Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour in Hewett Centre, and our Library Team offers related reading lists based on the topic of the Sunday service. Here is their list for the Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 11 a.m. service on “Is Happiness the Goal?”, featuring Rev. Shawn Gauthier. All are welcome in Hewett Centre after the Sunday service to check out some books, and to have coffee and conversation.
VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:
1. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams, 2016, 294 LAM
From LibraryThing: “Two leading spiritual masters share their wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity, sharing personal stories and teachings about the science of profound happiness and the daily practices that anchor their emotional and spiritual lives.”.
2. The Art of Happiness at Work by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, 2004, 294.3 BST
From LibraryThing: “… In psychiatry and according to the Dalai Lama, our motivation for working determines our level of satisfaction. The Art of Happiness at Work explores these three levels of focus: ? Survival: focus on salary, stability, food and clothing ? Career: focus on advancement ? Calling: focus on work as a higher purpose. Dr. Cutler probes the Dalai Lama’s wisdom by posing these questions: What is the relationship between self-awareness and work? How does lack of freedom at work affect our levels of happiness? How can we deal with boredom or lack of challenge? Job change and unemployment? How much of our misery comes from our identity being tied up with work? Dr. Cutler walks us through the Dalai Lama’s reasoning so that we may know how to apply his wisdom to daily life. …”.
3. Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach, 1995, 158.12 BAN
From LibraryThing: “… is responsible for introducing two hugely popular concepts — the “Gratitude Journal” and the term “Authentic Self.” With daily inspirational meditations and reflections, the Simple Abundance phenomenon became a touchstone for a generation of women, helping them to reclaim their true selves, find balance during life’s busiest moments, and rediscover what makes them truly happy. … A perennial classic whose time has come again, Sarah’s work celebrates quiet joys, simple pleasures, and well-spent moments and reminds us how to find the beauty in the everyday.”.
4. The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents: Guiding Your Children to Success and Fulfillment by Deepak Chopra, 1997, 649.1 CHO
From LibraryThing: “… to parents around the world who wish to raise children with values that satisfy spiritual needs as well as create the experience of abundance. After a general discussion of parenting and the gift of spirit, this book explores specific ways to practice the seven spiritual laws as a family, how to convey these laws to children depending on their ages, and how to embody them in age–specific activities each day, beginning on Sundays with the law of pure potentiality. …”.
5. The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh, 1999, 294 NHA
From LibaryThing: “… comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy – all qualities of enlightenment. “Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the connection between personal, inner peace, and peace on earth.”–His Holiness the Dalai Lama. … introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha’s teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives…. is a radiant beacon on Buddhist thought for the initiated and uninitiated alike.”.
6. Happiness in a Storm: Facing Illness and Embracing Life as a Healthy Survivor by Wendy Schlessel Harpham, 2005, 155.9 HAR
From LibraryThing: “… Wendy Schlessel Harpham, MD, offers her program to getting good care and finding happiness when you are sick. Having coined the term “Healthy Survivor” while dealing with her own chronic lymphoma, Harpham encourages people dealing with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or any prolonged illness to simultaneously do all they can to overcome disease and live life to the fullest. Harpham opens our eyes to the opportunities for happiness in life despite medical problems and even because of illness.”.
7, Wired for music: a search for health and joy through the science of sound by Adriana Barton, 2022, 781 BAR
Donated by Leslie Hill. From LibraryThing: “… captivating blend of science and memoir, a health journalist and former cellist explores music as a source of health, resilience, connection, and joy. Music isn’t just background noise or a series of torturous exercises we remember from piano lessons. In the right doses, it can double as a mild antidepressant, painkiller, sleeping pill, memory aid–and enhance athletic performance while supporting healthy aging. Though music has been used as a healing strategy since ancient times, neuroscientists have only recently discovered how melody and rhythm stimulate core memory, motor, and emotion centers in the brain. …”.
8. Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation by Joseph Campbell, 2004, 201.3019
From LibraryThing: “… one of the basic functions of myth is to help each individual through the journey of life, providing a sort of travel guide or map to reach fulfillment — or, as he called it, bliss. … anchors mythology’s symbolic wisdom to the individual, applying the most poetic mythical metaphors to the challenges of our daily lives. Campbell dwells on life’s important questions. Combining cross-cultural stories with the teachings of modern psychology, he examines the ways in which our myths shape and enrich our lives and shows how myth can help each of us truly identify and follow our bliss.”.
9. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith, 2006, FIC MCC
From LibraryThing: “Life is good for Mma Ramotswe as she sets out with her usual resolve to solve people’s problems, heal their misfortunes, and untangle the mysteries that make life interesting. And life is never dull on Tlokweng Road. A new and rather too brusque advice columnist is appearing in the local paper. Then, a cobra is found in the offices of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Recently, the Mokolodi Game Preserve manager feels an infectious fear spreading among his workers, and a local doctor may be falsifying blood pressure readings. To further complicate matters, Grace Makutsi may have scared off her own fiance. Mma Ramotswe, however, is always up to the challenge. …”.