May 13, 20236 min read

A Patient Pharmacist by John Atkinson. Review

Book Blurb

A real life story of a man from Middlesbrough with a 31 year career as a pharmacist spanning from the 1970's until 2012, when it all came to a traumatic end due to a brain tumour diagnosis.

Early memories and career anecdotes are shared throughout, including medicines, formulation and apothecary skills necessary to treat patients.

A story of love and support in a war against the odds, John Atkinson shares his highs and lows, his battles with both his health and family tragedies. His uplifting, positive approach is truly inspirational, keeping you rooting for him and his family all the way as they go through the most testing of times.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Patient Pharmacist' by John Atkinson.

Read and reviewed for John Atkinson, Blossom Spring Publishing and ZooLoos Book Tours.

Publication date 14th March 2023

This is John's debut book.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Blossom Spring Publishing. I have yet to read a book published by Blossom Spring Publishing that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book). This novel consists of a foreword, 21 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case! 'A Patient Pharmacist' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book John discusses miscarriage, loss of a child, dementia and MS. I will start by saying that this isn't my usual chosen genre but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books. I must say that if you are the same as me and don't normally read non fiction then don't let that put you off and pick up your copy of this great book today. This memoir takes us on a journey through the author's life from deciding what he wanted to do when he grew up to getting there, his family life and so much more!! It is an emotionally packed book filled with romance, tragedy, loss, love, heartbreak, happiness, tears of joy, tears of sadness, laughter and absolutely every emotion that you can think of. I will be honest and admit that i was not quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book but whatever it was I got so much more!! This is not just a story of John's life in work but of his love for his wife Carol, the adventures and heartbreak they went through together and the family they made. John's fantastic writing skills really sucked me deep into his life where I could see everything come to life in front of my eyes and he left me with the emotions that he was going through. My heart went out to both him and Carol on so many occasions. John has dedicated his life to helping others, as has his lovely wife Carol, yet life has kicked them down so many times that on several occasions John starts thinking about how "empty his half full glass is becoming". However, throughout it all you can see the strength that both John and Carol have both for and with each other and how they are both fighters and when most people would give up after going through just half of what this amazing couple went though, they both keep fighting strong as they know they have more fight left in them. I was absolutely intrigued in the stories that John tells me and it felt like he was sitting across the table from me telling me about his life over a cup[ of tea going from laughter to sadness and back to smiling several times. I absolutely loved some of the stories he told me and I enjoyed "listening" to him reminisce. While reading this book John will take you through his many (over 50) operations, his successes and failures when it comes to the NHS and the bureaucracy surrounding it, his heartache at watching Carol suffer with MS , his childhood dreams and loss, his love of his family, his heartbreak of losing his children and so, so, so much more!!!!! It is a great read packed with adventures, experiences, emotions and John's writing skills ensures the reader that he genuinely cares about everything he has written about and you can hear the shock, proudness and so many other emotions he has gone through to tell his story in both his writing. He gives his own experiences and tells us where he got any information and statistics from. One of the things that I absolutely love about John and his book is that although there is so much tragedy and heartache in his life that he is so full of gratitude and thanks for what he has and his strength, hope and gratitude absolutely shines through the pages. I had never heard of John Atkinson before picking this book up but I now feel I know him and his family enough to want to meet them all and tell them how amazing they all are! John and Carol are both amazing and strong people and even looking at some of the previous reviews written left me smiling when I captured one in particular that was written by a neighbour which is stated as being from an 'informed source' and says "Never in my wildest dreams did I realise the extent of the catastrophic traumas and heartache that has befallen them both. They are two of the most smiley, happy and most positive people you would ever hope to meet." This was such a lovely thing to read and the fact that it is such an honest opinion is obvious as you can just tell from reading this book how lovely this couple are! This book, although filled with tragedy, is an amazing read, inspirational and made me smile so many times that I would definitely recommend it to absolutely anyone looking for a pick me up, motivation or inspiration regardless of what is happening in their lives. I loved going on John's journey with him, visiting places all around the UK, laughing and crying with him, smiling at his wedding, crying at his losses, anger at the way he was treated and absolutely loving his outlook on life!! Clear your schedules, grab the tissues and get ready to take a journey with John through his life journey!!! You wont regret it and you wont be able to put it down!! Congratulations John on a fantastic, fascinating read that has made me determined to look on the brighter side of life! You truly are an inspirational man and I hope to read more books about your life and hopefully soon! The best of luck to yourself, Carol and your family!! Genres covered in this book include Non Fiction, Disorders & Diseases, Personal Health, Exercise & Fitness, Illnesses & Conditions, New releases, Health & Well Being, Memoirs and Biography amongst others. I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as all parents,, carers and childminders. 197 pages This book is just £2.50 to purchase on kindle and £8.75 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!! Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 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Author Bio

John Atkinson was born in Middlesbrough (Yorkshire) and graduated as a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from the University of Bradford registering as a Pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

He worked in many locations throughout the UK as a Pharmacist, Store and Senior Manager for the national Boots the Chemists, United Co-operatives and miscellaneous pharmacy chains and independents.

This included representation on multiple professional bodies such as the Company Chemists Association, Local Pharmaceutical Committees (Morecambe Bay and Durham) and even represented the RPSGB at a Labour Party Conference.

During a 25 year plus career he was responsible for the training and tutoring of numerous pre-registration pharmacy graduates, dispensing technicians and assistants.

His hobbies include League volleyball (player, coaching and refereeing), windsurfing, walking and motor-caravanning.

A Patient Pharmacist is his debut book, inspired by a desire to share life experiences and published through Blossom Spring Publishing.