Very similar to my beliefs Hairy, I was very taken with Buddhism and Taosm before I found my present path (one of the versions of Sant Mat), but I found the rituals and worship a big sticking point for me with them both, which Sant Mat not only doesnt have but actually discourages.
As a Pagan I was an animist, (or something very close to those beliefs) and your description of how you view god is on very similar lines to mine by the sound of it too, my pagan beliefs very much fit in alongside my present path and they compliment each other very well.
I've tried lots of self help books but the one I'm reading at present while not actually a self help book I am finding very valuable - i got it at the same time as the Dali Lama book Stevie recommended but for some reason I chose to read it first, its Ancient Wisdom, Modern World (also Dali Lama), if I can go even part way towards modifying my feelings and actions towards others and myself I'm sure it will help reduce the stress in my life immensley and hopefully help me get over my current episode of depression and possibly even reduce the chances of becoming ill with it in the future.
Thanks for your recommendations Hairy, when I get back to a proper PC I'll see if I can find them to download.
