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Book List - Inspirational Must Reads

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Generic Profile avatar Inspirational Must Reads What books have you read that you were most inspired by? These may be secular or religious in nature. They could be fiction or nonfiction. Usually these books are uplifting and may have people or characters that we admire and want to imitate. Edit
List created by Angela B. on Jul 11, 2010
List Votes: 3 Books: 35 Contributors: 3 Watchers: 6 List Type: Open
1
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Angela B.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia ...
First, pleasure: savoring Italy's buffet of delights -- the world's best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners -- Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then,...  more

Book Votes: 2
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Angela B.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Plot Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he...  more

Book Votes: 2
3
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Angela B.
The Road Less Traveled : A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual G...
"Life is difficult." With this first sentence, Dr. M. Scott Peck revolutionized the way we live our lives, and it is no less true today than when it was written twenty years ago. In this guide to confronting and resolving our problems-and suffering through the changes-we learn that we...  more

Book Votes: 2
4
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Angela B.
Believing God by Beth Moore
Join best-selling author and Bible teacher Beth Moore in her latest book as she explores what it means to know and truly believe God, not just to believe IN Him. Through the examples of believers like Abraham and Moses, who trusted God's promises, Beth encourages Christians of all ages to deepen...  more

Book Votes: 1
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Angela B.
Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind by Joyce Meyer
Winning the Battle in your Mind. There's a War Going On And Your Mind Is The Battlefield. If you're one of millions who suffer from worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger or condemnation, you are experiencing an attack in your mind. Overcoming negative thoughts that come against your mind...  more

Book Votes: 1
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Angela B.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
Building on the astonishing success of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle presents readers with an honest look at the current state of humanity: He implores us to see and accept that this state, which is based on an erroneous identification with the egoic mind, is one of dangerous...  more

Book Votes: 1
7
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Angela B.
The Power of Now : A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
It's no wonder that The Power of Now has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 foreign languages. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the...  more

Book Votes: 1
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Angela B.
When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner
When Harold Kushner’s three-year-old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease and that he would only live until his early teens, he was faced with one of life’s most difficult questions: Why, God? Years later, Rabbi Kushner wrote this straightforward, elegant contemplation of...  more

Book Votes: 1
9
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Angela B.
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
A "Positively Diabolical" Correspondence "My dear Wormwood,..." So begins this product of C.S. Lewis's wickedly funny imagination, a correspondence between two devils, the elderly Screwtape and his young nephew, Wormwood. As the senior fiend advises his young...  more

Book Votes: 1
10
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Angela B.
The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall
What would you do to inherit a million dollars? Would you be willing to change your life? Jason Stevens is about to find out in Jim Stovall's The Ultimate Gift. Red Stevens has died, and the older members of his family receive their millions with greedy anticipation. But a different fate awaits...  more

Book Votes: 0
11
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Angela B.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." --Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the...  more

Book Votes: 0
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Angela B.
The Ultimate Life by Jim Stovall
When Jason Stevens found out he had to learn twelve lessons to maybe get an unnamed inheritance from his billionaire grandfather, he was not amused. By the time he'd finished learning the imposed lessons, he'd become a different man. Ready to tackle the duties of a running a multi-billion dollar...  more

Book Votes: 0
13
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Angela B.
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Al...
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher. Someone older who understood you when you were young and searching, who helped you see the world as a more profound place, and gave you advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor...  more

Book Votes: 0
14
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Angela B.
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza &am...
Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the...  more

Book Votes: 0
15
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Angela B.
Mystics & Miracles: True Stories of Lives Touched by God by Bert Ghezzi
Through twenty-four intimate biographies, author Bert Ghezzi introduces us to the diverse personalities and extraordinary lives of the men and women known as mystics. Mystics are ordinary people who have been touched by God and introduced to the mysteries of Christís death and...  more

Book Votes: 0
16
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Angela B.
Peace: The Words and Inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi (Me-We) by Unknown Author
A collection of of words and inspiration by four of the 20th Century's most preeminent humanitarians. Each book in this series features an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Book Votes: 0
17
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Angela B.
Galileo's Daughter : A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel
Galileo Galilei's telescopes allowed him to discover a new reality in the heavens. But for publicly declaring his astounding argument--that the earth revolves around the sun--he was accused of heresy and put under house arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Living a far different life,...  more

Book Votes: 0
18
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Angela B.
The Diary of a Young Girl (Definitive Edition) by Anne Frank & Otto H. Frank (Edi...
Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century. Since its publication in 1947, it has been read by tens of millions of people all over the world. It remains a beloved and deeply admired testament to the indestructible nature of the human...  more

Book Votes: 0
19
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Angela B.
The Endurance : Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander
In August 1914, days before the outbreak of the First World War, the renowned explorer Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven set sail for the South Atlantic in pursuit of the last unclaimed prize in the history of exploration: the first crossing on foot of the Antarctic continent. Weaving...  more

Book Votes: 0
20
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Angela B.
Longitude : The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Proble...
During the great ages of exploration, "the longitude problem" was the gravest of all scientific challenges. Lacking the ability to determine their longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known...  more

Book Votes: 0
21
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Angela B.
Grayson by Lynne Cox
It was the dark of early morning; seventeen-year-old Lynne Cox was swimming her last half mile back to the pier after a long workout when she became aware that something was swimming with her. The ocean was charged with energy as if a squall was moving in; whatever it was felt large enough to be...  more

Book Votes: 0
22
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Angela B.
Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman's Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle t...
Christian women who make God and family a priority in their life will love Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman's Soul, an affirming collection of stories that share the miracles that are possible when their hearts are open to God. This wonderful new addition is filled with compelling real-life...  more

Book Votes: 0
23
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Angela B.
Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis De Sales & John K. Ryan
One of the great religious masterpieces of all time--a spiritual guide for everyone seeking to live a truly Christian life, revised and updated for the modern reader.

Book Votes: 0
24
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Angela B.
The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul by Therese of Lisi...
A spiritual guide for millions the world over, this is the autobiography of a holy woman who "attained to the knowledge of supernatural things in such abundant measure that she was able to point out the sure way of salvation to others." --Pope Pius XI

Book Votes: 0
25
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Angela B.
The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson
 Further Reflections on a Course in Miracles.. "The only way to gain power in a world that is moving too fast is to learn to slow down. And the only way to spread one's influence wide is to learn to go deep. The world we want for ourselves and our children will not emerge from...  more

Book Votes: 0
26
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Angela B.
The Rhythm of Life : Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose by Matthew Kelly
Do you ever feel that if you weren't so busy you would be happier, healthier, more effective, more fulfilled...and maybe even a better person? Once every twenty-five years or so, a book comes along that perfectly identifies our common search and struggle for happiness, and teaches us how...  more

Book Votes: 0
27
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Angela B.
The Meaning of Relativity by Albert Einstein
In 1921, five years after the appearance of his comprehensive paper on general relativity and twelve years before he left Europe permanently to join the Institute for Advanced Study, Albert Einstein visited Princeton University, where he delivered the Stafford Little Lectures for that year....  more

Book Votes: 0
28
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Angela B.
Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Psychiatrist Victor Frankl tells the story of the three years he spent as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, where he discovered that the will to find meaning in life motivates human existence. One of the 10 most influential books in the Library of Congress/Book-of-the-Month Club's 1991...  more

Book Votes: 0
29
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Angela B.
The Life of Teresa of Jesus : The Autobiography of Teresa of Avila by E. Allison Peer...
A religious classic for centuries, this is the compelling autobiography of the great Spanish saint, mystic, and reformer, with an illuminating introduction by one of the world's leading experts on feminine spirituality.

Book Votes: 0
30
SanJoseCa
ANNA S. (SanJoseCa)
Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment. World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make positive use of the very situations that usually pressure and antagonize us. For him a ringing telephone...  more

Book Votes: 0
31
SanJoseCa
ANNA S. (SanJoseCa)
The Illumined Heart: Capture the Vibrant Faith of Ancient Christians by Frederica Mat...
Why are modern Christians so indistinguishable from everyone else? How come Christians who lived in times of bloody persecution were so heroic, while we who live in safety are not? How could the first Christians fast valiantly, but we feel deprived without dessert? How did New Testament...  more

Book Votes: 0
32
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Angela B.
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
The story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one? As a child, Charley Benetto is told by his father, "You can be a mama's boy or you can be a...  more

Book Votes: 0
33
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Angela B.
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke & Jennifer Armstrong
IRENE GUT WAS just 17 in 1939, when the Germans and Russians devoured her native Poland. Just a girl, really. But a girl who saw evil and chose to defy it.  

Book Votes: 0
34
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Angela B.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness. Anna is not...  more

Book Votes: 0
35
gina329
Gina S. (gina329) -
Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately?: Finding Hope and Healing When You Feel Discoura...
Everyone experiences times of sadness, trials, and pain. But what happens when grief and depression seem so overwhelming that we feel like giving up? As the founder of World Challenge, Inc., David Wilkerson worked with troubled people of every type: students, parents, alcoholics, delinquents,...  more

Book Votes: 0

List Comments

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Comment added 2/24/11 by Milissa E. (milissae):
I didn't care for "My sister's Keeper". I didn't give my any "aha" moments.

Comment added 7/13/10 by Angela B.:
Comment deleted 7/13/10 by Angela B.

Comment added 7/13/10 by Angela B.:
Comment deleted 7/13/10 by Angela B.

Comment added 7/12/10 by Jessica S. (iluvlibros) - :
I loved Eat, Pray, Love. I read it at a time when I was going through a big breakup and major life change. The author's story was a huge inspiration to me! Good choice of a book for this list. :)