In Stitches: A heartwarming and candid memoir of working in emergency medicine by Nick Edwards

Kindle Unlimited     Paperback
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5 stars

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that the first paragraph of the vast majority of them is pretty much the same and this book review is no different.  I start all the reviews off by saying that each book I read and review starts off with the full clinic of 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that they are all still firmly stitched into place by the time I close the back cover.  I'm not shy about removing stars but I always give my reason(s) for doing so within the review - they don't just vanish into thin air for no reason.

I love reading medical memoirs as they always give me a new appreciation for all the hard, tough and rough work that goes on in daily life of every medical bod in every medical place... I just don't like gross things like blood and poo and vomit lol

I'm hoping this book will have either self-contained chapters or be easy to dip in and out of so that I don't have to re-read the previous chapters every time I need to use the bathroom... I wish I was joking but I'm not!

Let's get going shall we?

The "About this book" bit says that the typical reading time is 4 hours and 23 minutes, so in theory I'll get it finished before bedtime tonight, but at over 300 pages I very much doubt that'll happen.  I'm not gonna rush it, just read at my normal pace to see how far I get before I head to bed tonight and I'm hoping I'll finish it off tomorrow.

It'll be interested to see how my eyes cope with me wearing my new "near" glasses for the first time as I could barely see the text on my Kindle with my "distance" specs on!

So far so good with the new specs and so far I totally agree with this doctor about the silly signage and lack of agency nursing when needed!

I'm loving this book so far!  Self-contained chapters, written accurately and with my kind of humour.  It's already making me shake my head at the management policies that are introduced with seemingly zero time on the ward or in A&E - yes, some things have got better, but surely it cost the NHS more to keep that old man needlessly on the ward for 9 hours rather than using one of the three *available* ambulances and crew to take him back to his nursing home??

Up to page 31 and I'm loving every word of this book so far!  I doubt I'll get it finished before bedtime, but that's OK 'cos the chapters seem to be self-contained, so it doesn't matter if I go to bed part of the way through the book tonight.

Page 39 now and time for my first pit-stop of the book... if I can get straight back into it without having to remember everything I've already read, then I'll be able to confidently stop reading at bedtime, safe in the knowledge that I'll be able to start reading again tomorrow, which I always prefer to be able to do!

Page 42 and lunchtime... a second, slightly longer test - it passed the first one with flying colours.

There's a mention of an international furniture company so, in fairness to other books I've read and reviewed, the first star is, unfortunately, wobbly... I'm reeeeeeally hoping that the magic sentence will be at the back of the book so that it can be a solidly 5 star book like it's deserving of so far.

It's been well over 2 years since I last saw a dentist, so I've definitely been taken off their books now!  lol

Just over a third of the way through the book and I'm really enjoying it... there have been a few "could-be-too-gross" things but the author has handled it incredibly well, so I didn't lose my lunch everywhere.  

Unfortunately there have been a couple of brand names used so the wobbly star is heart-breakingly coming off at 43% and it's another one of my "shoulda been 5 stars" books... only the magic sentence at the back can replace the fallen star now unfortunately.

I'm officially a smidgen over half way through the book now (51% to be exact) and the last (very short) chapter was a description of diarrhoea so I'm gonna be taking my pills and attempting to read and recover from the graphic description before the side-effects kick in and I head to bed lol

Like I predicted this morning, I haven't managed to read the whole book in the time the dialogue box said at the very start of the book this morning, but at 51% I don't reckon I've done too badly.  I'm gonna attempt to read a few more chapters before I head to bed then hopefully finish it tomorrow.

I'm finishing reading for the day at 60% which ain't too bad at all.

I'm starting off the day feeling shocked that children still aren't getting the MMR jab because of the hogwash that the tabloid spouted back in the 80's.  I remember it well because it was around then that I was due to have my own MMR jabs and I was in a constant state of "will they/won't they" get me jabbed and "will I/won't I" get autism if they do.  I got jabbed and didn't get autism but there were a couple of young children who hadn't had it and caught measles in this book.  There is apparently *no link to autism* at all from the MMR jabs but they can literally save lives.

I'm also shocked by hospitals having to close entire wards because there just isn't enough funding to keep them open which makes the bed shortage even worse.  I really feel for the medical bods working in hospitals with patients who should be on wards until they are better, but there just not being enough room for them on the wards!

I agree that out of hours GP's should be brought back too - another way to stop non-emergency patients arriving at A&E or urgent care unnecessarily and taking up a bed that could be used by someone else.

I can see the doctors points and reasons for thinking about legalising cannabis and making medical cannabis legal is a good first step but there would need to be free support available *before* that happened so that the sudden influx of cannabis users didn't suddenly start going to several different places to get their now-legal highs.  I'm thinking that if it was properly controlled then it could be the drug equivalent of smoking cigarettes - safer and support available to quit if the smoker needs help, but because it's so freely available legally in a lot of shops, there is less stigma surrounding it and therefore not quite as "cool" and tempting as it would be if it were still illegal.

Up to 92% and I'm loving this book... assuming that there aren't 3 big woopsies in the last 8% of the book, it's definitely another "shoulda been 5 stars" book.

Just finished reading the book and it's definitely a "shoulda been 5 stars" book because the magic little sentence isn't there unfortunately.  If you enjoy reading medical memoirs and enjoy sarcasm and humour then definitely buy this book - worth every penny!

Further Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels

Kindle Unlimited     Audiobook     Paperback

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

All of my more recent book reviews have started in the same way - by saying that each book I read and review starts off with the full surgery of 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stitched firmly into place by the time I close the back cover.  I'm not shy about removing stars but I always give my reason(s) for doing so within the review, they don't just vanish into thin air.

I've really enjoyed each of the other books I've read in the "Confessions of" series and I'm really hoping that this book is up there with the rest of the series too.

Let's get going shall we?

Well, no spoilers, but after the first chapter I'm relieved that I didn't start reading just before or just after eating lol

Oh deary me... there's been a very brief mention of a trademarked chocolate bar, so the first star is already wobbly so early on in the book.  It's clinging on for dear life right now, but it's currently like jelly.

I'm up to page 17 already and I'm loving this book so far.  As long as there are no more trademarked or copyrighted mentions, this is already shaping up to be a 5 star book!

There's been a mention of a famous children's film and I'm not sure how copyright and trademarks work on those, so the star is still clinging on, but only just now.

Up to page 41 now so I'm steaming through this book this morning and loving every word again!

Nooo!!  At page 53, the first (and hopefully only) star is coming off for the use of a distance learning university, potentially without permission.  I always hate it when I have to remove a star for copyright or trademark infringement in an otherwise very much 5 star book but I've gotta be fair to all the other books I've read and take the book down to four stars.  The good thing is though, that it's the only star I'll remove for this reason, so the author can quite easily use trademarks and copyrights to his heart's content now!  lol

Those poor nurses and cheeky Mr Lorenzo lol

Page 65 and a good place to stop to go and make my lunch I reckon.

I don't envy the doctor on the appointment that ended on page 104!  lol

I'm immensely glad that I didn't live in a time where they treated an STI with mercury!!

I'm stopping reading for the day at page 135 and hoping to start again tomorrow... it's another one of those "shoulda been 5 stars books" 'cos the words are incredibly absorbing, but the dratted use of those copyrighted and trademarked things meant that the star had to come off this morning otherwise it just wouldn't have been fair on other books that I've read and reviewed.

I'm regretting opening the packet of sweets at the start of the first chapter of the day lol

Poor Danni.  I can see it from both points of view, but that chapter really sounded like she'd hit rock bottom and having her kids back would encourage her to keep on climbing back out of the pit.  I can also see it from the doctors point of view though and he has to look after Danni but also think about what is best for her children's future too.

Page 175 now, so just under 100 pages left to read this afternoon and I'm enjoying every word again!

At page 229 now and it seems to be the end of the book, other than the humourous "notes" bit that was so much appreciated in the first book and the page count on my Kindle says that there are 43 pages left to read.  I think I'm remembering rightly that other books in this series have been adverts for other books in the "Confessions of..." series so we'll have to see if it's the same in this book too.

I was wrong, I'm sorry, there were just a couple of pages of humourous notes and now there are more tales from the doctor... I thought 40 pages of notes were maybe a bit long! lol 

Now *that's* the ending I was expecting to the book lol

Another very very good book and another "shoulda been 5 stars" one too.

The First Call Was Mine by Kay Blake

Kindle Unlimited     Paperback

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

After reading my first memoir I've been hooked on the genre and wanting to read more.  This book piqued my interest from the description and I can't wait to get started reading it!

Each book I read and review starts off with the full library load of 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover.  I'm not shy about removing stars if I feel it necessary, but I always give my reason(s) within the review.  The usual reason is for copyright/Trademark infringement which is a real annoyance of mine.  I've replaced a removed star a couple of times thanks to a magic little sentence right at the end of the book and I'm more than willing to do it again... it just hasn't happened more than those couple of times.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

Oooh! The introduction pre-chapter 1 sounds like this is gonna be a raw memoir that really hits home in a few places so there are prolly gonna be anger and tears in this review, so maybe make sure that small eyes aren't anywhere near when you read this review and potentially book (if you decide to get it) as there might be a few raw emotions and maybe swearing from me, so be ready for that before you read any further.

I'm on page 2 and it's obviously written by an American due to the emergency phone number used, so I'll try not to get too frustrated by the spellings and different words for the same thing... it's good that I've found out sooner rather than later so that I know not to remove stars for things that are beyond the author's control like the emergency phone number.  It'll be interesting to see what else is different between our countries too.

There have been a couple of brief mentions of a popular doll and a famous entertainment company but that's all it's been so far, so the star is still safe, but the glue is starting to weaken a bit.

The first chapter was so powerful... and long at 17 pages.  That's OK though, I know now and I'm totally hooked.

The second chapter was all over the place, but was 16 pages long and there's just over half an hour until lunchtime starts so I'm gonna try and get chapter 3 read and reviewed before then, but we'll have to wait and see.

Chapter 3 has got me quivering with hope, then fear.  I'm up to page 47 and I'm gonna stop there for an early lunch before I break down in tears and feel too emotional to eat.

I've had a busy few days since I last picked up this book so it'll be interesting to see how easy or otherwise it is to get back into it!

I've just finished chapter 4 and I'm already wondering if this'll be a DNF for heartbreakingly emotional reasons rather than the poor quality of the writing... each word has been carefully chosen to chip away at my heart and it's already breaking me after only 4 chapters.  There are 210 pages left to go and I can already feel the knot in my throat as I try to swallow the tears that I'm desperate not to shed!

Chapter 5 broke my heart again, but thankfully no tears yet... this is a truly incredible book, oozing with pain.

This review is already getting waaaay too long and I've barely started the book, so I'll only comment on noteworthy things now, but I'm expecting there to be multiple floods of tears when I can't swallow the emotional knot in my throat any more!

Chapter 15 was loooooong, but IMHO so worthwhile and necessary.

There have been multiple mentions of Trademarked businesses so, like with other books who have done the same, I'm having to take the first star off, even though I really don't want to.

As predicted, I'm in floods of tears.  The author has been through so much crud and reading her words has made me realise just how easy my life has been.

Thank you for opening my eyes, Kay.

The Overthinking Cure by Dr Jessamy Hibberd

Kindle     Audiobook     Paperback

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

If you've read any of my other more recent book reviews, you'll know that I start them off with this same first paragraph that says that each book starts off with the full 5 stars and that I'm also hopeful that they are all still in place by the time I close the back cover.  You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars but I always give my reason(s) for doing so within the review - they don't just disappear.

I was approved to read an DRC of this book by the publisher and Net Galley but there was no option to download it onto my Kindle for some reason, even though there's a Kindle book available.  I'm reading it through the Net Galley app and hope that I don't forget that I'm reading and reviewing it because it's not on my Kindle.  I won't be commenting on the look of the book or any page errors as I don't know what it looks like on my Kindle.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

I'm only on the first page after the dedication and copyright etc pages and I'm already getting a headache because the text is so small and I can't find a way to increase it so at 3% the first star is already wobbly!  Actually, scratch that, I've read a sentence so far and it's pretty much totally unreadable because of the font and size that has been chosen for this book, so after one single sentence, the first star is coming off already.

I haven't even managed to read the first paragraph and it's totally unreadable for me unfortunately, so this is not only a DNF it's a barely started too!  I'm taking off the three remaining stars because I can't safely read it at all!

I've scrolled further forward just in case but there are images and graphs and the font hasn't changed size so there's no way I can read this book unfortunately.  I really hope they fix the font before it's published otherwise there may not be many happy readers unfortunately!

***

I contacted the publisher about not being able to read the book because of the font size, which they quickly corrected, I re-downloaded the book but there were numbers at the start and/or end of each line, so I contacted the publisher again and they were able to sort that out too, so I'm starting a fresh page with this book and ramping the stars all the way back up to five.

Let's try reading and reviewing again.

This book is soooo me already!

There have been several mistakes in the format of the book so far that kinda spoils it a bit, most noticeably when there are 11 words without a single space between any of them.  I hope that they are ironed out before final publication!  The first star is wobbly, but it's clinging on by it's fingernails right now.

There are 4 pages with just boxes of various shapes and sizes that I'm guessing are supposed to be images, but they just don't make any sense to me reading the Kindle version so the first star is plopping off unfortunately.

My overthinking is usually definitely The Dweller - especially when I'm alone!!  Saying that though, I'm also The Catastrophizer lol  And The Overwhelmed, although thankfully not as much as I used to be now.

Up to chapter 8 and I'm gonna treat myself compassionately and go and make myself a me-friendly creamy hot-chocolate.

With the ten tips for sleep, I already do numbers 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 but I'm hopeless at the last 3 lol

I'm stiff and sore, but I've really enjoyed the last almost 8 hours of constant reading, but my bladder is telling me that it's time for a break now, after my earlier hot chocolate lol

I've got a room-temperature bottle of ice tea to keep me going until lunchtime now... I'm loving this book so far, other than the words with no spaces between them which is a bit frustrating, but I'm reading an ARC so I'm really hoping that they will all be found and adjusted before it gets released then I'll look like an idiot in this review lol

I've been so caught up in this book that I've forgotten to update this review and drink my bottle of ice tea (the reason that I chose the cold version over the hot lol)!  It's taken almost exactly 9 hours but I've absolutely devoured it!  There were more strings of words together and misplaced titles/chapters/sections that I'm hoping will be sorted by the time this book is published for real, but it's been sooo worth it!