Friday 21 August 2015

Reasons To Stay Alive Review - Matt Haig




Hello Lovelies,

Hope you are well I have not done a book review in quite sometime Why You Ask?  now that's because I haven't sat down and read a full book until now that is.










I literally have all kinds of love for this book that I have been reading it's called Reasons To Stay Alive and the Authour is called Matt Haig 

This book is not only AMAZING in the way it has been written but it's AMAZING in Appearance too. 
I love the fact that it's a White Hard Back Book I haven't come across that before the hard back books that I have read once you take the cover of are that really dull red or black colour that look quite cheap without the cover on. 
This book though once the cover gets tatty you could take the cover off and place the book on your book shelf and it would still look AMAZING....
I think they have put some serious thought into this book when they have designed it I love the silver writing down the side especially and then you open it up and you get that nice vibrant orange colour. 

I can't remember who's Blog I first saw this book on but she was Praising it so much and this left me Curious I thought to myself well how good can it be.
Normally when a book has been really Hyped up I come to read it and I am left feeling a little Dejected at the fact that I thought it might of been better.

I wanted to Read this book because I have had so many Health Problems of my own this year a lot of Depression & Anxiety, the Anxiety/Panic Disorder was very new to me I have never Experienced anything like it the Sweaty Palms, Nausea, Dizziness, Feeling like your Heart is literally going to explode it's beating that fast. 

I remember the first Panic Attack I had I didn't know what on Earth was Happening to me I couldn't Breath then the wave of Dizziness and Sickness came straight After. 

I don't often Talk about this but as I was reading this book and it's about Mental Health Issues I thought I would share some of my own Struggles. 

This book has Taught me that there is no Shame in admitting you have a Problem there is such a big Stigma around Mental Health and it needs to be talked about more Openly.....

Anyway onto the review....

What I loved about this book is it was kind of a Self-help Guide but it was also Matt Haig's Personal Memoirs about what he went through and he actually says he wasn't sure whether to Write this book as a person that deals with Depression, Anxiety & Panic Disorder I completley understand why he had second thoughts about writing this book because once you put something out there it can't be taken back.

I don't want to give too much of this book away in case it's on your reading list and you haven't gotten around to reading it yet but Trust me when I say it's a Must Read Put it on your reading list. I don't say that about a lot of books in fact nearly every book I have bought I have only read once and then given them away but I will be holding onto this book because it is one of those books that you can use as a Reference Guide. 

This book made me see that there is actually light at the end of a very black tunnel and that I am grateful that there are people out there that are brave enough to tell there story....

So hard to do these Book Reviews because I really don't want to Spoil it for those that have not read it I will tell you a little bit about it otherwise it would not be much of a Review. 

Basically this guy Matt Haig suffers Depression, Anxiety & Panic Disorder (I could relate to this book on so many levels) he is on holiday with his girlfriend when he has a Breakdown so they fly home to get him Treatment.
He goes onto Talk about what caused his Illness and when he think it began and what the Trigger of his Breakdown was.
How he deals with his illness from the Depression to the Panic Disorder to having both at the same time and dealing with that.

I will leave it there as I always get carried away and don't want to spoil anymore of the book but it really is a good book I have read a couple of these Self Help Guides since I was diagnosed In January with Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety/Panic Disorder and by far this is the best one I have read and I felt I could take away some of Matt's Coping Strategies to help myself.

I'll put some of the comments on here that the likes of Stephen Fry & Joanna Lumley. 

Stephen Fry - ''Matt Haig Is Outstanding''

Joanna Lumley - 'A small masterpiece that might even save lives' (I could not agree more) It highlights the Symptoms of both Depression, Anxiety/Panic Disorder. 

Jo- Brand- A really great read and essential to our collective well being.

Michael Palin - Brings a difficult and sensitive subject out of the darkness and into the light 

Simon Mayo - Maybe the most important book I have read this year (again TOTALLY agree)

Nathan Filer - 'Full Of wisdom and warm'

Joanne Harris - 'Marvellous.... This book is wise, funny affirming and redemptive. 

SJ Watson - Should be read by anyone who has suffered or known someone who has suffered from depression (I.E Everyone) Again could not agree more I feel like it would help so many people.

Ian Rankin - 'Fascinating and Beautifully Written' 

Rev Richard Coles - 'Brilliant and Salutary..... Should be on prescription. 

I always read the back of a book when I buy it so when I read all these Comments from well known people I didn't think the book would live up to it's reputation.
I thought it was going to be one of those Depressing Self Help Guides written by a Psychologist who only knows of these Illnesses and have not been through them, themselves but it wasn't like that at all it helped knowing they were Matt Haig's Memoirs the Battles he faced to know that your not the only one dealing with this I felt it just Helped me so much.

When I got this book it was on Special Offer for £7.99 at Waterstones but the Original Retail Price was only £9.99 anyway.

I will leave the link down below if you want to Purchase this book.

***DISCLAIMER*** This is not a sponsored post it has my own thoughts apart from what I have written from the back of the book.

Waterstones Reasons To Stay Alive - Matt Haig  This copy is still on special offer for £7.99 and it is definitely money well spent. 

I didn't know this at the time but Matt Haig has also sold a copy of this book Signed for £9.99 which is a nice little touch especially if you know someone that will benefit from reading this book  it would make an ideal gift.

Reasons To Stay Alive - Matt Haig Limited Edition

I thought I would put a ***Synopsis*** of this book at the end of the post not as a Spoiler but as some of you might want to know more about this book which sums it up Perfectly but also you want to find out more. I literally could not put this book down.

***SYNOPSIS of the book that waterstones have put on there website

his is a signed edition.
What Does It mean To Feel Truly Alive? Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth. "I wrote this book because the oldest cliches remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it ...Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."

Have you read Reasons To Live Yet? 
What Are Your Thoughts Would love to Know..