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Bestselling author Jen Ruiz takes readers on a trip around the globe in 12 Trips in 12 Months, defying societal expectations of what a woman is supposed to be—and empowering others to do the same.The year before her thirtieth birthday, Jen Ruiz decided to change everything. Despite being professionally accomplished and contributing to the world as an attorney at a nonprofit, she had yet to achieve the most important goal, according to society: becoming a wife and mother. So, after more ghostings than a graveyard, tired of dating apps and sitting in a windowless office, Jen embarked on an epic challenge to send her twenties out in style.Twelve months, twelve trips, no excuses.She started booking flights instead of swiping right, teaching English online to cover costs. Over the course of the year, Jen descended into a volcano in Iceland, volunteered at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, called in sick to fly in a hot air balloon, and went scuba diving at an underwater museum in Mexico.She ended up taking twenty trips, almost double her original goal.In a moving and inspiring story, Jen invites readers along through the year wherein she decided to stop waiting for others and start living for herself, discovered the power of solo travel magic, challenged herself physically and emotionally, made meaningful connections … and learned that she could feel fulfilled and happy on her own.

Excerpt:'“We were a jolly pair, we two, and ladies at that; and we had decided to go, amid the protestations of the towns-people and the remarks of Madam Grundy that it was not proper, and that there were so many tramps it was not prudent for two ladies to take a trip with their horse and carriage along the North Shore. Nevertheless, we take our lives in our hands, and ‘do the trip'in a large comfortable, roomy buggy,” etc. A letter in the Boston Evening Transcript, under the heading “Along the North Shore,” from which the paragraph above is taken, so aptly describes a part of one of our journeys, that we cannot resist the temptation to tell you something of our travels, which our friends no longer consider daring and experimental, but a thoroughly sensible and delightful way of combining rest and pleasure. In the summer of 1872, “we two, and ladies at that,” made our trial trip, with the consent and approval of family friends for our encouragement, and the misgivings and fears of those outside to inspire us with caution. Tramps were not in fashion, and I have forgotten what was the terror of those days. Like the “other two,” we were equipped with a pet horse—safe, but with no lack[2] of spirit—a roomy phaeton, with lunch basket, wraps, books, fancy work and writing materials all at hand. Our bags, with rubber coverings, were strapped underneath the carriage. Some cautious reader may like to know that we did not forget to put in the “box” a wrench, a bottle of oil, strong cord, etc., for emergencies. Of course we had a map, for geography was not taught very practically in our school days, and we should be lost without one. We made no definite plans beyond the first day, but had vaguely in mind, if all went well, to drive through the valley of the Connecticut River.'

Having signed on the dotted line to be an Irish guardsman not fully understanding all that Queen and country, and other territories stuff, that after six weeks on my own help only by others, I slept beside in the gutter since leaving Ireland to see the world. Finding no work, food and shelter I was on my knees and making this last day as a homeless orphan in Liverpool to ask at the port about working my passage home to Dublin when I saw a window display asking for men to join the Irish guards that foxed my mind as to who or what Irish guards are. It was recruiter Sgt George Smylie Liverpool office kind offer of a cup of tea and biscuit and warm manner that close the deal making my dream to see the world happen.

Have you ever set a goal for yourself that seemed so hard to reach that even when the goal was in sight that you wanted to quit?That's what Paul Semendinger did when he set out to run every day for a year. Run every day. That doesn't seem all that difficult. People run all the time for fun, for exercise, to get healthy or stay in shape. Paul thinks this is a reasonable goal, simple to achieve, even though on two other attempts he never made it past the end of February. This time will be different. But as Paul sets off on his quest to meet this goal, he learns how truly daunting this challenge will be. Injury, pain, and doubt dog him almost every mile of his journey. Major life changes and family emergencies become obstacles that have to be overcome. Through it all, Paul does his best to meet every challenge that he faces with determination, perseverance, and faith. Faith in God and faith in himself. And in the end, Paul discovers that a person can reach middle age and even among the doubts that come with wondering if your best years are behind you to still find ways to succeed.

In Abandoned at Birth, Janet Sherlund explores the inherent need adopted children have for a sense of belonging and the pain and courage that is required to discover their true identity.Adoption is often painted as a happy, inspirational act—a baby finds a family and lives happily ever after. But the truth is that adopted children experience displacement and rupture from their mother and that trauma can impact an individual for a lifetime. Adoption can lead to feelings of loss and grief not just for the adoptee, but for the biological and adoptive parents as well. This startling fact comes vividly to life in Janet Sherlund's heartbreaking memoir, Abandoned at Birth. In her literary debut, Janet Sherlund explores the complex issues so many adoptees and their parents grapple with, including the complicated emotions of rejection, loss, grief, denial, and shame. Sherlund, who was given up for adoption within days of her birth, shares her journey to fulfill her lifetime longing for connection with her family of origin, her instinctive ache for connection with her birth mother, and what it was like to have a “borrowed identity.” In poignant detail, Sherlund describes her quest to find out who she is, where she came from, and why she was given away. And she reveals the pain and courage required to discover one's true identity. With 5 million adoptees in the U.S., many of whom are discovering their biological roots on DNA websites, Abandoned at Birth is the book for our time. The insight Sherlund derived from her journey will encourage and console others on the same path, while examining the inherent need of all of us to belong, and understand our origins, our culture, and our genetic roots.

Most of us know someone who either is adopted or has adopted children, but how often do we hear their full story? Adoption Songs is a compilation of twenty narratives highlighting the many sides of adoption. Through her research, Ms. Evans Ermi discovered common challenges that many adoptees face, ranging from the pre- and neo-natal bonding/abandonment polarity surrounding an adoption to struggles with attachment and belonging. Up until recently, these issues were not typically known, diagnosed, or discussed. Decades of societal conventions that kept adoption stigmatized are giving way to an era of open adoptions, unsealed records, and DNA discovery. The narratives are heartwarming and heartbreaking, providing insights into the complexity of adoption and the emotions that go along with it. Adoption Songs aims to inspire open dialogue so that the joy adoptive parents feel when their child enters their life can be balanced with the child's experience and emotions (in childhood and beyond). Perfect for book clubs and adoption agencies, those considering adoption and adoptees, Adoption Songs is a place to land and feel at home.Lori Evans Ermi (she/her) is an adoptee, adopter, daughter, stepdaughter, stepsister, half-sister, stepmother, single mom, entrepreneur, and former corporate executive turned Professional Certified Coach. She is proud of her oldest daughter Lexie, her husband and three precious grandsons, and her daughter Kate for always challenging her to be better and allowing her to experience the grace and joy of parenting. Professionally, Lori has over 30 years'experience in corporate leadership and organizational development. She is a behavioralist and is known for her expertise in team systems dynamics, behavioral assessments, motivations, values, and leadership development. She has personally coached or developed thousands of leaders globally, and she is passionate about helping her clients discover their inner truths. She works one-on-one with leaders and has expertise in team development. What Lori discovered in the research of Adoption Songs is a unique condition that many adoptees face in their worlds, and that is finding their sense of belonging and identity. The trauma associated with adoption has largely been ignored or misunderstood. There have been few resources out there. Recently, Gen Zs and younger millennials are changing the landscape of adoption and raising tough questions about the challenges that have been silenced. This offering is intended to be a resource and conversation starter for those curious about this misunderstood population, and to inspire adoptees to search for their identity. Lori is hopeful that Adoption Songs can create insight into this phenomenon so that everyone who can relate can seek the support to move beyond its limitations and emerge more grounded, connected, renewed, and purposeful.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the bestselling author of Cultish and host of the podcast Sounds Like a Cult, a delicious blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking.Utilizing the linguistic insights of her “witty and brilliant” (Blyth Roberson, author of America the Beautiful?) first book Wordslut and the sociological explorations of her breakout hit Cultish, Amanda Montell now turns her erudite eye to the inner workings of the human mind and its biases in her most personal and electrifying work yet. “Magical thinking” can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: Think of the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty, stave off cancer with positive vibes, thwart the apocalypse by learning to can their own peaches, or transform an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one with loyalty alone. In all its forms, magical thinking works in service of restoring agency amid chaos, but in The Age of Magical Overthinking, Montell argues that in the modern information age, our brain's coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to an eleven. In a series of razor sharp, deeply funny chapters, Montell delves into a cornucopia of the cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the “Halo effect” cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger than life celebrities, to how the “Sunk Cost Fallacy” can keep us in detrimental relationships long after we've realized they're not serving us. As she illuminates these concepts with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell's prevailing message is one of hope, empathy, and ultimately forgiveness for our anxiety-addled human selves. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason, Montell aims to make some sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds, and let a warm breeze in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while, or even hear a melody in it.

In Águila: The Vision, Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Two-Spirit Shaman in the Ozark Mountains, María Cristina Moroles traces the path of her extraordinary life from the streets of Dallas to the wilderness of the Arkansas Ozarks, where she has resided for fifty years. Hailing from a large Indigenous and Mexican American family in Texas, Moroles apprentices herself to healers and shamans across the Americas as she follows the spiritual vision that leads her to establish a mountaintop sanctuary for women and children of color in a notoriously insular location in the Ozark Mountains. This is a survivor's tale, and a back-to-the-lander's tale, unlike any other. From early traumas to countercultural rebellion and profound spiritual awakening, Moroles recounts milestones that earn her the ceremonial names SunHawk and Águila, as she builds a sustainable community off the grid, atop a mountain otherwise uninhabited by human life. Águila tells the truth of one woman's search for freedom and all women's quest for dignity as it celebrates the healing powers of nature.

All Sky, Mirror Ocean is for everyone looking to understand the complex issues around mental illness and healing. Combining autobiography, research-creation, poetry, and creative philosophy, Brad Necyk uses art and words to uncover and tell new stories about trauma and recovery. Necyk weaves his own histories with bipolar affective disorder and childhood medical trauma with those of other people dealing with grief and loss: head and neck cancer patients in Edmonton, psychiatric inpatients in Toronto, and communities in Iqaluit stricken by suicide. Punctuated with art, these lived experiences intertwine with scholarship on arts-based research, neuroscience, collaboration, and psychedelic altered states to reveal the understanding and acceptance that comes from acknowledging our deep connections—to ideas and emotions, to our environments, to art, and to each other. Showing great compassion and wisdom, All Sky, Mirror Ocean is a model for research-creation and artistic fieldwork.

Sheila Heti collected hald a millions words from a decade's worth of journals, put them in a spreadsheet, and sorted them alphabetically. She spent the next ten years cutting and refining, and was left with 60,000 words of brilliance and mayhem, joy and sorrow. These are her alphabetical diaries.