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Browse: Home / inspirational books

inspirational books

Jan

28

2026

A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, edited by Maria Popova and Claudia Bedrick

This is the book you give to The Reader in your life. This isn’t just a love letter to books-this is 121 love letters to books! Each letter by an author, historian, journalist, musician, scientist, explorer, director, etc. is paired with an art piece from a different creator. That relative who only talks about literature? …

Jan

6

2026

Reflections on “London Sojourn” and Home

Maybe I was meant to live and write in Portland, Oregon. But first I had to get London out of my system. In 2014, I retired from the University of Hawaii and moved to London. I’ve lived in the city before, short-term, but this time, I settle in for two years. My agenda: to reinvent …

Nov

19

2025

Art Work: On the Creative Life by Sally Mann

Sally Mann delivers a candid look at what it means to be human and an artist. The day to day living, the life incidents, and everything in between are part of the package. She brings her experiences, an exhaustive number of metaphors, and plenty of photographs and snapshots of her typed letters to encourage, to …

Nov

5

2025

Cream cover with rainbow colored cat illustrations; cover of Poets Square: A Meoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson

Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson

An absolutely gorgeous memoir about one woman’s journey in caring for feral cats. It is in turns funny and heartbreaking, showing a depth of understanding of not just cats, but humanity. It’s about cats, but it’s also about capitalism; about TikTok virality, but also community care. The story is fascinating on its own, but Gustafson’s …

Oct

23

2025

White background multicolored title and author name Good Things by Samin Nosrat

Bestseller Spotlight: Good Things

On Wednesdays, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Bestseller List is published. Every week, we love to see what books have been most popular in independent bookstores around our region. As we peruse the list, we ponder patterns. Then we present this weekly feature: Thursday Themes. This week, we want to highlight nonfiction titles that are meant to uplift. …

Jul

21

2025

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream

In the small island community of Ebey’s End, life is quiet and sort of “normal” – whatever that is. And then along comes July, newly orphaned and in need of a place to live and grow. That’s where Anita the grocer, July’s sort-of-cousin, comes in. The social worker wants to park 14-year-old July at her …

Mar

19

2025

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a book that has continued to brighten the lives of readers for years, has returned with a lovely small book that is going to be celebrated for its Indigenous wisdom, just as her first book continues to be. I love it and will be re-reading it for inspiration and guidance …

Jan

6

2025

Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett

Krista Tippett is a master of asking questions that matter. For over two decades, her podcast On Being has stood as a poignant example of public dialogue that resists dogma and divisiveness and insists on a more “generative story of our time.” Becoming Wise pulls together wisdom from Tippett’s own life and years of conversational …

Aug

9

2024

The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts written by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Mike Curato

[A] picture book tailor made for the times is The Power of One by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Mike Curato. In this story we see a girl deflated by the unkind words of a boy. But then another child responds to her pain with simple and gentle kindness. That one act plants a seed of hope and …

Jun

3

2024

The Cat Who Taught Zen by James Norbury

For those who enjoyed Big Panda Tiny Dragon comes a tale of a cat wise in the ways of Zen who hears of a solitary ancient pine, deep in a maple forest, under which infinite wisdom may be found. So begins a journey of discovery. –Cassidy, Port Book and News, Port Angeles, WA Find great graduation …

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