Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your quick replies. You know how sometimes you have a thought/quesiton that has been swirling around your head for a long time and finally you just have to say/ask it out loud? This was definitely one of those times.
I think it was really triggered by Shinzen's book. I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of new material... about 97% of the info was the same as his CD book series, which I have listened to many many times. But then the question popped into my head, "what was the book you were hoping for?", and I really didn't have a good question.
Meanwhile, I do have about 3 or 4 half-written long essays on different aspects of meditation...
Here's some of the thoughts I have about an "ideal" book -- while recognizing that's just the way I tend to think about things. I tend to design for perfection and then be resolved that perfection is unattainable and watch all the limitations pile up re-design things as I actually do a project...
So thought one...People rarely talk about the first few practices that really exposed me to meditation, which was laying in bed and doing the exercise where you tighten the muscles in your toes and release, then your arch, then your calf, etc. etc. Basically awareness of body and relaxation. These kind of mind/body practice seem to be a gateway, but I don't really here the meditation connection made. It's just talked about as stress release/relaxation.
Thought two... Rarely do I hear about "bubbling up" meditation. Which is before anyone can even do a method, there needs to be a long time where just the mind reels off stuff. Endless daydreaming, philosophizing, etc. but recognizing it's automatic nature. Seems like most beginners are taught the breath counting 1 to 10 but they aren't encouraged to let what is happening and notice it. Always seemed strange to me.
Those two are kinda along Matthew's thinking.
Thought three... I definitely do not want to write the "theory of everything" book/map. I almost want to go in the other direction, similar to what Noah said, that talks about different methods, different results.
Thought four... I was really stuck by Dreamwalker's suggestion about diagrams. Frankly, I tend to think in terms of cells in a spreadsheet, but dang you are right, diagrams are great. I like them too.
Thought five... It seems like most of my comments on people's practice is "oh that's normal, no big deal". Somehow I'd like to be able to convey that for the practice methods. Something about the kind of stuff that comes up that isn't a problem, but is something to be seen and integrated. I think this relates to Noah's comment about integration. Regardless of method or path or whatever, the real sanity comes from a kind of re-integration with very human shadowy urges, seeing the confused nature of them, seeing the utility of them. In a way, this is similar to how Daniel talked about the shadow sides of the progress of insight, but perhaps less extreme and for more methods of meditation.
Ultimately, I think I was hoping that Shinzen's book would talk about the experiential aspects of his decades of practice and those of his students. What does it feel like to be a beginning, intermediate, and advanced meditator? Not quite gossip, but definitely more mundane and gritty stuff. I guess that's what I'm curious about these days. How do people feel when they do their practice?
For what it's worth!