A beautifully illustrated book of encouragement from the beloved entertainer and #1 New York Times bestselling author John Cena “Each day, try to become a little less perfect and a little more brave.” For years, John Cena has been using his popular Twitter feed to uplift his followers with his unique brand of positivity. Now, he collects his favorite words of wisdom on the benefits of being bold and open-minded, embracing discomfort, and making the most of every opportunity. Heartfelt and hopeful, Be a Work in Progress is the pick-me-up readers will turn to again and again.

YouTube personality Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation

Following the success of his first book, Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner’s Guide to Immortality, the Canadian artist, author, and kidney health advocate Michael R. Gaudet brings us the second part to his captivating trilogy of memoirs. A Work in Progress: The Life My Brother Saved picks up where book one left off, chronicling Gaudet’s arrival in Saskatchewan with his soon-to-be first wife. Still reeling from his near-death experience as the result of kidney failure, the loss of his father, and the launch of his ambitious career, Gaudet finds himself diving into new projects and experiences on the prairies. His daughter Pearl arrives to the world, born with a congenital kidney condition that puts great strain on Gaudet and his already-troubled relationship with his wife.While navigating the struggles of his daughter’s illness as well as his own, Gaudet continues his personal journey towards healing and success. His spiritual experiences include a life-affirming vision quest alongside his dear friend, a First Nations Medicine Man, as well as the creation of a magnificent mural in a church that brings him closer to God. Enduring various phases of love and loss, Gaudet eventually discovers his soul mate with whom he traverses the vast provinces of Canada.In this fascinating life story, Gaudet offers us glimpses into his bohemian lifestyle and rise to fame as a distinguished Canadian artist. Writing in the style of magical realism, he seamlessly weaves mysticism into his prose. He also speaks with fearless realism of what it means to live with kidney disease, bringing awareness and attention to this insidious condition. As a survivor and an artist, his narrative voice pushes through hardship to bear a wider message about living a fulfilling life and pursuing one’s dreams.

How did a couple of quirky siblings from suburban Pittsburgh end up as the king and queen of eclectic-design chic with their own HGTV show? They never let fear get in the way of a great idea. Leanne and Steve Ford share their secrets for how to turn dreams into reality. Leanne and Steve were middle-class kids growing up in Pittsburgh in the 80s and 90s. There was nothing particularly glamorous or unusual about their lives as kids. Leanne was a shy, stubborn child who lived a rich life in her own imagination. Steve was outdoorsy and offbeat and was bullied mercilessly at school for being different. Their parents, grounded in faith and always encouraging of both creativity and hard work, gave them the confidence and the encouragement they needed to pursue the often difficult creative life. Leanne’s slogan as a child was, “My name is Leanne. If I want to, I can.” Leanne studied clothing design and pulled gigs at fashion houses in New York and as a stylist to country music stars in Nashville before she found her true passion: interior design. Steve threw himself into kayaking and snowboarding and opening his own men’s clothing store in Pittsburgh. And then their individual passions converged when Leanne asked Steve to help renovate her bathroom. There was magic in their collaboration, and they began renovating for clients in Pittsburgh—creating unique, authentic spaces that manage to feel both chic and completely obtainable—before catching the eye of producers at HGTV. Leanne and Steve share the details of their journey, including the beliefs that have inspired them and the experiences that have challenged them along the way.

This novel is an acute, darkly comic portrayal of changing times and sexual mores, and the baby boomer generation in the shadow of mid-life crisis. Novelist Max Napier didn't set out to make a mess of his life, but if you choose to entertain romantic notions and a raffish self-image, it's always on the cards. Now on the brink of turning 50, he's alone in his little flat: seduced, abandoned, out of ideas and out of fashion. A chance meeting with an old friend arrests the spiral, but not all the ghosts from Max's past are benevolent and there are tricky curves to negotiate on the road to redemption and emotional renewal.

Work in Progress: Curatorial Labor in Twenty-First Century American Fiction interrogates contemporary texts that showcase forms of reading practices that feel anachronistic and laborious in times of instantaneity and short buffering times. Objects of analysis include the graphic narrative Building Stories by Chris Ware, the music album Song Reader by the indie rock artist Beck Hansen, and the computer game Kentucky Route Zero by the programming team Cardboard Computer. These texts stage their fragmentary nature and alleged “unfinishedness” as a quintessential part of both their narrative and material modus operandi. These works in and of progress feel both contemporary and retro in the 21st century. They draw upon and work against our expectations of interactive art in the digital age, incorporating and likewise rejecting digital forms and practices. This underlines the material and narrative flexibilities of the objects, for no outcome or reading experience is the same or can be replicated. It becomes apparent that the texts presuppose a reader who invests her spare time in figuring these texts out, diagnosing a contorted work-leisure dichotomy: “working these stories out” is a significant part of the reading experience for the reader–curatorial labor. This conjures up a reader, who, as the author argues, is turned into a curator and creative entity of and in these texts, for she implements and reassembles the options made available.

A year-long guide to encourage you to lean into the never-ending growing process, pursue your passions, and remind yourself that life is a journey.

In a return to middle-grade fiction, master of perspectives Jo Knowles depicts a younger sibling struggling to maintain his everyday life when his older sister is in crisis. Noah is just trying to make it through seventh grade. The girls are confusing, the homework is boring, and even his friends are starting to bug him. Not to mention that his older sister, Emma, has been acting pretty strange, even though Noah thought she’d been doing better ever since the Thing They Don’t Talk About. The only place he really feels at peace is in art class, with a block of clay in his hands. As it becomes clear through Emma’s ever-stricter food rules and regulations that she’s not really doing better at all, the normal seventh-grade year Noah was hoping for begins to seem pretty unattainable. In an affecting and realistic novel with bright spots of humor, Jo Knowles captures the complexities of navigating middle school while feeling helpless in the face of a family crisis.

Examines the Fed. Govt¿s. progress toward becoming a model employer using data from a survey of Fed. employees that has been conducted periodically since 1983. Explores patterns and trends in Fed. employees¿ opinions about their jobs, agencies, and working conditions. Contents: Data Presentation and Analysis; Influences on Fed. Employee Opinions; Overall Trends and Patterns in Fed. Employee Opinions; Survey Results from 1983 to 2007; Satisfaction with the Supervisor; Compensation, Recognition, and Fair Treatment; Discrimination; Prohibited Personnel Practices; Conclusions and Recommendations. Appendices: Merit System Principles; Prohibited Personnel Practices; Merit Principles Survey Items by Group. Illustrations.