Nick J. Thorpe is a journalist, writer and editorial consultant whose work has been featured by media organisations around the world. As well as trying new things for a year he has driven a black cab to Mongolia and attempted to have a cup of tea with someone from every country in the world. He now lives in Hong Kong, and is still trying new things. His book, 52 New Things is the account of one man's desire to escape the monotony of daily life.

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"When was the last time you tried something truly new? The modern world is full of possibilities, adventures and excitement but also routines. The daily grind can make us forget about the former as we embrace the monotony of the latter. It can be hard to extract ourselves from the comforting embrace of our favourite TV programme, food or jumper. For one man, the boredom of this very modern life became too much to bear. And so he challenged himself to do something about it. Starting small, his project soon grew into one life-changing year. 52 New Things is the story of one man who decided to put down the Monster Munch, switch off the TV and do something different. He travelled, he danced, he flew, he drove across continents, but most significantly, he started saying yes to the hilarious and bewildering experiences that life has to offer. And he has the Christmas single, the tattoo and lack of body hair to prove it."

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We don't want to label 52 New Things as an autobiography, think of it more as a travelogue meets an unconventional self-help book meets a personal journey for ensuring hilarity! Nick's story has hilarious and surprising consequences. It explores life's opportunities in a motivational and comical way.

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The prospect of such a journey came to Nick randomly on New Year's Eve (right after the fifth beer). He thought "why not try something new every week, no matter how small or trivial? I could travel places, grow things, try stuff and meet people in that timeframe, without being overwhelmed by the enormity of one-year-long project or thing." Half an hour later, Nick had a list of ten things to start with and a website by the next day.

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Nick is proud to see the continued inspiration created by 52 New Things, and enjoys hearing stories from people with similar experiences.

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Telegraph writer Harry Wallop said... "Nick J.Thorpe's 52 New Things is a blast, and the adventure many of us dream of having. Ideal for anyone stuck at a desk job and dreaming of breaking a world record or recording a Christmas single, 52 New Things is a tonic."

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