What inspires you? My heart soars when I hear how others face challenging obstacles and overcome. Such stories embolden me to develop an overcoming mindset in each area of my life.

Desiring additional inspiration, we chose “All Things Sports” for the winter genre of Grand County Library District’s Virtual Book Club.

It’s true that sports stories often relate hindrances, heartache and even tragedy. However, there are mindsets that empower athletes to break through to victory rather than succumb in defeat.

Can you identify the mindsets in our club’s favorite reads?

“Find a Way” (Diana Nyad) — At 64 years old, Diana swam non-stop from Florida to Cuba. She used her repeated failures to motivate her to triumph. Such determination will inspire you!

“The Final Race” (Eric Eichinger) — After winning the 400-meter dash in the 1924 Olympics, Eric Liddell — hero of the “Chariots of Fire” film — serves as a missionary in China where faith is his bolstering mindset.

“Boys in the Boat” (Daniel James Brown) — Joe Rantz and eight other young men rise from the struggles of the Great Depression to unite as America’s 1936 Olympic rowing team. Grit and selflessness are their secrets for success.

“Fast Girls” (Elise Hooper) — This novel shines the light on the true stories of three female athletes — Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens — who break through gender barriers to compete in three different Olympiads, including 1936 in Berlin.

“Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” (Deborah Riley Draper) — Eighteen African American athletes faced local prejudice and Nazi Aryan Supremacy head-on at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

“Cycle of Lies” (Juliet Macur) — If you ever wanted to know how Lance Armstrong defeated himself with performance drugs, this journalist pulls back the veil of lies to expose the truth.

“The Blind Side” (Michael Lewis) — Enjoy Michael Orr’s “rags to riches” journey to football fame, as well as the fascinating evolution of the left tackle’s importance and the consequential changes in coaching strategy.

Forward: A Memoir (Abby Wambach) — “Named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of 2015, the soccer player captured the nation’s heart when she led her team to its recent World Cup Championship” (Booklist).

“Running with Sherman” (Christopher McDougall) — Sports can be an instrument of healing for mind and body – for humans and animals alike. McDougall recounts the adventure of training himself and his donkey, Sherman, to compete in a Colorado burro race.

To browse the club’s remaining book choices, search GCLD’s catalog with the phrase favorite sports reads and click the first search result titled “Virtual Book Club’s Favorite Sports Reads.”

Blind Date with a Literary Book is our current genre and books wrapped in colorful paper and draped with tantalizing clues are on display.

To join the mysterious fun, contact a librarian at the Kremmling Library at 970-724-9228 or Hot Sulphur Springs Library at 970-725-3942. Parties celebrating the genre are slated for May 3, 2021, at the Kremmling Library and May 5, 2021, at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library.

All adult GCLD library patrons are welcome!