I first came upon the consciousness as reality theme when I read “The self-aware universe” [0] by Goswami which introduces the idea of monistic idealism. Penrose also contemplates with the idea in the “Emperor’s New Mind” [1]. I highly recommend both books to anyone interested in exploring alternate theories.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Aware-Universe-Consciousness-Cre... [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Emperors-New-Mind-Concerning-Computer...