Celebrate the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 with a special booklist. Books penned by Olympians, Paralympians, and about the journey to success!
Young Adult
- A Chance for Rain: A Novel by Tricia Downing
- Cycle of Hope: A Journey from Paralysis to Possibility by Tricia Downing
- Beneath the Surface by Michael Phelps (Author), Brian Cazeneuve, Bob Costas
- No Limits: The Will to Succeed by Michael Phelps
- Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles
- Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh
Adult
- Wheels of Courage by David Davis
- Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstances by Mallory Weggemann
- Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons From America's Miracle Team by Jim Craig
- Greater Than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption by David Boudia
- Catch a Star: Shining through Adversity to Become a Champion by Tamika Catchings
- Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith and Raising the Bar by Gabby Douglas and Michelle Burford
- Modern Eventing With Phillip Dutton: The Complete Resource — Training, Conditioning, and Competing in All Three Phases by Phillip Dutton
- Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian by Anthony Ervin
- Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes; a cookbook by Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky
- Relentless Spirit: The Unconventional Raising of a Champion by Missy Franklin
- In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court by Brittney Griner
- I Got This: To Gold and Beyond by Laurie Hernandez
- Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi
- When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World by Carli Lloyd
- Family Power: The True Story of How ‘The First Family of Taekwondo’ Made Olympic History by Steven Lopez
- Ya Sama! Moments from My Life by Tatyana McFadden
- Fire in My Eyes: An American Warrior’s Journey from Being Blinded on the Battlefield to Gold Medal Victory by Brad Snyder
- Solo: A Memoir of Hope by Hope Solo
- My Life: Queen of the Court by Serena Williams
- On the Line by Serena Williams with Daniel Paisner
- Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession by Venus Williams
- Off Balance: A Memoir by Dominique Moceanu with Paul and Teri Williams
- In the Water They Can’t See You Cry: A Memoir by Amanda Beard with Rebecca Paley
- Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas with Michelle Burford
- Forward: A Memoir by Abby Wambach
Children
- How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals by Michael Phelps (For ages 4 - 8)
- She’s Got This! by Laurie Hernandez (For ages 4 - 8)
- Carmelo Anthony: It’s Just the Beginning by Carmela Anthony (For ages 9+)
- Sue Bird: Be Yourself by Sue Bird (For ages 4+)
- All Heart: My Dedication and Determination to Become One of Soccer’s Best by Carli Lloyd (For ages 10+)
- Breakaway: Beyond the Goal by Alex Morgan (For ages 7+)
- Hope Solo: My Story by Hope Solo (For ages 8+)
About the Olympics/Paralympics/Athletes
- After the Race by Alec Sokolow and Arthur Lubow (children)
- Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends (Kid Legends) by David Stabler (children)
- Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson (youth)
- The Golden Girls of Rio by Nikkolas Smith (children)
- Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion by Heather Lang (children)
- The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World's Worst Olympic Athlete by Tim Collins (children)
- What Are the Paralympic Games? by Gail Herman & Who HQ (children)
- Paralympic Power by Paul Mason (children)
- Lucas at the Paralympics by Igor Plohl (children)
- Lucas Makes a Comeback by Igor Plohl (children)
- Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide To living Your Best Life by Vernon Brundage Jr. (young adult/adult)
- Carry On: A Story of Resilience, Redemption, and an Unlikely Family Kindle Edition by Lisa Fern (young adult/adult)
- A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team by Arshay Cooper (adult)
Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) announced today that it reached a record-breaking two million digital book checkouts in October 2021. This accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of eBooks and audiobooks. PPLD is one of 54 public library systems worldwide that has surpassed one million checkouts at this point in the year.
PPLD provides readers 24/7 access to eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive and its award-winning Libby reading app. Reader interest and usage has grown constantly over the years; 2020 ended with 2,430,575 digital checkouts.
The highest-circulating digital title borrowed by PPLD readers thus far in 2021 has been The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, checked out as an eBook or audiobook more than 2,600 times. The top-circulating genres include fiction with more than one million circulations, nonfiction at over 450,000 circulations, and literature nearing almost 450,000 circulations.
The top 5 eBook titles borrowed through PPLD’s digital collection in 2021:
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
- A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
- Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The top 5 eAudiobook titles borrowed through the Library’s digital collection in 2021:
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- The Duke and I by July Quinn
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Readers in El Paso County only need a valid library card to access digital books from PPLD’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. Readers can use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (US only). Visit ppld.org/eLibrary or download the Libby app to get started and borrow eBooks and audiobooks anytime, anywhere.
Welcome the Pikes Peak Region's new Poet Laureate!
Please join us in welcoming the Pikes Peak Region's new Poet Laureate! This hour long event will feature poetry readings from a variety of local poets, including past Pikes Peak Poet Laureates.
- When:Sat., Oct. 23 from 6 - 7 p.m.
- Where: The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall): MacLaren Hall
- Click here for more.
The evenings activities will be emceed by former Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, Susan Peiffer.
The program will feature:
- Opening remarks by Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Chief Librarian & CEO, John Spears
- Performances by local poets (TBD)
- Past Poet Laureate Performances by Price Strobridge, Aaron Anstett (invited), and Susan Peiffer
- Installation Ceremony, and performance by Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius