recomended reading:
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond
1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Giver by Lois Lowry

i would probably also recommend some simple, practical, non-magical(a.k.a non-spiritual) books on buddhism like:
Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen
Before He Was Buddha : The Life of Siddhartha by Hammalawa Saddhatissa

and one other thing... i'd probably learn something about meditation. the practical aspects ofcourse. it isn't magical and it does have beneficial effects. i did read "Science of Being and Art of Living : Transcendental Meditation" by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guy who brought TM to the western world. it isn't too instructive and it is a little magical i think. i read it a long time ago and it was from the library so i don't remember much. it did warn about getting the right mantra from an official teacher but that seems magical. i did develop a suitable technique after reading though. do some research and stay away from magic. you'll know if you're doing it right.