Reddit reviews The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart

She loosely follows Shintō.

Edit: I do not practice Shintō but did like this book on it: https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377/ref=nodl_

Well there was a discussion like this one a while ago so i'll just copy my reply due to being at workplace :)

Anyway


There is the book filled with rituals : Shinto Norito, A book of prayers. I think this book is essential for you spiritual development, it helped me a lot with my practice
https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-Norito-Ann-Llewellyn-Evans/dp/1553691385

For your general culture and more in depth talk:

The Essence of Shinto by Motohisa Yamakage
https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377

Kami No Michi The Life And Thought Of A Shinto Priest by Guji Yukitaka Yamamoto
https://www.amazon.com/KAMI-NO-MICHI-Thought-Shinto/dp/B000HEHP5W

There is also a facebook group which I enjoy:a lot of nice people and also the Priest and Sensei Mr. Koichi Barrish at Tsubaki Grand Shrine America(he will help you with anything you have to ask/every request) Here you can also find valuable resources in the document section.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TsubakiShintoShrine/?refid=13&ref=bookmarks&__tn__=R

If you have any other request , feel free to ask me anything :)

Yo I think I know a book that maybe will help!

Here: "http://www.amazon.com/Essence-Shinto-Japans-Spiritual-Heart/dp/1568364377/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453875725&sr=8-2&keywords=shinto". It's called "The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart." It goes way deep into the philosophy of Shinto. I too noticed many similarities between Taoism and Shinto, in particular a reverence for Nature and naturalness as well as a belief in a single spiritual force or power (like Ch'i) that variously manifests as all the phenomena in the universe. There's also a surprisingly similar emphasis on meditation. I would totally check it out if I were you! Also, there's another book you may be interested in! It's called "Original Tao" and it's a modern translation and commentary of an ancient Taoist text (possibly pre-Lao Tzu) which deals heavily with both the concepts of Tao and Ch'i (and their unity, as both can be seen as the basis of all phenomena). I say this because, for me, Ch'i bridges the concepts of God/Spirit and Tao. Ch'i is related to consciousness, the afterlife and vitality, like Spirit, but like the Tao it is the basis of all existence. As someone interested in comparison religions, you may find that useful.

Here's the amazon link: "http://www.amazon.com/Original-Tao-Foundations-Mysticism-Translations/dp/0231115652"

Good luck on your spiritual studies!!