Friday, August 19, 2022

(2) Brief Review - The Messy Lives of Book People; Paedra Patrick and The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward; Daniel H. Pink

Park Row - 2022 - library loan

Olivia (Liv) Green is a married mom of two teenaged sons who works as a housekeeper for author Essie Starling.  Essie has written (19) books about her heroine Georgia Rory.  Liv has always dreamed of being a writer herself inspired by her father a literature professor. Liv even has (2) drafts of her efforts on her nightstand at home. One day Liv comes across Essie's manuscript of book #20, the majority of which has been completed but, she now Essie seems a bit stuck.  When Essie dies unexpectedly, her solicitor contacts Liv to let her know that Essie left instructions in her final will that she wants Liv to finish her book.  With more money coming her way and 6-month deadline to get the manuscript done, Liv is ready for the challenge. There is just one catch, no one must know Essie has died while the manuscript gets completed.

Liv was a great character, She was a good wife and mother and a loyal employee as well. She had secrets to keep and did so, even from her family.  This book started strong and it had references to other novels and authors which I enjoyed.  Overall, a light read, I thought the first half was stronger than the finish but, I was satisfied with the wrap up. I thought the title was a great and one and reminded me of how people often go about navigating the messiness that is life. 

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

Riverhead Books - 2022 - library loan

Everybody at one time or another has heard the the expression "no regrets" but, is that even possible and is having regrets such a bad thing?  The author writes about how a little introspection and looking backward can actually make us move forward to a more positive place and frame of mind.  The author has conducted extensive research via The American Regret Project coupled with a worldwide survey that collected the regrets of some 20,000 respondents.   Some of the regrets that have troubled individuals were things like not spending enough time with their children while they were growing up and not spending more time with their parents before it was too late to do so.  Unfulfilled educational endeavors that went unmet and misdeeds and bad behavior toward others also were regrets that seemed troublesome and have more lasting e.

When people take the time to think about and to acknowledge things that they've regretted in the past, it seems to help them to make better decisions and act differently in the future.  I was surprised to read that moral regrets only seemed to amount to about 10% despite it often being so troublesome for those who felt guilty about it.

Overall, I found this an interesting and informative read.  Thanks go to Melody @ Melody's Reading Corner for bringing this book to my attention.

Rating - 4/5 stara

18 comments:

  1. Well, the first one did have a fun title!

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  2. The Messy Lives of Book People sounds like a light, entertaining read... one my mom might like. The Power of Regret does sound interesting!

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    1. Your mom or anyone looking for a lighter read would be happy with The Messy Lives....... The Power of Regret was interesting and glad I saw Melody blog about it.

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  3. The Messy Lives of Book People does sound like a fun one. The plot reminds me a little of The Audacity of Sara Grayson. :)

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  4. You've introduced us to two books and authors that seem very worthwhile reading. I can personally confirm that book people do have very messy lives and I would agree that coming to terms with our past very often helps us to move ahead.

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  5. Both of these appeal to me. I can't imagine anyone being able to look back at their life and not having something they regret. I think women do 'guilt' better and more often than men so it would be interesting to know what the gender split is as regards regrets and guilt. It's very interesting to contemplate these things and I wonder if bookish people are more likely to be introspective like that?

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    1. Cath, I think introspective people just naturally over examine most aspects of their lives - at least I have. I recall that there were some men in the "regrets" book that regretted bullying others when they were younger, had partner choice regrets and missed work/educational regrets. I've since returned the book to the library but, I'm sure there were more.

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  6. the book about regrets interests me. it's a topic i've been thinking about a lot lately. thanks for the review.

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  7. It is hard to imagine people not having "some regrets" about missed opportunities or paths the could have pursued.

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  8. Two fabulous sounding books. Love the challenge the first one poses for the main character. And don't we all have to deal with regrets? Sounds like an inspiring book.

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  9. Both of these sound interesting. I've had my eye on Messy Lives but The Power of Regret is new to me.

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  10. It's interesting as my book group is reading The Midnight Library (about past regrets) and then I read this NF book all about regrets. It wasn't planned just happened.

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  11. I did read Melody's review of the Regrets book and think it sounds so interesting. Will have to check that one out. I love the cover of the Messy Lives book and of course given that it's about books, how can it not go on a wishlist right? Glad these were good reads!

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