Oprah Picks Tolle's Self-Help Book, All By Herself

Oprah Winfrey has endorsed a book by B.C.-based spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle as her latest book club selection.

On the Wednesday edition of her daytime TV show, she announced Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose will be her next selection.

Tolle, born in Germany and educated in the U.K., had a spiritual awakening at age 29 and now writes about how individuals can improve their own lives and contribute to a better world.

The Vancouver-based writer is not aligned with any one religion, but explores tenets of Buddhism, Christianity and other faiths.

His earlier work, The Power of Now, is one of Oprah's Favourite Books on her website.

Tolle, whose other books include "The Power of Now" and "Stillness Speaks," is a native of Germany who now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to his Web site, he advocates "transcending our ego-based state of consciousness" as a "prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet."

Winfrey has a long history of advocating spiritual and self-help books, notably Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret," a publishing phenomenon thanks in part to Winfrey's support, although not as a book club pick.