A Thousand Sleepless Nights by Michael King

‘A Thousand Sleepless Nights’ is a powerful story of one family’s battle with cancer and for wholeness.

Nena and Jim are the main characters of ‘A Thousand Sleepless Nights.’ Nena’s cancer and past neglect of her family shadows or influences everything else in the story. Jim is her husband. His devotion to Nena and the three children (now grown) is apparent throughout the book. His story is split between the present and the past looking back at what led up to his meeting Nena and a short time after meeting her, some thirty years earlier. As the story progresses it becomes apparent that something happened in the past that Jim needs to deal with before it is too late. Roberta is the youngest of their children. She felt her mom’s neglect the most and in her search for love has made some costly choices. Ken the middle child is trying to fill his emptiness with success, basically showing the same tendencies of his mom, only on his own path. The oldest, Barbara, is the one least broken by Nena’s passion to save the ranch at any cost, but she too is battling health issues.

As Nena’s cancer progresses and her health deteriorates, she begins to see the damage she has done to her entire family. Her determination once focused on saving the ranch finds a new focus. She must come to terms with what she has done as well as dealing with her cancer and possible death. As death’s threat grows larger Nena becomes even more determined.

As a cancer survivor himself, Michael knows firsthand the heartaches and pains of cancer. He takes that knowledge and uses it to make a very realistic story.

Michael uses his writing talents to draw the reader into Nena and Jim’s world, right along with Roberta, Ken, and Barbara. A world of pain, suffering, and yet hope.

I’d recommend ‘A Thousand Sleepless Nights’ to everyone. It is realistic, especially about cancer. It touches on humanity’s greatest need (peace with God).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author Michael King as a member of The Darlington Society. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

To find out more about Michael King and ‘A Thousand Sleepless Nights’ head over to: http://michaelkingbooks.wordpress.com/athousandsleeplessnights/   Do so before October 20, 2012 to find out how you can receive some free gifts with the purchase of ‘A Thousand Sleepless Nights’….

 

***Charisma House Book Group and Michael King (a colon cancer survivor) are donating a portion of the proceeds of this book to the Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) and their vision for a world free of colon cancer. The CCA is the nation’s leading colon cancer advocacy organization and is a community that provides hope and support to patients and their families while saving lives through screening, access, awareness, advocacy and research.

Read Michael’s story on the CCA website . . .

And learn more about the CCA by visiting www.ccalliance.org or calling their toll-free help line at 1-877-322-4020.

Firebird by Brent McCorkle and Amy Parker

This is a wonderful children’s book about a little bird that learns that God doesn’t take the sun away when it is stormy out. It seems in fact that Eva Marie quoted the entire story, word for word, in ‘Unconditional: A Novel’.

It is a nice size and shape for reading to one or more children, perfect for having the children all gather in a semi-circle for story time or maybe a single child nestled in one’s lap. The storyline is simple, one that a young child can take in and understand.  The illustrations are bright, large, and colorful. Great for seeing from a short distance away.

If you are looking for a way to share God’s unchanging love with young children in your life, this is a delightful book that they can page through and go over the story themselves, even when there isn’t anyone to read it, via the wonderful pictures on each page.

Purposes of Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion of it in a review on my blog. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

‘Unconditional’ by Eva Marie Everson

Sam (Samantha) Crawford is happily married to her best friend, Billy Crawford. All seems to be turning out as she thought things would until the unthinkable happens and Billy dies. He isn’t taken from her in illness, he is murdered and it plunges her into a pit of despair in which she sees no sunshine and can’t emotionally or spiritually find her way out. When she is at her lowest point God puts a couple of children and a very special friend from childhood into her life. Keisha, Macon, and Joe Bradford (known as Papa Joe by the children he works with in his ministry) are the instruments used by God to radically change her life and in the process change their lives too.

It is a great story that shows what God’s love can do when we least expect it.

My favorite part is probably where Sam learns what her husband said right before he died. Not just what he said, but what happens in and around her finding out.

On the front cover it states that it is based on the motion picture screenplay written by Brent McCorkle, and at the end of the book we are told that it was inspired by actual events in Joe Bradford’s life. What those ‘actual events’ are that inspired the story are not shared. What is shared is that a ministry to fatherless children started from sharing a piece of candy and that ministry is called Elijah’s Heart. To find out more about the ministry there is a website you can visit.  http://www.papajoe.org and http://www.elijahsheart.com (both go to the same place.)

I recommend this book as both encouraging and inspirational reading.

Have you read the book? What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Purposes of Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion of it in a review on my blog. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”