Caring Outward - December Sweetbean - Adults

Discover stories of kindness and giving back that inspire us to care for our communities, the world, and each other in the December Sweetbean Challenge.

Updated November 25, 2025
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All friends are necessary : a novel
Moniz, Tomas
Paper Book
Winner of the Golden Poppy Martin Cruz Smith Award for Emerging Diverse Voices In this "tender and open-hearted novel," (Nina LaCour, author of Yerba Buena) Tomas Moniz--a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway and Lambda Literary awards--delivers a...
The art of gathering : how we meet and why it matters
Parker, Priya
Paper Book
"Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together--at home, at work, in our...
Braiding sweetgrass
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member...
The collected regrets of Clover
Brammer, Mikki
Paper Book
USA Today Bestseller * Best Book of 2023 by NPR "This weird, lovely and sweetly satisfying novel [is] engaging and accessible...Clover's emergence from a shuttered life is moving enough to elicit tears, and Brammer's take on death and grieving is profound...
Foster
Keegan, Claire
Paper Book
An international bestseller and one of The Times' "Top 50 Novels Published in the 21st Century," Claire Keegan's piercing contemporary classic Foster is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love; now released as a standalone book for the first time ever in the US ...
Hello beautiful : a novel
Napolitano, Ann
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD! From the author of Dear Edward comes a "powerfully affecting" (People) family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? "Another tender tearjerker...
Hope for cynics : the surprising science of human goodness
Zaki, Jamil
Paper Book
Cynicism is making us sick, but Stanford Psychologist Dr. Jamil Zaki has the cure--a "ray of light for dark days" (Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author). In 1972, half of Americans agreed that most people can be trusted; by 2018, only a third...
How to get along with anyone : the playbook for predicting and preventing conflict at work and at home
Eliot, John
Paper Book
Defuse any heated conflict by learning which of the five conflict styles you are and how to resolve even the most sensitive dispute with this must-read guide. The average American worker spends 156 hours a year engaged in the kind of moderate to intense workplace conflict that...
How to love better : the path to deeper connection through growth, kindness, and compassion
Yung Pueblo (Writer)
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The beloved author of Lighter offers a blueprint for deepening your compassion, kindness, and gratitude so you can truly grow in harmony with another person and build stronger connections in all your relationships. "A beautiful offering from...
Iona Iverson's rules for commuting
Pooley, Clare
Paper Book
Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It's a rule. But what would happen if they did? From the New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project comes an escapist read that will transport you, cheer you, and make you smile--and make you, too,...
Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life
Fisher, Helen
Paper Book
A thoroughly uplifting novel about a neurodivergent young man who unexpectedly builds a community and saves a friend in need by following--in a way only he can--his mother's words of wisdom. Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like dinner and dessert. Mean...
The last beekeeper
Dalton, Julie Carrick
Paper Book
Julie Carrick Dalton's The Last Beekeeper is a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair. "Fans of Delia Owens will swoon to find their new favorite author." (Hank Phillippi Ryan)
The laws of connection : the scientific secrets of building a strong social network
Robson, David (Science journalist)
Paper Book
This groundbreaking study reveals how social connections are far more important than we thought, showing us the steps we can take to build better relationships and improve our lives. Social connection is as essential for our health and happiness as a balanced diet and regular...
Leadership in turbulent times
Goodwin, Doris Kearns
Paper Book
From Pulitzer Prize-winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, an invaluable guide to the development and exercise of leadership from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The inspiration for the...
The lost trees of Willow Avenue : a story of climate and hope on one American street
Tidwell, Mike
Paper Book
A riveting and elegant story of climate change on one city street, full of surprises and true stories of human struggle and dying local trees - all against the national backdrop of 2023's record heat domes and raging wildfires and, simultaneously, rising hopes for clean energy.
The mostly true story of Tanner & Louise
Oakley, Colleen
Paper Book
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for...
The next conversation : argue less, talk more
Fisher, Jefferson
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From communication expert Jefferson Fisher, the definitive book on making your next conversation the one that changes everything No matter who you're talking to, The Next Conversation gives you immediately...
The night watchman : a novel
Erdrich, Louise
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WASHINGTON POST, NPR, CBS SUNDAY MORNING, KIRKUS, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich's...
The people we keep
Larkin, Allie
Paper Book
BOOK RIOT'S BEST BOOKS OF 2021 "This is a novel of great empathy, about connections and coming-of-age, built families and self-acceptance. It contains heartbreak and redemption, and a plucky, irresistible protagonist...[A] propulsive, empathetic novel." --Shelf...
The promise of a pencil : how an ordinary person can create extraordinary change
Braun, Adam.
Paper Book
The riveting story of how a young man turned $25 into more than 200 schools around the world and the guiding steps anyone can take to lead a successful and significant life. Adam Braun began working summers at hedge funds when he was just sixteen years old, sprinting down the...
Rethinking rescue : Dog Lady and the story of America's forgotten people and pets
Mithers, Carol Lynn
Paper Book
NOW WITH A NEW AFTERWORD ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE PALISADES FIRE ON ANIMAL RESCUES IN LOS ANGELES Rethinking Rescue boldly confronts two of the biggest challenges of our time--poverty and homelessness--in asking the question: Who deserves the love of a pet? In...
Search : a memoir with recipes by Dana Louise Potowski : a novel
Huneven, Michelle
Paper Book
"Delectable. . . Huneven treats us to a savory plot that blends spiritual yearnings with earthly pleasures. Forks out!"--Oprah Daily * An NPR Best Book of 2022 From critically acclaimed, award-winning author Michelle Huneven, a sharp and funny novel of a congregational...
The secret life of Albert Entwistle
Cain, Matt
Paper Book
"This rollicking romance entrapped me! True in its detail and its scope, it is amusing yet heart-breaking." --Ian McKellen Perfect for fans of Fredrik Backman and TJ Klune, this humorous, life-affirming, and charmingly wise novel tells the story of how the forced retirement of a shy,...
Someday, maybe : a novel
Nwabineli, Onyi
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK * A LIBRARYREADS PICK "If you are someone who gravitates toward emotional gut punch reads, allow me to introduce you to this spectacular debut..."--BuzzFeed Here are three...
Women's hotel : a novel
Lavery, Daniel M.
Paper Book
National Bestseller ONE OF FALL'S MOST ANTICIPATED READS--New York Times, Vulture, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews, and more From the New York Times bestselling author and advice columnist, a poignant and funny debut novel about the residents of a women's hotel in 1960s New York City. ...

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