Category: good to read

Justin Smith-Ruiuh
On Drugs blends autobiography, intellectual history, and philosophical inquiry to explore the transformative impact of psychedelics on human consciousness and thought. Drawing on his personal experiences as ‘an articulate guinea pig,’ Smith-Ruiu argues that psychedelics upend our assumptions about the nature of reality—and thus force a reckoning with the very foundations of Western philosophy. In the late, post-lockdown days of the pandemic, grappling with personal loss and existential uncertainty, Justin Smith-Ruiu found himself standing in a California cannabis dispensary, pondering a question his tribe of fellow philosophers have often dismissed as too simple: How did I get here? Justin Smith-Ruiu is a professor of history and philosophy of science at the Université Paris Cité. The Washington Post reviewed his book in detail.
ePub

Erica RTex
The oral history of a band that came to define a generation tells the As she reflects on her tumultuous childhood marked by violent abuse from psychiatrist parents, Rex uncovers the psychological influences that shaped her life and therapeutic search. Despite years of failed conventional treatments, Rex sought alternative paths, discovering transformative healing through ayahuasca, MDMA, and 5-MeO-DMT. Seeing What Is There navigates the complexities of the psychedelic therapy movement, questioning its ethical pitfalls and motivations. Ultimately, Rex demonstrates that true healing requires more than just pharmaceuticals—it demands economic security, community, and social support, offering a powerful meditation on trauma, survival, and the potential for transformation.
She Writes Press

Robert Dickins
From obscure origins, Psilocybe mushrooms quickly and quietly established themselves in local and countercultural Britain. They became a staple rite of passage, folkloric emblem, and mischievous companion in the festival calendar. For over fifty years, these tricksters danced around the law, difficult to capture. Now, twenty years after possession of fresh magic mushrooms was made illegal, Psilocybe Pickers tells the story of how these psychedelic fungi entered British consciousness in the twentieth century, the bemushroomed Britons who took them on as part of their culture, and how the authorities tried to police them.
Psychedelic Press

usannah Fisher
How the world needs to adapt to a changing climate, and the key problems and hard choices that lie ahead for the global community
Sink or Swim explores the hard choices that lie ahead concerning how people earn a living, the way governments manage relationships between countries, and how communities accommodate the movement of people. Should people be encouraged to move away from the coast? How can global food supplies be managed when parts of the world are hit by simultaneous droughts? How can conflict be handled when there isn’t enough water?
Harper Collins

Olga Tokarczuk
A woman settles in a remote Polish village where she knows no one. It has few inhabitants, but it teems with the stories of the living and the dead. There’s the drunk Marek Marek, who discovers that he shares his body with a bird, and Franz Frost, whose nightmares come to him from a newly discovered planet. There’s the man whose death – with one leg on the Polish side, one on the Czech—was an international incident. And there are the Germans who still haunt a region that not long ago they called their own. From the founding of the town to the lives of its saints, these shards piece together not only a history, but a cosmology.
Fitzcarraldo Editions

Patti Smith
The most intimate of Smith’s memoirs, Bread of Angels takes us through Smith’s teenage years. Arthur Rimbaud and Bob Dylan emerge as creative role models as she begins to write poetry, then lyrics, ultimately merging both into iconic recordings such as Horses, Wave, and Easter. She leaves it all behind to marry her one true love, Fred Sonic Smith, living on a canal in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The couple spend nights in their landlocked Chris-Craft studying nautical maps and charting new adventures as they start a family. A series of profound losses mark Patti’s life. Grief and gratitude are braided through years of caring for her children, rebuilding her life and, finally, writing again.
Random House

Paul McCartney, Ted Widmer
The oral history of a band that came to define a generation tells the madcap tale of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band, from their beginnings in the early 1970s to their dissolution a decade later. Drawn from over 500,000 words of interviews with McCartney, family and band members, and other key participants, Wings recounts―now with a half-century’s wisdom―the musical odyssey taken by a man searching for his identity in the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup. Soon joined by his wife–American photographer Linda McCartney–on keyboard and vocals; drummer Denny Seiwell; and guitarist Denny Laine, McCartney sowed the seeds for a new band.
Liveright

Anthony Hopkins
Born and raised in Port Talbot—a small Welsh steelworks town—amid war and depression, Sir Anthony Hopkins grew up around men who were tough and eschewed all forms of emotional vulnerability in favour of alcoholism and brutality. A struggling student in school, he was deemed a failure with no future ahead of him. But, on a fateful Saturday night, he watched the 1948 adaptation of Hamlet, sparking a passion for acting that would lead him on a path that no one could have predicted. Sir Anthony also takes a deeply honest look at the low points in his personal life. His addiction cost him his first marriage, his relationship with his only child, and nearly his life—the latter ultimately propelling him toward sobriety.
S&S / Summit Books

Stephanie Mines
Entering the Māori worldview is like stepping into a verdant landscape where humans and plants, animals, the land, rain, and mountains are united. This is the model of living that matriarch Maata Wharehoka has been sustaining her entire life in Aotearoa (New Zealand). The Māori word manaaki means to protect, to show respect, and to take care. This is the essence of Maata Wharehoka’s wisdom. Transmitting Maata’s wisdom to the world is the task Stephanie Mines set for herself as she shares in this book Maata’s pioneering efforts in healthcare, parenting, and social justice as well as her interpretations of traditional Māori teachings.
Harper Collins

Linda Rosewood
In the early 1980s, a household of lesbian feminists establish a women-only commune in an ancient Californian redwood forest. It seems a perfect place to practice the ritual magic that helps them function harmoniously as a group – even if they aren’t all true believers. If you ever wanted to know what that entails, here’s you chance to witness first hand, how women live and love as a group, whilte practicing magic. Of course there is conflict, but there’s also warmth and a sincere desire to overcome the patriarchy. An authentic book that leads us back to a more innocent and idealistic era, A Circle Outside describes a vision of a utopian dream, where the only real magic is self-transformation.
Lightning Books

Alexandra Sheren
The novel The Echo of Ucayali is both an anthropological journey into the world of Amazonian shamans and a mystical adventure non-fiction, based on real events and told in the first person. It explores the spirits of the Amazon, the gifts and hidden perils of its sacred plants, the profound meaning of confianza and shamanic contracts, and the delicate line between light and darkness in a realm where energy is the ultimate currency. It is intended for those who embark on distant quests in search of transformation, who seek spiritual growth, and who take an interest in shamanism, depth psychology, and the cultures of indigenous peoples.Aegitas Publishing

Ellen Dee Davidson
Weaving together environmental science, wilderness adventure, goddess mythology, and the sentience of old growth redwoods, the author shows how to cultivate a sensitivity to the forest and open a channel to its wisdom. She presents simple techniques of receptivity, some from her Buddhist mindfulness practice, along with forest-bathing protocols, showing how forest bathing can calm, soothe, and heal our bodies, minds, and spirits. She also recounts her own remarkable healing after twenty years suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
Bear & Co

Julian Vayne
From preparing the space and setting the tone, to navigating the journey and supporting successful integration, Trip Sitting takes a holistic approach to care. With a strong foundation in ethics and practical experience this guide will help you hold space with clarity, confidence, and compassion, maximising the benefits and minimising the risks when exploring these magical medicines. With a focus primarily on one-to-one sessions, its principles and practices can be adapted to a variety of contexts, from small group settings to personal journeys.
Psychedelic Press

Harper Lee
From one of America’s most beloved authors, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee. It combines Lee’s early short fiction and later nonfiction in a volume covering territory from the Alabama schoolyards of Lee’s youth to the luncheonettes and movie houses of midcentury Manhattan, The Land of Sweet Forever invites still-vital conversations about politics, equality, travel, love, fiction, art, the American South, and what it means to lead an engaged and creative life.
Harper Collins

Marisa Meltzer
A vivid portrait of Birkin and her profound legacy, from her early years in 1960s London to her rise as a beloved celebrity in France, detailing personal challenges, her relationships with creative powerhouses, and the duality of her public and private selves. Based on interviews and deep archival research, Meltzer reveals the nuances of Birkin’s character: her famously tempestuous romantic relationships, life with her three famous daughters, and the creative energy that drove her. It Girl tells the story of her indelible impact on femininity and style, and how what we think of as French girl style grew from her. Far from being just a muse, Birkin is at last given her well-deserved due.
Atria Books

Andy Roberts
If you think the psychedelic revolution of the sixties and seventies happened mainly in the USA, here’s a book that proves you wrong. Not only was Timothy Leary given his first LSD by the mysterious Michael Hollingshead: Britain was a huge supplier of the queen of mind altering substances, producing blotter acid and even more microdots, distributed throughout the world. Starting with the early days, when psychedelics were sampled by artists like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix or the Rolling Stones, Andy Roberts takes us on a colourful journey of free festival and fairs, right down to infamous busts and scientific studies. A wonderful book full of noteworthy facts. (SGS)
Psychedelic Press

Joe Dolce
The book covers the history, research, myths, and use of the most popular psychedelics including MDMA, Magic Mushrooms, Ketamine, DMT/5-MeO-DMT, Ayahuasca, LSD, Mescaline/Payote/Huachuma, and Ibogaine/Iboga. In addition, it offers essential information on how to set an intentional journey, the potential benefits of microdosing, how couples can use psychedelics to enhance intimacy and connection, and recommendations for responsible use when working with these extraordinary substances.
Black Dog & Leventhal

Marcia Glass (Ed.)
This innovative edited volume explores the use of psychedelic medicines in palliative care and addiction medicine and presents some of the most novel medications. Dr. Marcia Glass is Professor of Internal Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. She has worked internationally with Doctors without Borders, the Yale/Stanford Johnson and Johnson GH Program, Columbia, and Partners in Health. She is certified in psychedelic-assisted therapy through the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research.
Oxford Academic Press

Darren McGarvey
Today, trauma permeates media, from music and television to films and books – my own included. While the increasing openness is welcome, I’ve observed that this rise has been accompanied by a parallel explosion of disinformation and sometimes harmful guidance about how to deal with personal trauma. How did we get here? And are the stories we’re telling ourselves liberating us or keeping us trapped?
Penguin Books

Madeleine Beekman
Infused with cutting-edge science, sharp humour, and insights into the history of biology and its luminaries, Beekman weaves a narrative that’s both enlightening and entertaining. Challenging the traditional theories of male luminaries like Chomksy, Pinker, and Harari, she invites us into the intricate world of molecular biology and its ancient secrets. The Origin of Language is a tour de force by a brilliant biologist on how a culture of cooperation and care have shaped our existence.
Simon & Schuster

Andrija Puharich
In 1954, neurologist Andrija Puharich, M.D., receives a call from a wealthy supporter of his lab about an unusual subject worthy of further research: Harry Stone, a young sculptor with unusually acute extrasensory perception. When handed an ancient Egyptian artifact, Harry had fallen into a deep trance, drawing hieroglyphic symbols, including mushrooms, and using ancient Egyptian phrases to describe a drug that can enhance psychic abilities. This book reveals all the details of that story in this new edition of the psychedelic classic.
Park Street Press

Michael J. Winkelman (Contributor)
Handbook of Entheogenic Healing
Entheogenic Healing describes and analyses twenty contemporary indigenous traditional practices, mestizo adaptations, and recently emerging global traditions, illustrating the ritual and cultural contexts and the commonalities of these psychedelic therapeutic practices as guidelines for enhancing clinical approaches of the Psychedelic Renaissance.
Brill

Andrew Gallimore
DMT is the world’s strangest and most mysterious drug, inducing one of the most remarkable and yet least understood of all states of consciousness. This common plant molecule has, from ancient times to the modern day, been used as a tool to gain access to a bizarre alien reality of inordinate complexity and unimaginable strangeness, populated by a panoply of highly advanced, intelligent, and communicative beings entirely not of this world. The story of DMT forces us to reconsider our most basic assumptions about the nature of reality and our place within it.
St. Martin’s Press

Rhonda Pallasdowney & Sandi O’Connor
By learning to listen quietly to flowers and plants, we can tune in to the inner teachings they have to offer us. Plants can not only heal us, but they can also teach us how to live a more joyful, healthy, and balanced life. Each plant discussion also features full-color close-up photos by Rhonda PallasDowney that capture the energetic imprint and personality of the plant. Sharing the teachings they’ve received through years of attentive listening to flowers, trees, and plants, Rhonda PallasDowney and Sandi O’Connor explore how to deepen your personal experience with the world of plants and connect with their energies.
Bear & Company

Kate Moran
Clothes are much more than just what we put on in the morning. They express our identity; they can be an independent statement or the result of coercion; and they have deeply entrenched historical, political, and social aspects. Kate Moran explores the connections between clothes and philosophy, showing how clothes can illustrate and pose philosophical problems, and how philosophical ideas influence clothing. Her portrait of our clothes helps us to understand an important and underexplored aspect of our lives.
Cambridge University Press

Paul Stamets
The past decade has seen an explosion of interest in using psilocybin mushrooms for recreational and medicinal purposes. Stamet’s new book brings depth and understanding to an often-misunderstood topic. Revealing the potential of these powerful, mind-awakening fungi to help us live better, happier lives through micro- and macro-dosing, this handbook is an indispensable—and potentially lifesaving—addition to mushroom field guides from the biggest name in mycology.
Random House

Jamie Brownlee / Kevin Walby
This book locates this psychedelic renaissance in the context of corporate capture, medicalization, and the war on drugs. Wealthy entrepreneurs are investing billions in the psychedelics industry. Biotechnology firms are racing to capture intellectual property and monopolize psychedelic supply chains. Venture capitalists are leveraging the prospects of a lucrative mass market. Together, these actors are appropriating Indigenous knowledge and claiming ownership over substances that have been in the public domain for centuries.
Fernwood Publishing

Norma J. Burton / Nisha Burton
Norma and Nisha Burton map the important connection between three gateways into the psyche’s depths: lucid dreaming, shamanic drumming trance journeys, and ceremonial plant medicine journeys. With drumming-induced trance journeys, they explore the scientific effect on brainwave frequencies alongside consciousness teachings from indigenous cultures like the Sami of Norway and Huichol of Mexico. Their approach to lucid dreaming transcends basic instruction, offering sophisticated techniques to not only summon but sustain lucidity and integrate suppressed parts of oneself.
Findhorn Press

Peter J. Carroll
Carroll’s work showcases where chaos magic has come from, where it is now, and most importantly, where it is going. Helmed by one of the originators of chaos magic, Peter J. Carroll, this book is filled with essays by some of the most respected chaos magic workers who are redefining magic for the modern practitioner. Among its contents: Chaos magic meets witchcraft, Egregores, Virtual reality and cyber magic, Animist sorcery, The power of personal mythology and quantum chaos, Tarot in chaos magic, Chaos magic and neuro-hacking, Esoteric Buddhism and the eight chaos gods.
Weiser Books

Glennon Doyle / Abby Wambach / Amanda Doyle
Every day, Glennon Doyle spirals around the same questions.The harder life gets, the less likely she is to remember the answers she’s spent her life learning. She wonders: I’m almost fifty years old. I’ve overcome a hell of a lot. Why do I wake up every day having forgotten everything I know? Glennon’s compasses are her sister, Amanda, and her wife, Abby. Recently, in the span of a single year, Glennon was diagnosed with anorexia, Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Abby’s beloved brother died. They turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people.
The Dial Press

by Andrew Feldmár
Andrew Feldmár trained under R. D. Laing and worked with Stanislav Grof and Paul Watzlawick. A pioneer of psychedelic psychotherapy, he presents its history, his personal experiences, and his wishes for the future of this radical practice. His aim: to prevent its medicalization and to show that at its core is an organic relationship of two people. (Edited by Daniel Acs and Aron Buky-Tompa.)
Karnac Books

by Manvir Singh
What are the origins of shamanism and what is its future? Do shamans believe in their powers? What exactly is trance? And what can we learn from indigenous healing practices? Anthropologist Manvir Singh offers a new explanation for one of the most misunderstood religious traditions. Travelling from Indonesia to the Amazon, living with shamans and observing music, drug use and indigenous curing ceremonies, he journeys into the origins of shamanism.  
Penguin Books

by Sarah Wynn-Williams
A memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them. Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election.
Macmillan

by Ron Chernow
Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, he spent his childhood dreaming of piloting steamboats on the Mississippi. But when the Civil War interrupted his career on the river, the young Twain went west to the Nevada Territory and accepted a job at a local newspaper, writing dispatches that attracted attention for their brashness and humor. It wasn’t long before the former steamboat pilot from Missouri was recognized across the country for his literary brilliance, writing under a pen name that he would immortalize.
Penguin LLC

by Suleika Jaouad
From the time she was young, Suleika Jaouad has kept a journal. She’s used it to mark life’s biggest occasions and to weather its most ferocious storms. Journaling has buoyed her through illness, heartbreak, and the deepest uncertainty. And she is not alone: for so many people, keeping a journal is an essential tool for navigating both the personal peaks and valleys and the collective challenges of modern life. More than ever, we need a space for puzzling through. It’s another book the New York Times has reviewed.
Random House

by Susannah Cahalan
Rosemary Woodruff Leary was a woman with a mind of her own and at the heart of the psychedelic revolution of the late sixties and early seventies. Unfortunately, things went very wrong for her and Timothy Leary who, in her, had finally found a warm-hearted woman who took care of him and his two half-orphaned kids. When Timothy went to jail and talked to the Feds, Rosemary fled the country, fearing to be apprehended. She stayed away for 23 years and came back to the US by swimming to land in a bikini. What a woman! Here’s a review in the NYT. (SGS)
Viking Press

by Graham St. John

A stand-up philosopher who made a unique contribution to science, humanism, and the hidden arts, Terence McKenna (1946-2000) was the twentieth century’s psychedelic Renaissance man. Perfecting his rugged philosophy on the role of psychedelics in evolution, consciousness, and time, McKenna was a riotous charmer who stalked the shadows, but also sought the iridescence. More than twenty years since his untimely passing, McKenna has an enduring magnetism across the virtual pop stream, in pervasive digitization, and within social media networks.
MIT Press (for pre-orders)

by Vincent Rado

Acid Dialectics applies dialectical theory to the study of LSD and vice versa. The book examines four acid dialectics as well as an assortment of lysergic politics including acid fascism, acid liberalism, acid communism, and acid anarchism. It draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary sources and ends with a list of questions for further dialogue and inquiry. It is out of print already and can be downloaded for free. “This work is itself part of a larger, ongoing project (…) which examines how power structures affect drug markets and the discourse about them.”
Illicit News

by Elizabeth Nielson, Ingmar Gorman

Research shows the tremendous benefit of psychedelic drugs for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and trauma. This workbook draws on evidence-based harm reduction techniques to help readers experiment with psychedelic substances–on their own, in a group, or with a therapist–and integrate the lessons they’ve learned from psychedelic experiences into daily life.
New Harbinger Publications

by Simon Yugler

Psychedelic therapist Simon Yugler takes the reader on a mythological journey, to explore 10 universal themes that transcend our individual experiences – and reveal how psychedelic medicine can heal the soul and our collective unconscious in a time of uncertainty and initiation. Designed for a new generation of psychedelic facilitators and seekers, Psychedelics and the Soul invokes the traditions of Jungian depth psychology, mythology, and Indigenous cultural wisdom to meet a critical question of our times: How can the emerging field of psychedelic medicine heal the soul amid planetary crisis and collective opportunity?
North Atlantic Books

by Eugenia Bone

With her signature blend of first-person narrative and scientific rigor, Bone breaks down just how the complicated cocktail of psychoactive compounds is thought to interact with our brain chemistry. She explains how mindset and setting can impact a trip – whether therapeutic, spiritual/mystical, or simply pleasure seeking – and vividly evokes the personalities and protocols that populate the tripping scene. For both seasoned trippers and the merely mushroom curious.
Flatiron Books

by Bernhardt Zalaski

This books spans 5 years of the author’s life, inside which time he experiments with the powerful psychedelic drug ketamine, first under medical supervision and eventually diving deeply into self-administration over the course of one particularly dark winter. This is an illustrated guidebook into the mystical inner realms, providing the reader with the keys to unlock the mysteries of deeper consciousness and eventually understand the fullness of the human experience.
Self-published here

by Zoë Schlanger

It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit, to name just a few remarkable talents.
HarperCollins

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world. Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets.
HarperCollins

by Peter Wolf

This deck will obviously appeal to the Jungian mind: anyone involved in studying the archetypes or astrology. Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band) grew up in the Bronx, a child of “fellow travelers” whose artistic inclinations influenced both his love of music and his initial desire to become a painter. Stories of his loving and sometimes eccentric parents complement scenes depicting a very young Bob Dylan as he arrived on the Greenwich Village folk scene. Reflections on Wolf’s studies in Boston—where he shared an apartment with David Lynch—are braided with accounts of first love, an untraditional literary education, and early musical influences such as Muddy Waters.
Workman

Eilzabeth Nielson/Ingmar Gorman

Research shows the tremendous benefit of psychedelic drugs for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and trauma. This workbook draws on evidence-based harm reduction techniques to help readers experiment with psychedelic substances–on their own, in a group, or with a therapist–and integrate the lessons they’ve learned from psychedelic experiences into daily life.
New Harbinger Publications

Sandra Lawrence

From the ancient Aztecs, the cannabis-smoking farmers of Neolithic China and the Woodstock hippies: psychoactive plants have been used by different cultures for thousands of years for everything from shamanic rituals to staying awake. The Psychedelic Garden (The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) is a fascinating exploration of the mind-altering plants that for centuries have helped shape the way we see the world. It delves into the folklore, cultural relevance and botanical background of remarkable plants that have long been leveraged to hallucinogenic effect.
Headline Book

Joe Dolce

Recently, medical and academic research teams all over the world have launched studies into the effective use of psychedelics to treat illnesses which modern medicine can’t always effectively address, including PTSD, addiction and depression. At the same time, a growing number of adults are interested in experiencing the potentially life-changing insight and perspective that psychedelics reputably provide. Those searching for reliable information for how to take and make meaning from these profound experiences have found little available, until now.
Workman

Charmaine Husman

Charmaine Husum is an art therapist, somatic counselor and Kundalini yoga and meditation instructor specializing in supporting those healing from trauma and training others in using art therapy within the psychedelic healing space. This book serves as a vital resource for clinicians, therapists, and individuals aiming to integrate their psychedelic experiences through the transformative practice of art therapy.
Taylor & Francis

Jonathan Waller

This deck will obviously appeal to the Jungian mind: anyone involved in studying the archetypes or astrology. It provides comprehensive impulses for many of life’s situations and pitfalls, endeavouring to uplift anyone who consults the lovely cards with their delicate colours and symbolism. The latter ist easy to understand and backed up by solid knowledge about the stars and their meaning. It takes time and dedication to get to know oneself. These cards and their guide will help. (SGS)
Findhorn Press