New York Times columnist Alina Tugend delivers an eye-opening big idea: Embracing mistakes can make us smarter, healthier, and happier in every facet of our lives. In this persuasive book, journalist Alina Tugend examines the delicate tension between what we’re told—we must make mistakes in order to learn—and the reality—we often get punished for them. She shows us that mistakes are everywhere, and when we acknowledge and identify them correctly, we can improve not only ourselves, but our families, our work, and the world around us as well. Bold and dynamic, insightful and provocative, Better by Mistake turns our cultural wisdom on its head to illustrate the downside of striving for perfection and the rewards of acknowledging and accepting mistakes and embracing the imperfection in all of us.

A fiftyish graphic designer forced into retirement discovers, via a parade of unlikely events, that it may still be a lovely day in the neighborhood, by "the master of the low-key epiphany." (The New Yorker). Wallace Webster lives alone in Kemah, Texas at Forgetful Bay, a condo development where residents are passing away at an alarming rate. As he monitors events in the neighborhood, Wallace keeps in touch with his ex-wife, his grown daughter, a former coworker for whom he has much averted eyes, and a somewhat exotic resident with whom he commences an off-beat affair. He sifts through the curious accidents that plague his neighbors, all the while reflecting on his past and shortening future. Required to reflect upon his own mortality, he wonders if "settling for" something less than he aspired to is a kind of cowardice, or just good sense. Beneath the arresting repartee and the ever-present and often satisfying banality of our modern lives -- from Google searches to real life mysteries on TV -- lies Frederick Barthelme's affection for and curiosity about our human condition. There Must be Some Mistake is warm and wry, beautifully written, and completely irresistible.

IT STARTED WITH A KISS... AND ENDED WITH MURDER. The darkly addictive new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of I Looked Away, Blood Sisters and My Husband's Wife. -------------------------------------------------------- In Poppy Page's mind, there are two types of women in this world: those who are faithful to their husbands, and those who are not. Until now, Poppy has never questioned which she was. But when handsome, charming Matthew Gordon walks back into her life after almost two decades, that changes. Poppy makes a single mistake - and that mistake will be far more dangerous than she could imagine. Someone is going to pay for it with their life . . . -------------------------------------------------------- WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT I MADE A MISTAKE 'Absolutely brilliant...full of twists and turns that left me positively breathless' Angela Marsons 'A python of a book; it draws you in gently at first and then the coils of tension begin to tighten and refuse to let you go...' Jane Shemilt 'A chilling maze of twists and turns, bestseller Jane Corry's latest thriller will have you hooked from page one' OK 'Readers you are in for a tremendous treat - a roller-coaster of a ride that will leave you screaming, 'No!' on more than one occasion' Carol Wyer 'What an addictive read! Extremely clever storytelling with terrific pace and real emotional depth too. I loved it' Teresa Driscoll 'Corry often explores darker themes, and those living on the fringes of society and this book is no exception: gritty, real, interesting and clever. Highly recommended' Gillian McAllister 'Jane Corry's psychological thrillers have sold more than a million copies so far, and this is the most gripping yet' Sunday Express 'I Made a Mistake is an absorbing and gripping masterpiece, skilfully plotted with superbly drawn characters who will stay with you long after you've finished reading' Kathryn Croft 'I love all Jane Corry's books but this is her best yet. So clever, compulsive and twisty with a reveal I never saw coming. Superb' Claire Douglas 'Fans of Louise Doughty and Clare Mackintosh will love I Made a Mistake. Exhilarating and heartbreaking in equal measure, this story will stay with me for a long time' Nuala Ellwood

"Beatrice offers a lesson we could all benefit from: learn from your mistakes, let go, laugh, and enjoy the ride." --JENNIFER FOSBERRY, New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Not Isabella Being perfect is overrated. Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once ) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, the entire town calls her The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes One day, the inevitable happens: Beatrice makes a huge mistake in front of everyone But in the end, readers (and perfectionists) will realize that life is more fun when you enjoy everything--even the mistakes. Additional praise for The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes: "This funny and heartfelt book conveys a powerful message about how putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect can suck the joy out of everything. Beatrice's discovery that you can laugh off even a very public mistake shows the importance of resiliency and helps perfectionist kids keep things in perspective. Most importantly, Beatrice reminds the reader that it's more important to enjoy the things that you do than worry about doing them perfectly." --A Mighty Girl "The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is a must-read for any young (or old ) perfectionist. Beatrice Bottomwell is perfectly imperfect " --Stephanie Oppenheim, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio "It's fun and instructive without feeling overly didactic and the illustrations are darling." --Parenting "This book will help little perfectionists see that making mistakes is okay, and it can be a lot of fun too " --Kids Book Blog

Based on Laurie Rosenwald's popular workshop, How to Make Mistakes On Purpose reveals an intuitive, entertaining way to come up with truly original ideas. Three generations of humans have now been molded into results-oriented workers who cannot mess up, and therefore may never innovate either. Shared software, skills, and experiences equal no surprises. Surrounded by the unwavering, reliable results made possible by a machine, we all marinate in this ubiquitous cybersauce. Behold! Thousands of shiny new apps, sites, products, and services that look, feel, and are essentially the same. Because computers don’t make mistakes. Chance is the natural foil to the digital. We combine both for originality. This makes for the kind of exciting, hopeful future we want. We embrace technology but need to slap it around a bit to get someplace new. Human error sparks connections. In a relaxed situation where one’s hypercritical demons are AWOL, the snap, crackle, pop of brainstorms happen all around us. A fresh, colorful guide to discovery, with clearly marked directions and witty prompts, this is a book about living a productive, individualistic life. Whatever your job, it gives you a way to zig while everyone around you can only zag. It will also make you laugh along the way.

What do Enron, the Space Shuttle Columbia and 9/11 have in common? How a chain of mistakes can lead to disaster if they go unrecognised. How to build internal systems that prevent failure chains from spiralling out of control. Practical techniques for avoiding business failures - whether they arise from preparation, strategy, execution, or culture.