Paperboy by Vince Vawter

In the heat of the summer of 1959 in Memphis, a boy takes over his friend's paper route for one month. While delivering and collecting on the route, he learns a lot about his neighborhood, the world around him, and about himself.

This is - hands down - the best book I've read in recent history. I can't stop thinking about it. The kid (we don't learn his name until close to the end) suffers with a stutter, so he's typically afraid to speak in public, especially to strangers. But this new responsibility encourages him to try some coping mechanisms and to practice, practice, practice.

By making routine, regular trips around the neighborhood, he gets a glimpse of the day-to-day in households other than his own. He begins to understand privilege, race, and responsibility. Good and bad things happen, and when his buddy returns at month's end, our hero is a little different than he was previously. You will be too.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Nora is presented with a puzzling dilemma as the story begins: whether or not to attend a hen weekend (bachelorette party) for her estranged best friend. After being goaded to attend by and with a mutual friend, Nora learns how much can change in ten years, but also how much can stay the same. The party of six find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation at the end of a weekend of intoxication and isolation in the woods. A knock on the head prevents Nora from remembering what happened until it might be too late.

Though there are a couple good moments of hold-your-breath suspense, I found some of the more important details of the story to be illogical. I enjoyed reading about the British version of a bachelorette celebration.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, or so they say. Jeannette Walls’s memoir is an often-unbelievable account of extreme poverty and puzzling family values. The award-winning author tells her tale of growing up in a family full of dysfunction, alcoholism, destitution, and a stunning sense of pride. Frequently without the basic modern necessities like electricity, heat, and running water, the Walls children depended on discarded food and threadbare thrift store clothing for survival. Persisting on their own gumption while dodging abusive family members was the only reality known to the Walls kids.

This incredible story of survival and success despite the odds had me shaking my head in disbelief while picking my jaw up off the floor. Walls narrates the audiobook herself, and her ability to tell it in a matter-of-fact tone, and sometimes even with reverence, is mind-boggling.

This story evoked the entire range of emotions, and it is one that encourages appreciation for the most basic elements in life that are often taken for granted. I will be pondering this story for a long time to come.

Inspiration: written before you were born

Have you ever read a book older than you are? It can be an interesting experience because so much has changed about societal norms (and publishing trends) in just the last few decades.

One way to give it a try is to revisit the lists of awards I gave you last week and look up the past winners.

You can also Google "award-winning books of XXXX" (year of your choice) and see what happens.

Pick up a classic - one of those books everybody's heard of and supposedly has already read (wait, that's another inspiration prompt we'll get to later). Most of those would be from before your time.

You know how I said societal norms have changed? Often the reason books get "banned" or suggested for review is dated terminology or no longer approved behavior. Take a look at the American Library Association's list of frequently challenged books and find inspiration there.

One last idea: ask an older adult for a recommendation. See what your dad's favorite book was before you were born. Or ask your grandparents about something they loved in the past. It might also start a conversation that takes you deeper in your understanding of them!

For Everyone by Jason Reynolds

If you're looking for something uplifting, this might be the book. Reynolds wrote a letter to himself in the form of a poem. What's wonderful is that his words can have an impact on us all. Whether 14 or 40, the reader who picks up this book most likely has something in life that makes her wonder if she can achieve her dreams. A young reader, like most of Reynolds fans, might be overwhelmed by all the possibilities. An older reader might be trying to remember what the dream is.

Reynolds' voice sounds young and hopeful as he tells us all to listen to our own hopeful voices. He reminds us to let hope drown out the oppressive discontent that tries to knock us down. This might be one that has to live on my shelf for to be referenced on those wicked days.

Rush of Heaven by Ema McKinley and Cheryl Ricker

Ema McKinley's life was turned upside down (literally) due to a work-related accident that left her wheelchair bound and in excruciating pain for nearly two decades. This work of inspirational non-fiction chronicles her medical journey and the miracle that cannot be explained through science.

My mother read this for a book discussion group and asked me to read it for a one-on-one discussion. Sensing her skepticism, and knowing my own, I picked it up shortly before Christmas. At first, Ema's story and connection to God made sense. Throughout the recitation, I was right there with the author as she recounted all the ways her faith helped her endure physical pain and deformities unimaginable for the majority of us. I could believe even the most seemingly far-fetched parts of the path she traveled until I got to her behavior at the very end of the story. Ms. McKinley's actions toward her loved ones and doctors after her miracle seemed puerile and manipulative, even in the face of all her grateful talk.

Inspiration: award winner

One of the fun things about reading award-winning books is that they've already been vetted for you - a committee decided it was good! You're always allowed to disagree, but at least somebody thinks it's a good book, and that's never a bad jumping-off point.

I promise that no matter what you enjoy reading, there's an award for it: literature, romance, fiction, poetry, sci-fi, teen book, kid's lit, horror, and on and on. Here are a few links to the sites for various awards:

• Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction
• Nobel Prize for Literature
• Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction and Biography and Poetry
• Hugo Awards for science fiction, horror and fantasy
• Man Booker Prize for Fiction
• National Book Awards for fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people's literature
• Caldecott Medal for picture books
• Newbery Medals for children's literature
• YALSA's awards for teen literature
• Odyssey Award for audiobook produced for children/young adults
• Sibert Medal for children's nonfiction
• Stonewall Book Award for juvenile books relating to the GLBT experience
• Edgar Awards for mystery 
• National Book Critics Circle Awards for fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography and criticism
• PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
• Costa Book Awards for first novel, novel, biography, poetry, and children's book in the UK and Ireland

and then I decided maybe I'd just give you the list on Wikipedia of world literary awards because this is so much fun to browse and look for inspiration!

Have you ever read an award-winning book and thought it was total crap? Tell us about it in the comments!