A couple of months ago I found out about a website called Booksneeze which I was so excited to discover! This website offers the opportunity to receive free books in exchange for honest reviews. I was excited to find this site because as y'all know I do love reading and what a great opportunity! *smiles*
I requested for my first book: "Days Like These: Even in the Darkest Moments, Light Can Shine Through" by Kristian & Rachel Anderson. The book is written by Kristian Anderson (and is mostly based on his blog posts) during his fight with cancer. The book is written from his first hand account and includes numerous posts from beginning to his final post shortly before he died. The book (as the back cover states) is a book filled of inspiring posts that are filled with hope and courage to hold onto hope even in the darkest moments.
There are several reasons that I think that this book is worth reading:
First, those that are also desiring to be inspired and amazed by the depth of faith that Kristian had despite his struggles will also enjoy this book.
Second, those that are looking to understand or know the thought process of someone struggling through cancer will learn alot from this book.
Third, as a person struggling with a health diagnosis I was inspired by Kristian's faith despite his health circumstances. Throughout each post he weaves his reality with the truth and hope of the love of God. One quote from his final blog post that truly inspired me was: "There is a crack in everything . That's how the light gets in... The truth is, we're all broken, we're all cracked, and what so many people see as a fault or a malfunction really is something to be considered useful."
Fourth, one thing that really inspired me and stuck out to me was a comment that he made in regards to boundaries with those that said hurtful things throughout his illness. This really stood out to me because on this weeks Thursday Health Thoughts I plan to discuss the importance of boundaries in relationships while you are ill (or just in general in life)! One quote that Kristian wrote that I loved was: "When you come to see me or my family, there is now a dress code in effect. Come to us wearing Faith & Hope, and you will be warmly welcomed. Come to us wearing Fear and Doubt, and you will be politely asked to leave. This dress code will be strictly enforced. NO exceptions." (page 46) Another one that he wrote: "I'm weeding out the voices, no matter how well intentioned, that would bring harm, and allowing only those that bring hope and peace."(page 132) I would keep writing more but you will have to wait for Thursday!
I will be honest that I did enjoy parts of the book, but the book also has its difficult moments for several reasons. Kristian's posts are filled with such raw honesty that it was difficult to read as you knew that he was going to lose his fight with cancer and leave his young wife and children behind. Another thing that was difficult was that some of the posts seem a little scattered to follow and that can make it confusing. Part of the reason for this is because while there are some parts of the book that have dates (and posts refer to dates) other parts are not dated and makes it hard to piece together a correct time frame. Finally, I would have liked to have seen more of Rachel's input at parts instead of the sporadic posts that she did. To be frank, her posts were also sometimes confusing because she would put her thoughts in at the end of a chapter and you would have to go back to re-read some of the chapter to fully understand her perspective. I am not sure, but part of the reason for the "disjointed" feeling might have been the lack of time since Kristian's death and being "so close" to the material.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.combook review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I requested for my first book: "Days Like These: Even in the Darkest Moments, Light Can Shine Through" by Kristian & Rachel Anderson. The book is written by Kristian Anderson (and is mostly based on his blog posts) during his fight with cancer. The book is written from his first hand account and includes numerous posts from beginning to his final post shortly before he died. The book (as the back cover states) is a book filled of inspiring posts that are filled with hope and courage to hold onto hope even in the darkest moments.
There are several reasons that I think that this book is worth reading:
First, those that are also desiring to be inspired and amazed by the depth of faith that Kristian had despite his struggles will also enjoy this book.
Second, those that are looking to understand or know the thought process of someone struggling through cancer will learn alot from this book.
Third, as a person struggling with a health diagnosis I was inspired by Kristian's faith despite his health circumstances. Throughout each post he weaves his reality with the truth and hope of the love of God. One quote from his final blog post that truly inspired me was: "There is a crack in everything . That's how the light gets in... The truth is, we're all broken, we're all cracked, and what so many people see as a fault or a malfunction really is something to be considered useful."
Fourth, one thing that really inspired me and stuck out to me was a comment that he made in regards to boundaries with those that said hurtful things throughout his illness. This really stood out to me because on this weeks Thursday Health Thoughts I plan to discuss the importance of boundaries in relationships while you are ill (or just in general in life)! One quote that Kristian wrote that I loved was: "When you come to see me or my family, there is now a dress code in effect. Come to us wearing Faith & Hope, and you will be warmly welcomed. Come to us wearing Fear and Doubt, and you will be politely asked to leave. This dress code will be strictly enforced. NO exceptions." (page 46) Another one that he wrote: "I'm weeding out the voices, no matter how well intentioned, that would bring harm, and allowing only those that bring hope and peace."(page 132) I would keep writing more but you will have to wait for Thursday!
I will be honest that I did enjoy parts of the book, but the book also has its difficult moments for several reasons. Kristian's posts are filled with such raw honesty that it was difficult to read as you knew that he was going to lose his fight with cancer and leave his young wife and children behind. Another thing that was difficult was that some of the posts seem a little scattered to follow and that can make it confusing. Part of the reason for this is because while there are some parts of the book that have dates (and posts refer to dates) other parts are not dated and makes it hard to piece together a correct time frame. Finally, I would have liked to have seen more of Rachel's input at parts instead of the sporadic posts that she did. To be frank, her posts were also sometimes confusing because she would put her thoughts in at the end of a chapter and you would have to go back to re-read some of the chapter to fully understand her perspective. I am not sure, but part of the reason for the "disjointed" feeling might have been the lack of time since Kristian's death and being "so close" to the material.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com
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