If you've finished our "GMA" Book Club pick this month and are craving something else to read, look no further than our new digital series, "GMA" Buzz Picks. Each week, we'll feature a new book that we're also reading this month to give our audience even more literary adventures. Get started with our latest pick below!
If you need a little cheering up, pick up this week's "GMA" Buzz Pick, "Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World" by Todd Doughty.
Many who have picked up Doughty's new book have said it instantly turned their rotten moods around.
MORE: 'We Are Not Like Them' by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza is the 'GMA' October Book Club pick: Read an excerptWritten shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic in March 2020, Doughty began writing down a list of things that make him happy, such as the musical intro to "All Things Considered," someone believing in you, a really good burger, etc. And many, many lists later, "Little Pieces of Hope" was created.
The book pulls together a collection of lists, essays, musings, prompts, quotes, playlists and more that offer joy in a difficult world and inspiration for readers to look for and celebrate the good things that surround us.
MORE: 14 books to read in October"This book celebrates the joys in life," Doughty told "Good Morning America." "I have carefully curated over 3,000 happy making things, everything from books, to movies, to music, to articles, feelings and sayings, and so much more, into lists, essays and mix-tapes just for you. It's a jolt of joy and the perfect pick-me-up when you need it. Think of it as a daily devotional delight. Happy reading!"
"Little Pieces of Hope" is available now wherever books are sold.
Get started with an excerpt below and get a copy here.
Read along with us and join the conversation all month long on our Instagram account -- GMA Book Club and #GMABookClub
*****
There's a reason the movie It's a Wonderful Life has played on television for years and become a part of the holiday tradition and psyche: transformation. George's salvation is the engine of the film, as potent and lasting as Scrooge's. But if you watch the movie closely, something else is also happening.
As the movie progresses, specifically with the dance at the gym, you begin to see that it's Mary Bailey, time and time again, who is the real hero. Yet for Mary, transformation isn't her North Star; rather, it's a firm belief in herself. She is a person who Gets. Things. Done. Ah, but George lassos the moon, you say! Yes, but ever-steady and ever-ready Mary lassos life. The movie is hers. Played with smarts, determination, and grace by the one and only Donna Reed, it is Mary's stalwart, all-American resolve that anchors the film. It is a wonderful life, and Mary shows us exactly how in ten steps:
1. Know what you want. Think of the soda fountain scene where young Mary leans over and whispers into young George's ear, "George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die."
2. Have a vision and turn it into a reality. Mary knows that someday she'll live in the Old Granville House and makes that her wish as she and George throw rocks at the broken windows.
3. Make the best of a bad situation. With zero help from George at all, Mary creates an entire honeymoon suite and dinner on their wedding night.
4. Sacrifice reaps dividends. As George tries to calm the crowd after the stock market crash, it's Mary who offers up their savings to keep the building and loan—and townspeople—afloat.
5. Do it yourself. We see Mary wallpaper and refurbish the Granville house to its former glory, with the exception of the newel Post.
6. Keep dancing when things go wrong. If the gym floor ever opens up beneath you and you find yourself immersed in a pool, just keep dancing.
7. Do not covet what others have. Sam Wainwright's fancy car, chauffeur, big job, and glamorous girlfriend register no impact on Mary when they show up to the Martini house blessing.
8. Spring into action when things get tough. Once George storms out of the house after realizing the money is gone, Mary immediately picks up the phone to call Uncle Billy, and later we realize she's sent a telegram to Harry at the White House asking him to come home.
9. Celebrate with abandon. In the last scene, as the town comes pouring into the Bailey home, it's Mary who says, "Mr. Martini, how about some wine?"
10. Have faith, but believe in yourself—and others. As the money piles on the table, Uncle Billy tells George, "Mary did it, George!"
I have known several Mary Baileys in my life. My best friend's mom, Pam Finley. My mother-in-law, Dolores Losapio. My stepmom, Patti Doughty. Both of my grandmothers, Evadean Church and the late, the great, the pistol, Peggy Doughty. Our neighbor Pat Broadbent. My mom. Who is the Mary Bailey in your life? When have you lived like Mary Bailey?
*****
From LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE, by Todd Doughty, published by Penguin Life, an imprint of the Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2021 by Todd Doughty.