The following books have had considerable influence on the artist's path, and come highly recommended. 

Paramahansa Yogananda "Autobiography of a Yogi"

Lama Anagarika Govinda "The Way of the White Clouds"

Jose Arguelles "The Mayan Factor - Path Beyond Technology"
Visit the author's site at http://www.tortuga.com/

Sogyal Rinpoche "The Tibetan book of Living and Dying"
More information at http://www.rigpa.org/WIR/TBLD/

Muhammed Yunus "Banker to the Poor"
More information at http://www.grameen-info.org/book/
and at http://www.aworldconnected.org/article.php/432.html