From the internationally bestselling creator of Wreck This Journal, a collaborative creative journey where you become the author... One dark and stormy night, author Keri Smith found some strange scattered pages abandoned in a park. She collected and assembled them, trying to solve the mystery of this unexpected discovery, and now she's passing the task on to you, her readers. Your mission is to become the new author of this work. You will continue the research and provide the content. In order to complete the task, you will have to undergo some secret intelligence training, which is included in this volume. Since no one knows what lies ahead, please proceed with caution, but know...this book does not exist without you.

You will discover that this book can be: A secret message - tear out a page, write a note on it for a stranger, and leave it in a public place. A recording device - have everyone you contact today write their name in the book. An instrument - create as many sounds as you can using the book, like flipping the pages fast or slapping the cover. This Is Not a Book will engage readers by having them define everything a book can be by asking, 'If it's not a book, what is it then?' - with a kaleidoscope of possible answers.

First published in 1796, Camilla, Fanny Burney's third novel, proved to be an enormous popular success. It deals with the matrimonial concerns of a group of young people-Camilla Tyrold and her sisters, the daughters of a country parson, and their cousin Indiana Lynmere-and, in particular, with the love affair between Camilla herself and her eligible suitor, Edgar Mandlebert.

"A clever and delightfully complicated debut...Each bend in this story raises more questions than are answered, in the best of ways and right to the end."—San Francisco Chronicle Any student of narrative would agree that Anna Brisker, former star of the English department, should be on the brink of a brilliant academic career. But at twenty-nine, Anna is aimless, indolent, nearing the eighth year of her PhD and unable to finish her dissertation, an intellectual history of inspiration. (No, the irony is not lost on her.) Anna encounters a potential solution to her stasis in the form of Helen Langley, a magnetic, free-spirited woman who's the niece of the late, legendary writer Frederick Langley. Having published three classics in his youth, Freddy fell silent, and the literary world assumed he never wrote again. But Helen confides to Anna that he kept secret notebooks in his later years, notebooks that Helen might be willing to show Anna. As her fascination with Freddy (and Helen) blooms into obsession, Anna finds herself falling prey to fatal misreadings – of herself and others. A sly and playful unpacking of the cult of the artist that excoriates academia with devilish glee, Talent brings the pressures of the 21st century to bear on the classic campus novel, weaving a twisty, brainy, wickedly hilarious story about our desperate need to believe that we understand…anything. One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year -- LitHub, The Millions, Thrillist, Entertainment Weekly

From the creator of "Wreck This Journal," an exploration into the creative process and chance. Readers are instructed to go on an unusual scavenger hunt, collecting a spectrum of random items. They'll be forced out of habitual ways of thinking to discover new connections.

“Not gonna lie, this is probably the coolest journal you’ll ever see. . . . Wreck This Journal is here to inspire you.” —Buzzfeed The internationally bestselling phenomenon with more than 10 million copies sold—and an excellent holiday gift! Paint, poke, create, destroy, and wreck—to create a journal as unique as you are For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, a subversive illustrated book that challenges readers to muster up their best mistake- and mess-making abilities to fill the pages of the book—or destroy them. Through a series of creative and quirky prompts, acclaimed guerilla artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in destructive acts—poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee, coloring outside the lines, and more—in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art- and journal-making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process. To create is to destroy. Happy wrecking!

From the internationally bestselling creator of Wreck This Journal, a book that celebrates mistake- and mess-making like never before... Your whole life, you’ve been taught to avoid making a mess: try to keep everything under control, color inside the lines, make it perfect, and at all costs, avoid contact with things that stain. This book asks you to do the opposite of what you have been taught. Think of it as your own personal rumpus room. A place to let loose, to trash, to spew, to do the things you are not allowed to do in the “real world.” There are only three rules you will find in this book: 1. Do not try to make something beautiful. 2. Do not think too much. (There is no “wrong.”) 3. Continue under all circumstances. It's time to make a mess.

#1 Wall Street Journal bestseller! Jon Acuff, New York Times best-selling author of Do Over, Quitter, and Start, offers strategies for anyone who's ever wondered, "Why can't I finish what I started?" According to studies, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. You’ve practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals. For years, I thought my problem was that I didn’t try hard enough. So I started getting up earlier. I drank enough energy drinks to kill a horse. I hired a life coach and ate more superfoods. Nothing worked, although I did develop a pretty nice eyelid tremor from all the caffeine. It was like my eye was waving at you, very, very quickly. Then, while leading a thirty-day online course to help people work on their goals, I learned something surprising: The most effective exercises were not those that pushed people to work harder. The ones that got people to the finish line did just the opposite— they took the pressure off. Why? Because the sneakiest obstacle to meeting your goals is not laziness, but perfectionism. We’re our own worst critics, and if it looks like we’re not going to do something right, we prefer not to do it at all. That’s why we’re most likely to quit on day two, “the day after perfect”—when our results almost always underper­form our aspirations. The strategies in this book are counterintuitive and might feel like cheating. But they’re based on studies conducted by a university researcher with hundreds of participants. You might not guess that having more fun, eliminating your secret rules, and choosing something to bomb intentionally works. But the data says otherwise. People who have fun are 43 percent more successful! Imagine if your diet, guitar playing, or small business was 43 percent more suc­cessful just by following a few simple principles. If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.

ELAINA RHODES is an NYU student with a low paying job, not enough money to afford to live in New York, and no idea what she's majoring in. Luckily, her parents' friends decided to cover her expenses, as long as she writes a book for them to publish and sell at their company. She has to meet the deadline and secure her future. Simple enough, right? Except, she has a severe case of writer's block. Elaina crosses the street, failing to look both ways when she is nearly hit by a car. ELI HAYES steps out of the car and into her world. Although an unusual way to meet, this encounter sparks a relationship that changes everything. Eli offers to help with her book for nothing in return except her company. They go on adventures and are put in situations that inspire the book's pages- and their lives. As the plot of Elaina's book develops, so does their friendship. That is, until something from Eli's past steps into their lives that risks their friendship, the book, and Elaina's entire future. Is their friendship strong enough to handle it? Will Elaina finish her book? Or will she lose it all?

Includes pages of highly interactive activities. This title helps you make a pigeon finger puppet, build a paper bus, make your own driver's licence, and you can even create your own Pigeon book starring.