What Inspires You? An MCPL Staff Picks Reading ListLike this list

34 items

• Daring Greatly

  How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

  Brown, Brené

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  Scott in Reader Engagement has found the works of Brené Brown to be insipring. His favorite, Daring Greatly, shares how vulnerability can lead to an increased connection to ourselves and others.

• When Breath Becomes Air

  Kalanithi, Paul

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  A physician becomes the patient in this powerful and moving memoir from neurosurgeon Kalanithi who documents his life after a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, with his wife providing a moving coda after his death. Kayla from Platte City…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Kite Runner

  Hosseini, Khaled

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  An inspiring book is one that sticks with you. Matt from Red Bridge says that Hosseini's novel is one that he still things about all the time, despite having read it many years ago.

• The Dog Who Followed the Moon

  Norbury, James,

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  Lisa from the Reader Engagement Department finds anything by author James Norbury inspiring, but especially this fable about an aging wolf that takes a lost young pup Amaya under his wing as they journey to find Amaya's parents.

• The Anthropocene Reviewed

  Essays on a Human-centered Planet

  Green, John, 1977-

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  Trinity from Excelsior Springs found Green's essay collection to be inspiring, saying "it inspired me to take pride and ownership of humanity's good and not-so-good as well as the small, seemingly silly, things that we find passion in."

• The Daily Stoic

  366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

  Holiday, Ryan

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  Gloria from the Colbern Road Library Center finds the work of Ryan Holiday, best-known for his enthusiasm for the Stoicism philosophy, including this book of daily meditations.

• Rainbow in the Cloud

  the Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou

  Angelou, Maya

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  Gloria also finds anything by Maya Angelou to be inspiring. If you want to explore Angelou, check out this compilation of some of her most inspirational writing.

• A Little Less Broken

  How An Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole

  Schembari, Marian,

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  Schembari was diagnosed with autism in her 30s, which helped explain some of the challenges she had as a child and young adult. The author also shares the cultural factors that lead to many girls and women, like her, being underdiagnosed,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Humans

  Haig, Matt, 1975-

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  An alien disguised as a mathematician changes his mind about humanity after encountering poetry, music, and love in this novel by the author of The Midnight Library. This was another title on Sarah's list of inspiring reads.

• A Psalm for the Wild-built

  Chambers, Becky,

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  Along the same lines as The Humans, A Psalm for the Wild-Built uses science fiction to explore humanity. After many years of robots living on their own in the wilderness, a robot named Mosscap is on a journey to discover "What do humans…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beautyland

  Bertino, Marie-Helene

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  A book with a similar feel as the Monk and Robot series, Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino follows an alien named Adina activated by her home planet and communicating to them on what it means to be human via fax machine. Angie from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Starfish

  Fipps, Lisa

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  Sarah from Colbern Road was also inspired by this novel-in-verse, which was a 2002 Printz Honor Book.

• Know My Name

  a Memoir

  Miller, Chanel

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  Sarah's final selection is this haunting memoir from Chanel Miller, who was the Jane Doe survivor of the Brock Turner sexual assault case. Miller powerfully recounts her story and how both society and the court system lets down survivors.

• Wreck This Picture Book

  Smith, Keri,

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  If you're looking for inspiration to fuel your creativity, Erin from the Colbern Road Library Center suggests anything by Keri Smith. Wreck This Journal and its many successors like Wreck This Picture Book invites readers to get messy when…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Present Over Perfect

  Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

  Niequist, Shauna

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  Erin from Colbern Road also suggests Niequist's series of essays, whose philosophy can be described from this passage "present over perfect living is real over image, connecting over comparing, meaning over mania, depth over artifice,"

• Dare to Lead

  Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts

  Brown, Brené

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  Erin from the Colbern Road Library Center also finds inspiration in the work of Brené Brown. Her selection is Dare to Lead, which talks about how the lessons of Brown's work on shame and vulnerability can be applied in the workplace.

• Dinner, a Love Story

  It All Begins at the Family Table

  Rosenstrach, Jenny

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  What can be more inspiring than a good meal? Erin from Colbern Road thinks so, recommending this collection of essays and recipes about the importance of the family meal.

• Watering the Soul

  Peppernell, Courtney

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  More inspiration from Erin: this collection from Australian Peppernell includes thematic chapters on topics like forgiveness, togetherness, and gratitude. Read this one straight through or dip in and out and find whichever topic inspires…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Power of Ritual

  Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices

  Kuile, Casper ter,

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  Adopting rituals is one way to add meaning to even the most mundane activities. Learn more about why rituals are powerful and how to adopt them in this inspiring read suggested by Erin from Colbern Road.

• The Giver of Stars

  Moyes, Jojo, 1969-

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  Of course librarians would find stories of the WPA Packhorse Library inspiring! Alyson from the Withers Branch suggests this historical fiction from popular author Jojo Moyes set in Depression-era Kentucky.