If you’re looking for ways to expand yourself, to learn more about yourself, or to accomplish something new, try one of these new self-help books that hit The Library’s shelves in 2025. As of this writing, these books are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.
The Book of Possibilities: Words of Wisdom on the Road to Becoming by Bee Quammie
Bee Quammie invites women and girls everywhere to embrace the power of possibility in this intimate and empowering collection.
A successful Black woman in media, Bee Quammie often finds herself being cast as a role model for young women—and especially Black women and other women of colour. But Bee has never quite been comfortable with the idea of being a role model for the next generation. Who is she to suggest anyone live the way she has? Follow a certain path? Who says the path she followed is the “right” one—that there even is a “right” one?
When Bee became a mother, the weight of responsibility became even heavier, and she spent hours agonizing over how she could be the guide her girls needed without getting in their way or imposing her agenda. That’s when Bee decided she needed a new model for understanding the role she should play for her children—and anyone else who might be looking to her for inspiration.
Instead of a role model, Bee prefers to think of herself as a possibility model—one example among many of how to live one’s life. But even more important, Bee wants to show her daughters and other women how ripe with possibility their lives really are, how many opportunities and avenues there are to explore. There is so much richness to be found in life, even if you end up somewhere that feels unconventional or unplanned.
In The Book of Possibilities, Bee shows us how small acts of bravery and paying careful attention to our inner voice can open up a world of opportunity and lead to a fulfilling life. – Penguin Canada
Change the Recipe: Because You Can’t Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe
A unique collection of life lessons from renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés
José Andrés is a chef, an entrepreneur, an author, a television host, and a tireless humanitarian leader across the globe. A Michelin-starred chef with more than forty restaurants, José is also the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to feeding the hungry in the wake of natural and man-made disasters. His lifetime of experience—from kitchens to conflict zones—has given him a wealth of stories and teachable moments that are funny, touching, and insightful, all animated by the belief that food can bring us closer together and the conviction that each of us can change the world for the better.
Written in José’s unmistakable voice, Change the Recipe is a collection of his most affecting and powerful life lessons: hard-won wisdom from a man who has dedicated his life to changing the world through the power of food. – Ecco
How to Love Better: The Path to Deeper Connection through Growth, Kindness, and Compassion by Yung Pueblo
“Everyone enters relationships with imperfections and negative patterns that block the flow of love, but when you embrace growth, the new harmony within you will flow into your relationship.”
Love enters our lives in many forms: friends, family, intimate partners. But all of these relationships are deeply influenced by the love we have for ourselves. If we see our relationships as opportunities to be fully present in our healing and growth, then, Yung Pueblo assures us, we can transform and meet one another with compassion instead of judgment.
In How to Love Better, Yung Pueblo examines all aspects of relationships, from the rose-colored early days when you may be hesitant to show your full self, to the challenges that can arise without clear communication, to dealing with heartbreak and healing as you close a chapter of your life. The power of looking inward remains at the core of Yung Pueblo’s teachings. Ego and attachment can become barriers in a relationship, so the more self-aware you become, the more you can support both your partner and yourself.
How to Love Better includes:
- How to build harmony in a relationship
- How to see each other’s perspective
- How to find the right partner
- How to heal from heartbreak
- How to overcome attachment
- How to form commitments
- How to argue
Yung Pueblo’s insights on embracing change, building a foundation of honesty, and learning to listen selflessly will resonate regardless of where you are in your healing journey. And his unique combination of poetry, personal experience, and thoughtful advice will help you grow and strengthen all of your relationships. – Harmony
I Don’t Believe in Astrology: A Therapist’s Guide to the Life-Changing Wisdom of the Stars by Debra Silverman
An accessible guide to the life-changing benefits of astrology by renowned psychotherapist and astrologer, Debra Silverman.
In a chaotic, confusing, and divisive world, Debra Silverman introduces astrology as the medicine for accepting our human nature–its idiosyncrasies and dilemmas. Through an application of both therapy and astrology, this breakthrough guide equips readers with tools that release self-judgment, inner criticism, negativity, and misunderstanding. Every sign struggles with psychological issues. Understanding the unique topics relative to your sign, it’s no surprise you are quirky. Learning how to accept who you are and love yourself unconditionally through the lens of astrology is at the heart of this book.
Debra Silverman teaches you how to step away from the struggle of your ego and see yourself with the calm objectivity of your soul. You will learn to love what you see—not just your best qualities but everything about you. She shows you how to aim for the high road of your personality. Most of all, you will cultivate compassion for all the other signs in the zodiac. Learn the meaning of the sun, moon, rising sign, Mercury, and Saturn. Using Debra’s method combining the wisdom of astrology and psychology, readers will remember the truth of their soul’s expression, seen through the eyes of self-love. – St. Martin’s Essentials
Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin
The author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness.
The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives. Drawing from her long studies of happiness, and also from the challenges she’s faced herself, writer Gretchen Rubin has discovered the “Secrets of Adulthood” that can help us manage the complexities of life. To convey her conclusions, she turned to the aphorism—the ancient literary discipline that demands that a writer convey a large truth in a few words.
Perhaps you’re paralyzed by indecision, struggling to navigate a big change, fighting a temptation, or puzzled by the behavior of someone you love; whatever you face, the right aphorism can help. From procrastination to the pursuit of happiness, Secrets of Adulthood is filled with witty and thought-provoking reflections such as:
- “Recognize that, like sleeping with a big dog in a small bed, things that are uncomfortable can also be comforting”
- “Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself”
- “Easy children raise good parents”
- “What can be done at any time is often done at no time”
For anyone undergoing a major life transition, such as graduation, career switch, marriage, or moving, or for those just encountering everyday dilemmas, these disarming aphorisms will inspire you by articulating truths that you may never have noticed but instantly recognize. – Crown
When Work Hurts: Building Resilience When You’re Beat Up or Burnt Out by Meryl Herr
We might be discouraged, disillusioned, or devastated by our work. We might experience trauma or harassment on the job, or we may have experienced work loss by getting fired. If you’ve been beat up, burnt out, or brokenhearted by work, you’re not alone.
The Bible tells us that work will be difficult—filled with thorns and thistles—but no one prepares us for the pain we experience on the job. In When Work Hurts Meryl Herr
- Explores the emotional, relational, and vocational pain that work causes and helps us rebound and build resilience so we can fully participate with God in his mission,
- Walks through the biblical story of the Israelites’ journey of exile, return, and rebuilding as a framework for spiritual and practical resources for navigating work loss, and
- Shows that we can take comfort in the fact that God is at work in the midst of our work to bring healing and hope. – InterVarsity Press