The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers | 
pickGood short book from Henri Nouwen on some of the practices of the desert fathers and the impact of solitude and silence especially when paired with prayer. Convicting in an encouraging way. Thoughtful and helpful as it pondered deeply and still had daily applications too.
In solitude we realize that nothing human is alien to us, that the roots of all conflict, war, injustice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, and envy are deeply anchored in our own heart. In solitude our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity.
