Some of you may remember me NOT reviewing a book called Mary’s Prayer several years ago because of my rule not to review books of people I do PR work for. Well, The Meaning of Contentment
For those that haven’t read Mary’s Prayer yet, Mary McGuinness wrote the book to tell the story about her struggles when she developed depression and panic attacks in her mid 30s while working as an accountant in Glasgow, Scotland. She talks of being forced to drop out of the workforce and her need to make peace with the fact that things will never be the same for her. Mary talked a lot about how music, especially that of the Beatles and John Lennon, really spoke to her during this difficult time and helped her to understand what she was going through.
Now, Mary McGuinness has continued her personal story in The Meaning of Contentment. In this 256 page memoir, McGuinness continues the story of how despite her best efforts to return to the workforce after getting an Honors Degree in Psychology, the universe led her in another direction. It was though helping her elderly uncle John with his daily needs that Mary learned that sometimes life isn’t about working 9 to 5 and bringing home a paycheck and that maybe her focus should be about helping others who also struggle with the hardships of life. She learns that contentment is found in some of the most unlikely places.
It takes a brave soul to be as open as Mary McGuinness is in this new book (and in Mary’s Prayer). Combined, the books cover 20 years of her personal battle with depression and panic attacks. She also continues to tell the story of her love of The Beatles and John Lennon and how her trips to Liverpool and The Peace Tower in Iceland brought so much joy back into her life. And for that reason…
I rate this book, 3 out of 4 Beetles!
Last month, I received this book in the mail unsolicited. I’m not sure why, but I believe it’s because I had once inquired about getting a review copy of another book the publishing house had recently announced. My copy of 
by Michael Azerrad is labeled “Uncorrected PROOF Not for Sale”. When I looked up more details of the book (that weren’t listed on the one-off sheet that came with the book), it turns out that it won’t be published until December 2018. I wrote to the publicist on the one-off sheet and asked if I could review it and she said they would prefer I wait until closer to the release date. Okay….so we wait!
by Mary McGuinness to read and consider her as a perspective client, I knew I wouldn’t/couldn’t review it. I’ll leave it at that since I seem to have already toed the line on what I feel I can ethically post on my blog. So, no review on this book either…
by Peter Coviello is not a book I plan on reviewing on this page. As anyone can see, the title and cover (and Penguin’s description) might give one the impression that this book is about music, but it’s not…trust me…IT’S NOT! I still need to finish reading it though for the program, but it left me without a book to blog about this week.
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