence of this potent & extremely wrathful deity (which of course is indistinguishable from our own true essence).

Not trading. I am a book fetishist and I do keep the ones I read and like

Psychedelic Shamanism makes a few very bold statements (at least from my relatively noob perspective) but it has some true pearls hidden in it. Great introduction work, good for initiates as well. Will read DeKorne again. Bookmarking The Cracking Tower then.

Besides all the McKenna mentioned, I also liked the Jeremy Narby title The Cosmic Serpent.

Though my book reading is slim lately (internet articles taking most of my leisure reading time), I really enjoy mythologies and fairy-tales.

The Collected Grimm Fairy-tales (always good with commentary, as much of pre-Christian religion was hidden in fairy-tales.)

The Poetic Edda (collection of Norse Sagas, the Viktor Rydberg "Teutonic Mythology" is as good, with more speculative or "interesting" commentary)

Compiled works of JRR Tolkien (The beginning of the Silmarillion still holds my favorite "creation myths"

The Book of Five Rings (Miyamoto Musashi, philosophy and sword-play)

Rebels and Devils: The Psychology of Liberation (edited by Christopher Wyatt w/ contributions by Robert Anton Wilson, Peter Carroll, William S. Burroughs, et al; compilation essays/writings)

Apophenion and Liber Null/Psychonaut (both by Peter Carroll, Chaos Magickal Theory/occult philosophy)

Compiled works of Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956 British Artist and Occultist. Very interesting techniques for 'ecstatic states'

Cosmic Consciousness (Maurice Bucke, kind of slow going but solid research)

The World of Shamanism (Roger Walsh, a bit slow too but well researched and informative)

The Kalevala (Finnish national epic, great imagery and syntax)



End of my list for now, in retrospect I really wish I could afford the time to just read more novels as it's so much easier to get involved in a story (and learn things as well). Probably going to look in Robert Anton Wilson since he's been referenced in quite a bit of material I've read, yet I've never gone through his material.

And thanks to whoever decided to put the Invisibles up too, i ruly rly rely liked.)

i am currently reading A Beginners Guide To Reality and im enjoying it.

It quite a gentle introduction to a very complex topic (i understand it so it must be:wink

i would like something similar, but a bit more indepth, to move onto next, does anyone have any suggestions for books on the true nature of reality?

cheers