Presents a collection of essays reflecting the author's passionate engagement with compelling and seminal ideas of human endeavor, from evolution and creativity to memory and consciousness.

"From the bestselling author of Linchpin, Tribes, and The Dip comes an elegant little book that will inspire artists, writers, and entrepreneurs to stretch and commit to putting their best work out into the world. Creative work doesn't come with a guarantee. But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn't. And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward. Based on the breakthrough Akimbo workshop pioneered by legendary...

Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.

Looks at the American quest for happiness and rejection of melancholy and argues that melancholia is actually essential to a thriving culture, the underlying impetus for creative thinking, and the muse of great art and innovation.

Aaron the alligator cannot seem to do anything right, whether it be playing hide-and-seek, picking apples, or playing football.

When Joe the giraffe and his friend Sparky, a turtle, see a television talent show, Joe tries to find Sparky's talent so that they can compete.

On the first day of school, a young panda learns about the special things his animal classmates can do.

Christian Wolff is a math savant who works as a freelance accountant for some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department's Crime Enforcement Division starting to close in, he takes on a legitimate client, a robotics company where an accounting clerk has discovered a discrepency involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, the body count starts to rise.

"She was safe in a world of darkness. Now danger threatens in the cold light of day...Before the experimental surgery that gave her sight, Kendra Michaels developed her other senses to an amazing capacity. Now she can identify a Nissan by the sound of its engine, a Norelco electric razor by the pattern of stubble it leaves behind, or an obscure colorless fire accelerant by its sweet smell. Law enforcement agencies clamor for her rare powers of perception...

Offering extra help to a newcomer in Miss Bird's dance class, Mia and Ruby are frustrated by Sara's determination to put her own spin on every dance move, a preference that introduces the girls to new ideas about creativity and individuality.