Meeting with her five close friends to celebrate her recovery from cancer, Kate announces that she will take up white-water rafting if each of them will also do something that equally terrifies them, a challenge that results in a tattoo, a bread-baking endeavor and a reconciliation. 35,000 first printing.
An insightful, joyful tour of the transformative powers of starting something new, no matter your age—from the bestselling author of Traffic and You May Also Like “Vanderbilt elegantly and persuasively tackles one of the most pernicious of the lies we tells ourselves—that the pleasures of learning are reserved for the young.” —Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to be bad at something? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of beginning from the ground up? Inspired by his young daughter’s insatiable curiosity, Tom Vanderbilt embarks on a yearlong quest of learning—purely for the sake of learning. Rapturously singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica, Vanderbilt tackles five main skills but learns so much more. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts about the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner and shows how anyone can get better at beginning again—and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps. Funny, uplifting, and delightfully informative, Beginners is about how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.
Using simple exercises, rediscover the pleasure you got from childhood drawing, before you became too self-conscious and self-critical to enjoy it. As we grow up, somehow we learn that drawing is hard and there are all sorts of rules about colour and perspective that stifle our creativity. This book is here to remind you of the joy you once found in creating, scribbling, getting something down on paper—and that it’s more about the process than the result. This accessible guide takes you by the hand, breaks down the barriers to sketching, and shows you how to build your confidence and skills to draw spontaneously, with nothing more than the things around you for inspiration. Through a series of simple exercises, you will learn how to sketch everyday items, people and places, using simple watercolour techniques to add colour to your sketchbooks.
The New York Times bestselling novel from Garth Stein–a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of a dog’s efforts to hold together his family in the face of a divisive custody battle. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.
As seen on Netflix - from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger Helen Carpenter can’t quite seem to bounce back. Newly divorced at thirty-two, her life has fallen apart beyond her ability to put it together again. So when her annoying younger brother, Duncan, convinces her to sign up for a hardcore wilderness survival course in the backwoods of Wyoming—she hopes it’ll be exactly what she needs. Instead, it’s a disaster. It’s nothing like she wants, or expects, or anticipates. She doesn’t anticipate the surprise summer blizzard, for example—or the blisters, or the rutting elk, or the mean pack of sorority girls. And she especiallydoesn’t anticipate that her annoying brother’s even-more-annoying best friend, Jake, will show up for the exact same course—and distract her, derail her, and . . . kiss her. But it turns out sometimes disaster can teach you exactly the things you need to learn. Like how to keep going, even when you think you can’t. How being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes getting really, really lost is your only hope of getting found. Happiness for Beginners is Katherine Center at her most heart-warming, captivating best—a nourishing, page-turning, up-all-night read about how to get back up. It’s a story that looks at how our struggles lead us to our strengths. How love is always worth it. And how the more good things we look for, the more we find.
In this illuminating tour of humanity, Joy Hendry and Simon Underdown reveal the origins of our species, and the fabric of human society, through the discipline of anthropology. Via fascinating case studies and discoveries, they unravel our understanding of human behaviours and beliefs, including how witchcraft has been used to justify misfortune, and debunk old-fashioned ideas about “race” based upon the latest genetic research. They even share what our bathroom tells us about our concept of the body – and ourselves. From our evolutionary ancestors, through our rites of passage, to our responses to globalization, Hendry and Underdown provide the essential first step to understanding the world as an anthropologist would – in all its diversity and commonality.
Cricut Joy- A smart and compact machine that helps in turning ideas to reality! Are you aware that there is a new Cricut machine? Are you a crafter with limited space? Do you want a smart machine that is light, compact, and straight forward in usage? Do you want a machine that will cut and draw vinyl and iron-on without mat? Do you want to learn how the Cricut Joy Machine works? Do you want to convert your imaginations into a reality within minutes? Look no further! As this Guide will help you in finding answers to the above questions. Recent happenings have shown that people have developed an excellent taste for crafts and DIY kinds of stuff. Why? Most of the crafts in the markets are of low quality, bad designs, and often expensive when compared to the kinds of stuff they are made of. People have discovered that many of such commercial craft that is mass-produced have a lower life expectancy and come with the latest technology that made them susceptible to non-durability. This is just a way of making consumers buying the products every time as most of them are disposables and does not last at all. Cricut Joy is an answer to above exploitation, as it is a DIY Best Friend. If you are fond of not having your crafts in an old-fashioned way, Cricut Joy is the answer. You have your time to manufacture your things with higher quality materials that will give a longer life expectancy to your crafts. This crafting is not about the old craft-wood workers, blacksmiths, potters, or carpenters. It is about the new generation of crafters that want to turn their dreams into reality. A present-day generation that wants to learn and enjoy the crafts, and at the same time love what they DIY with advanced technology- Cricut Joy Machine. This Guide covers the following topics: Cricut Joy and its usefulness Unboxing the Cricut joy and its features What makes Cricut Joy different to Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore? Materials and Accessories of Cricut Joy How to Use Design Space in Cricut Joy (Computers/Mobiles) How to set up and use Cricut joy Projects by Cricut Joy FAQs Keyboard Shortcuts in Design Space And much more! Ready to Get Started? "Click Buy Now"!
Create beautiful lettering projects, quotes, birthday cards, and more once you’ve learned the basics of hand lettering from artist Sarah Ensign. Have you always wanted to learn the secrets to create stunning letter art? Now you can! This book takes you through different hand lettering styles such as faux calligraphy, brush pen lettering, and creating basic font styles such as monoline, elegant, and brush pen scripts. Sarah Ensign, author and influencer shares this fascinating craft with you through pages of colorful examples and worksheets that allow you to practice what you’ve learned. She also shares practical tips on supplies such as pen and paper, creating beautiful fonts, and master tricky connections, and planning layouts for quotes. Simple Techniques and Endless Possibilities In this colorful, hardcover book, you’ll find hands-on lettering worksheets and step-by-step guides that will quickly build your confidence. Explore your creativity with this fun, creative craft. Hand lettering for Beginners has a fun, non-intimidating approach to guiding readers through hand lettering techniques and possibilities. This book will start a fascinating hobby that will allow you to grow your hand lettering skills and create your own unique projects.