As National Library week comes to a close, it’s important to remember that you can find joy every day. Joy can be felt in every day small moments. It can come from a good book, a simple walk, a warm cup of coffee, or a kind word from a loved one. Joy is all around us. Below is a list of titles found in the adult non-fiction section at Westlake Porter Library. I have hand selected a few that have inspired me to find joy. The descriptions have been taken out of our catalog. Other joyful titles can be found in the Westlake Porter Public Library catalog.
Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life by Hoda Kotb
Today co-host Hoda Kotb writes her most personal, ambitious book yet-a guide to dealing with change and upheaval, even when it’s unexpected. Hoda Kotb didn’t expect to join the Today show at age forty-four. Or to become a mother at fifty-two. Or to leave Today and embark on a new adventure at sixty! Change doesn’t always arrive when we expect it, and its effects are anything but predictable. But Hoda believes that the benefits of change can be extraordinary…if we’re willing to listen to and learn from them. Jump and Find Joy is an intimate book that reveals for the first time what Hoda discovered as she started embracing change in every aspect of her life. From small shifts in daily routines to major leaps of faith, Hoda shows why change isn’t to be feared but celebrated…and how each of us can thrive in the midst of changes we’ll inevitably face ourselves
What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
After film critic Gene Siskel asked Oprah Winfrey, “What do you know for sure?” Oprah Winfrey began writing the “What I Know For Sure” column in O, The Oprah Magazine. Saying that the question offered her a way to take “stock of her life. Organized by theme–joy, resilience, connection, gratitude, possibility, awe, clarity, and power–these essays offer a rare and powerful glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most extraordinary women. Candid, moving, exhilarating, uplifting, and dynamic, the words Oprah shares in What I Know For Sure shimmer with the sort of wisdom and truth that readers will turn to again and again.
Joy at work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondo and Scott Soneshein
The workplace is a magnet for clutter and mess. Who hasn’t felt drained by wasteful meetings, disorganized papers, endless emails, and unnecessary tasks? These are the modern-day hazards of working, and they can slowly drain the joy from work, limit our chances of career progress, and undermine our well-being. There is another way. In Joy at Work, bestselling author and Netflix star Marie Kondo and Rice University business professor Scott Sonenshein offer stories, studies, and strategies to help you eliminate clutter and make space for work that really matters. Using the world-renowned KonMari Method and cutting-edge research, Joy at Work will help you overcome the challenges of workplace mess and enjoy the productivity, success, and happiness that come with a tidy desk and mind.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
A small book for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of encouragement. Years ago, Matt Haig began writing notes to his future self. These notes were meant as gifts to his future self: offerings of hope to help himself through anything from the darkest periods of his life to a not-so-great day. As time went on, he added new thoughts and stories, and he turned them into The Comfort Book so that everyone could draw on this well of reassurance and encouragement. Each of its short meditations gives a new perspective on life and all of its highs and lows–small islands of hope for anyone looking for a more fulfilling, more uplifting way through life. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.
Oh Joy!: 60 Ways to Create & Give Joy by Joy Cho
A beautiful, colorful, inspired guide to help anyone bring joy and whimsy into their lives with stylish projects, from home decor to food to fashion, from the popular Oh Joy blogger and Pinterest sensation. Thirteen million Pinterest members look to Joy Cho, a designer, blogger, mother, and founder of the Oh Joy blog, for creative inspiration. For Joy, it’s the small things that can make a big impact, like decorating cakes with fun toppers, or brightening your home with vibrant pops of color. Joy wants to help you make your world a happier, prettier place and her boundless enthusiasm is infectious.
