Nonfiction

My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety

My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-15 05:19:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Georgia Pritchett
  • ISBN：0063206374
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Summary

"Georgia Pritchett is a singularly hilarious person。 Her book is a delightful and perfect reflection of her。 Its tenderness sneaks up on you and really packs a punch。 What a magnificent read！"--Julia Louis Dreyfus

Jenny Lawson meets Nora Ephron in this joyful memoir-in-vignettes on living--and thriving--with anxiety from a multiple Emmy Award-winning comedy writer whose credits include Succession and Veep。

When Georgia Pritchett found herself lost for words--a bit of a predicament for a comedy writer--she turned to a therapist， who suggested she try writing down some of the things that worried her。 But instead of a grocery list of concerns， Georgia wrote this book。

A natural born worrywart， Georgia's life has been defined by her quirky anxiety。 During childhood， she was agitated about the monsters under her bed （Were they comfy enough？）。 Going into labor， she fretted about making a fuss （"Sorry to interrupt， but the baby is coming out of my body，" I said politely）。 Winning a prestigious award， she agonized over receiving free gifts after the ceremony （It was an excruciating experience。 Mortifying）。

Soul-baring yet lighthearted， poignant yet written with a healthy dose of self-deprecation， My Mess Is a Bit of a Life is a tour through the carnival funhouse of Georgia's life， from her anxiety-ridden early childhood where disaster loomed around every corner （When I was little I used to think that sheep were clouds that had fallen to earth。 On cloudy days I used to worry that I would be squashed by a sheep）， through the challenges of breaking into an industry dominated by male writers， to the exquisite terror （and incomparable joy） of raising children。

Delightfully offbeat， painfully honest， full of surprising wonders， and delivering plenty of hilarious， laugh-out-loud moments， My Mess Is a Bit of a Life reveals a talented， vulnerable， and strong woman in all her wisecracking weirdness， and makes us love it--and her--too。

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Reviews

Crystal P ，

Oh man。。。。This book is full of anxiety。 But hey， it made me reflect。 Highly enjoyable memoir！

Kate ，

the title itself - my mess is a bit of a life - drew me to this book since I feel this on a spiritual level in my life。 while the stories are mostly short， Pritchett does a fantastic job of brining humor and a sense of life to her challenges and successes navigating a life with anxiety and more generally as a woman。 honestly there were stories that gave me anxiety - probably because of the headspace I was in - but overall appreciated Pritchett’s introspection and take on her life thus far。thank the title itself - my mess is a bit of a life - drew me to this book since I feel this on a spiritual level in my life。 while the stories are mostly short， Pritchett does a fantastic job of brining humor and a sense of life to her challenges and successes navigating a life with anxiety and more generally as a woman。 honestly there were stories that gave me anxiety - probably because of the headspace I was in - but overall appreciated Pritchett’s introspection and take on her life thus far。thank you HarperOne for the advanced reader copy。 。。。more

Stacey ，

It took a bit to get oriented。 I listened and imagine the experience was different than reading it。 So very dryly funny at moments and teary sad at others and I think I might have anxiety a bit。 The nosebleeds and the patriarchy and the witch， ended up loving it。

Leslie ，

I had high hopes for this to be gut busting funny。 My actual experience was a few smirks and a couple giggles。

Traceyhilton ，

Pre-ordered this back in July of last year and had forgotten all about it。 How fitting that it should arrive in a week when I have been struggling with depression and the reemergence of self-harming thoughts。 So many， ‘oh my goodness’ me too moments。 The format of brief vignettes， while short， deliver absolute truth and clarity。 Pritchett deftly defines what it’s like to live with anxiety and the pull of just being too exhausted to go on。 Before stumbling across a blurb for this book， I was whol Pre-ordered this back in July of last year and had forgotten all about it。 How fitting that it should arrive in a week when I have been struggling with depression and the reemergence of self-harming thoughts。 So many， ‘oh my goodness’ me too moments。 The format of brief vignettes， while short， deliver absolute truth and clarity。 Pritchett deftly defines what it’s like to live with anxiety and the pull of just being too exhausted to go on。 Before stumbling across a blurb for this book， I was wholly unfamiliar with Georgia Pritchett， but now realize she has written for a some of my favorite British television programs。A darkly humorous take on a very serious and real subject matter。 。。。more

George Genie ，

I started reading this last summer and I couldn’t get along with it - the short “chapters”， what felt like whimsical humour。 I tried in short blasts for a while but after some trying I gave up and didn’t expect to come back to it。I picked up with it a couple of days ago and finished it off - I found it both funny and moving， and enjoyed the unusual style。 Something must have changed， perhaps we will never know what。

Kristen ，

What a fun and interesting read this was！ I wasn't expecting the "short chapters of memoirs" format but I really enjoyed it。 In fact， I was able to "fit" this book into my day （and night） quite nicely due to its format。 I especially loved reading about the author's experiences as a child and found myself pondering how they might have shaped and moulded her into who she is today。 This was both light and funny as well as deep and thought-provoking if that makes sense。 I think anyone who has had aw What a fun and interesting read this was！ I wasn't expecting the "short chapters of memoirs" format but I really enjoyed it。 In fact， I was able to "fit" this book into my day （and night） quite nicely due to its format。 I especially loved reading about the author's experiences as a child and found myself pondering how they might have shaped and moulded her into who she is today。 This was both light and funny as well as deep and thought-provoking if that makes sense。 I think anyone who has had awkward experiences （as a child and/or adult） would appreciate this as much as I did！Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book for review。 :） 。。。more

Linda Yeatts ，

This collection of memoirs/comedy sketches was absolutely delightful and laugh out funny。。。when it wasn't sneaking up on me and making me cry with the beauty or sadness of moments。 Loved it and am giving it a second listen。 I did the audiobook which was just fabulous。 This collection of memoirs/comedy sketches was absolutely delightful and laugh out funny。。。when it wasn't sneaking up on me and making me cry with the beauty or sadness of moments。 Loved it and am giving it a second listen。 I did the audiobook which was just fabulous。 。。。more

Lauren Qi ，

rlly funny read i would’ve liked it better if i knew who the author is but that’s my b not the books

David Kenny ，

Great book， laugh out loud funny in places， wonderful writing that gives a real insight into a very interesting life。 Georgia Pritchett， someone who writes some of the most entertaining content I've ever seen on TV， （like VEEP）， but lives a very private life， un-peels a fascinating onion in this book， where she covers her London childhood， university years， early career as a screen writer and her experiences being a really engaged parent to children on the autistic spectrum。 She covers so much t Great book， laugh out loud funny in places， wonderful writing that gives a real insight into a very interesting life。 Georgia Pritchett， someone who writes some of the most entertaining content I've ever seen on TV， （like VEEP）， but lives a very private life， un-peels a fascinating onion in this book， where she covers her London childhood， university years， early career as a screen writer and her experiences being a really engaged parent to children on the autistic spectrum。 She covers so much territory， and really grabs your interest。 I found this book really hard to put down。 I absolutely loved it。 。。。more

smalltownbookmom ，

Small but mighty！ This memoir told in short anecdotes is equally funny and heartfelt！ Georgia is a British screen writer （also a new to me author） and she covers a range of topics from her childhood anxieties to her struggles with infertility， miscarriages and parenting a child on the spectrum。 Full of highly relatable stories this is great on audio and highly recommended。 Much thanks to Libro。fm for my complimentary ALC！！

Hannah Broughton ，

So funny！ And potentially valuable/therapeutic reading for any Generalized Anxiety Disorder sufferers - I certainly found it so。 A very inspiring and enjoyable read。

Ruth Ngobi ，

It is said that we do not remember days。。。。。we remember moments and this appears to be what Georgia Pritchett sets out to do in this wonderfully comic and witty memoir。 She starts from her childhood， though her teenage years， her adult life and her career。 She shares her happiest moments， her most awkward moments and some of her dark and anxious moments。 She is so unpretentious and so very enduring。 I really really enjoyed this memoir and would highly recommend it。

nanami ，

Worth the read！ It’s witty and I could relate to some of the anecdotes。

Hannah Whiteoak ，

This is funny and touching and brilliant。 It's also very easy to read （even when you feel anxious） thanks to the short one-or-two-page chapters。I liked that it didn't， like so many books about mental health， have a miraculous recovery in the last few pages。 Instead， it circles around to the beginning and suggests a willingness to start opening up， rather than a sudden "I'm cured！"I hadn't heard of Georgia Pritchett when I picked up this book， but through reading the book found out she's worked o This is funny and touching and brilliant。 It's also very easy to read （even when you feel anxious） thanks to the short one-or-two-page chapters。I liked that it didn't， like so many books about mental health， have a miraculous recovery in the last few pages。 Instead， it circles around to the beginning and suggests a willingness to start opening up， rather than a sudden "I'm cured！"I hadn't heard of Georgia Pritchett when I picked up this book， but through reading the book found out she's worked on a lot of brilliant TV and radio shows。Great book about anxiety and imposter syndrome。 。。。more

Chloë Dowman ，

I read this book ridiculously quickly， it was easy to read and entertaining。 Interesting to see anxiety spanning a whole lifetime， rather than just focusing on a recent few years。

Elizabeth Mellen ，

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperOne for the ARC of this！This was at times funny and relatable， I can definitely see the comparison to Jenny Lawson， and the description that drew me in felt delivered on。 Some of the stories were not particularly funny at all and were instead sad and serious， so if you were looking for something to cheer you up about anxiety， something that holds funny the entire time， this might not be the right collection for you。 I found， though， that the moments of humor helped Thanks to Netgalley and HarperOne for the ARC of this！This was at times funny and relatable， I can definitely see the comparison to Jenny Lawson， and the description that drew me in felt delivered on。 Some of the stories were not particularly funny at all and were instead sad and serious， so if you were looking for something to cheer you up about anxiety， something that holds funny the entire time， this might not be the right collection for you。 I found， though， that the moments of humor helped to temper the more serious stories to make them more palatable。 I also learned， that while teeth things in books are triggering for me， someone anxious talking about their teeth problems and scary situation only heightened that feeling， so if you have anxiety around some of the main topics of the stories， they might be harder to take。 That isn't， like， surprising， but it is something to be cognizant of going in， and stay safe！ Overall I am glad I read this and feel like it helped to see anxiety so clearly understood by someone else， as it helped me feel less alone in my anxiety。 。。。more

Suzy Dominey ，

And I thought I was anxious

annabazule ，

I don’t say that i didn’t like this book but there was something… i know there was something but did i get it right？ Or am i even the one who needs to get it right？！ I really liked some stories and some were really funny but for some i felt really sad and empty in soul。 Maybe that’s the thing with it。

Kiersten ，

Pure delight。 A quick read， as the essays range from just a few sentences to a few pages， though would merit a re-read to really catch all the nuance of language and fine balance Pritchett strikes between hilarious and heartbreaking。 Presented as her answer to her inability to verbalize her angst to her therapist， anyone who has experienced any level of anxiety （i。e。， human being） can relate to her musings and anecdotes。 Went into this collection with no expectations or much familiarity with the Pure delight。 A quick read， as the essays range from just a few sentences to a few pages， though would merit a re-read to really catch all the nuance of language and fine balance Pritchett strikes between hilarious and heartbreaking。 Presented as her answer to her inability to verbalize her angst to her therapist， anyone who has experienced any level of anxiety （i。e。， human being） can relate to her musings and anecdotes。 Went into this collection with no expectations or much familiarity with the author's work， came away wanting more。Full 5 stars - a rare combination of thought-provoking and pure entertainment。 Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Lauren ，

I had no idea what to expect when I opened this book - I saw the author， seasoned comedy writer Georgia Pritchett， who has written for Veep， Succession， and other hilarious shows， and I picked it up。 This book turned out to be a sweet， funny， heartwrenching book about a woman who's had anxiety her whole life， from being an anxiety-ridden young girl who sometimes slept under the bed so that the monsters could get a turn up top， to a young comedy writer who shrugged off being credited as "George" I had no idea what to expect when I opened this book - I saw the author， seasoned comedy writer Georgia Pritchett， who has written for Veep， Succession， and other hilarious shows， and I picked it up。 This book turned out to be a sweet， funny， heartwrenching book about a woman who's had anxiety her whole life， from being an anxiety-ridden young girl who sometimes slept under the bed so that the monsters could get a turn up top， to a young comedy writer who shrugged off being credited as "George" when a BBC radio program used her joke， to a newlywed desperate to become pregnant and reflecting on the cold irony of needing to visit an "infertility clinic" - like a cancer patient visiting a "death clinic。" She starts off with short one-page anecdotes from her childhood， about her father （"the Patriarchy"）， her mother （"the Witch"）， her pets， school， friends， and all her little eccentricities as a young girl。 The stories get a little longer as she gets older， and the subject matter changes from being simple， fun musings to more serious issues of crippling anxiety， not being taken seriously as a woman writer in comedy， her own heartbreaking #MeToo story， the pain of miscarriages， and raising an autistic son。 She talks a lot about her wife （"the Moose"） and her two sons （"the Speck" and "the Scrap"）。 Georgia has clearly been through the wringer in so many parts of her life， and the fact that she can still see the wonder and humor in these situations is amazing。 The latter part of the book gets really hard to read， particularly when Georgia starts to describe this general， pervasive， all-consuming feeling of illness， suffering that's hard to describe， undiagnosable， physical， mental， emotional。 She tries to put it into words in different ways， such as "I started to feel like I had a beaver inside me。 But not just a normal beaver。 Some kind of Dark Overlord Beaver。 Gnawing at me。 Slowly killing me from the inside。 Probably doing some evil poos in there too。" or "I felt like Bugs Bunny。 Bugs Bunny when he's been hit over the head by Elmer Fudd。 [。。。] I went to an acupuncturist。 It turns out there isn't an acupuncture point for feeling like Bugs Bunny。" The reason that Georgia Pritchett wrote this whole book is because of this feeling of - hard to even call it just anxiety， but anxiety。 She goes to see a therapist and simply can't speak。 She's a writer who has no words。 Her therapist suggests that she write down what she's feeling anxious about， so she writes this book。 By the end， there's no resolution， no diagnosis， no outlook on how she can start to feel better。 But she does say that writing this book helped in some way - to get her feelings out on paper。 Anxiety isn't really something that's just solved， and I understand that you have to live with it， to some extent。 But I do hope she finds some way out of this horrible fog she found herself in before she wrote the book。 Nonetheless， I really enjoyed reading Pritchett's unique look on life， her little observations， and her journey with anxiety。 Thank you to HarperOne for the ARC via Netgalley！ 。。。more

Kitty ，

Laugh-out-loud hilarious as well as being intensely moving。 I couldn't recommend this book more。 Laugh-out-loud hilarious as well as being intensely moving。 I couldn't recommend this book more。 。。。more

Sue Page ，

If you've ever wanted to take the lid off someone's life and peer at the chaos within， this book is for you。 Very readable， nicely entertaining and strangely comforting。 If you've ever wanted to take the lid off someone's life and peer at the chaos within， this book is for you。 Very readable， nicely entertaining and strangely comforting。 。。。more

Karen ，

Endearing clever and funny lots to identify with also very much off the wall life experiences。

Alli Theis ，

Many of the reviews so far on GoodReads use the words "bit-sized" to describe this book。 I honestly can't think of a better description！ It's a series of moments in time for Pritchett。。。 almost as if it's an anecdote or a "so this was how my day went" sort of story。 Many made me laugh。 Many made me stop and ponder。Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ Many of the reviews so far on GoodReads use the words "bit-sized" to describe this book。 I honestly can't think of a better description！ It's a series of moments in time for Pritchett。。。 almost as if it's an anecdote or a "so this was how my day went" sort of story。 Many made me laugh。 Many made me stop and ponder。Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Yolanda Cooper ，

I loved it， I loved it， I loved it。 As she eludes to in the book， I hadn’t heard the name Georgia Pritchett， but I already loved her writing （of some of the very best comedy shows I’ve ever seen）。 This book was wonderfully witty whilst being so raw and human。 5 stars from me （suck it Statler and Waldorf）！

Tom Bond ，

Some powerful anecdotes， but otherwise， very hit and miss。

Ruth Brookes ，

Bloody brilliant。 A ‘tell it how it is’， magnificently odd， sharply observed and snort-out-loud funny memoir - made up of short prose sketches & anecdotes about the everyday traumas and crushing anxiety of life。 Georgia Pritchett effortlessly switches between the mundane and ridiculous to the the rage inducing， heartbreaking and tender。 This had me weeping with laughter， only to be brought up short with a gut punch of shock on the same page。 Recommended reading for anyone else who can relate to Bloody brilliant。 A ‘tell it how it is’， magnificently odd， sharply observed and snort-out-loud funny memoir - made up of short prose sketches & anecdotes about the everyday traumas and crushing anxiety of life。 Georgia Pritchett effortlessly switches between the mundane and ridiculous to the the rage inducing， heartbreaking and tender。 This had me weeping with laughter， only to be brought up short with a gut punch of shock on the same page。 Recommended reading for anyone else who can relate to feeling that their mess is a bit of a life！ 。。。more

Nicoleta Fedorca ，

Very funny。

Deanna ，

I received an ARC of this book。 It consists of short essays about the author and her life。 Some are funny， some are heartbreaking。 A quick read。 I recommend this book to everyone！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0