Nov 22, 20238 min read

A Patient Pharmacist - Extra Visiting Times by John Atkinson. Review

Book Description

A Patient Pharmacist - Book Two

Stimulated by public reaction and reviews about his debut inspiring memoir,” A Patient Pharmacist,” John Atkinson brings his story up to date with A Patient Pharmacist – Extra Visiting Times.

Following his brain tumour removal, soul-searching moments are shared with complete and open frankness as we follow his continuing emotional roller coaster journey of trauma and life experiences.

Containing humour and even poetry, John shares witty insights of a 42-year successful marriage and a 50-year partnership, together with a complete zest for life which I’m sure you will agree after reading this book, clearly shines through!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Patient Pharmacist - Extra Visiting Times' by John Atkinson.

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

Publication date 11th October 2023

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read is debut novel 'A Patient Pharmacist' which I would also highly recommend.

This novel consists of a foreword and 9 chapters. The chapters are short 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 - Extra Visiting Times' 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, Covid 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. The first thing (well second after the above) I want to say is that I was absolutely over the moon when John contacted me personally after reviewing his debut book to let me know after mine and others' reviews he had decided he was going to write a second book!! As always with reading a "sequel" to books there is always the worry of whether it is going to be as good as the first book!! Well in this case there is certainly nothing to worry about as even though I loved John's debut novel, I don't know how he managed it but I LOVE this one even more. I believe it is because after the first book I feel like I have got to know John and Carol and this book now feels like I am getting to know them even more as John moves forwards, and in some cases backwards, in his memorable and adventure packed journey of life!! I also want to take this moment to give a HUGE thank you to John for including part of my review in this book, it means so much!!! I am also really hoping now that he is going to continue his good reviews means another book is needed mentality as I just need to keep being part of his and Carols life and journey after I have got to know them both so well already. This second memoir takes us on a journey through more ot the author's life from his and Carol's loss of their child, to his and Carols many hospital appointments and emergencies, his glass half full outlook on life , his joyful times with his grandchildren, weddings and funerals during COVID, spoilt holidays, life in the pandemic 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 absolutely loved the additions of John's poetry scattered throughout this book and I must say he has definitely got talent in that area too!!! Maybe a book of poems is in the cards too John 😉!!! I also love the fact that he tells (teases) is about the children's books he has written for his grandchildren 'The Tales of Apoth Acky' which I would love to read myself so come on John!!! 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 evocative 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 more of in this amazing book 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, his many times in and out of hospital due to kidney stones, rumours and so much more, his life during COVID, his disastrous holiday attempts and so, so, so much more!!!!! It is a truly amazing 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 books are 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 absolutely love his glass half full attitude and so many people would benefit greatly having this outlook on life!! After reading both John's debut book and this book I now feel I know him and his family even more and I would love to meet them all and tell them how amazing they all are! I was absolutely over the moon when I received the message from John about how my review impacted him, it truly made my day and I was landed that I could make a man such as John who has gone through so much smile with my review that I just hope I have done this book justice too!!! Although this is the second book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without reading 'A Patient Pharmacist' first. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader. Although I would still highly recommend it if you loved this book as it is also amazing and filled with John and Carols remarkable stories and history!! 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 yet another amazing , emotional and memorable journey with John, visiting places all around the UK, laughing and crying with him, smiling at his amazing glass half full outlook on life, crying at his and Carol's suffering, absolutely loving his outlook on life and so much more!! I loved the photos that John included of him and Carol kissing the Blarney stone, Carols incredible shoe collection as well as the absolutely fascinating new information I gathered from this book such as why the barber 💈 poles were red and white and laughing out loud at his Boots Carboy catastrophe!!! Honestly I could go on but I will end here with saying if you don't read this book you are missing out on living out another incredible life with John and Carol who have enriched my own with their journeys!!! Thank you both for continuing on with this incredible book and I would love to see not only a trilogy happen but also see your poems and children's books come to life!!! Clear your schedules, grab the tissues and get ready to take a journey with John through his life journey with Carol!!! You wont regret it and you wont be able to put it down!! Pick up your copy for a rollercoaster ride through hospitals, laughter, weddings, funerals, poems and so much more!!! Congratulations John on yet another immersive, fantastic, fascinating journey that has continued to help me with a glass half full attitude! I said it before and I will say it again you truly are an inspirational man and Carol is an amazing lady and yet again I hope to read even more books about your life and hopefully soon! The best of luck to yourself, Carol and your family and thank you! 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. 110 pages This book is just £2.50 to purchase on kindle and £7.85 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.