This is not the post I planned on sharing tonight. Every time I tried to put a link in to the blog post, I kept getting an error message. I’m sure the app probably needs an update, but it hasn’t figured that out yet. So here I am throwing together a post at the last minute.
I am so close to reaching my book reading goal for this year. I have just finished my 101 book, Take A Moment by Nina Kaye, and oddly enough, the main character had multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first book that I have read with a character having MS. It was funny because when it got to the part where they were going to reveal the diagnosis, I already knew. I still had to paused the book and give myself credit for figuring it out. Another gold star for Ebony ⭐️.
Her MS experience was very different from mine and it was interesting to hear her side. The author definitely did her research. Then at the end of the book, the author, Nina, talked about her own illness that inspired her to write this book. Nina has functional neurological disorder (FND). Never heard of it. After reading up on the symptoms, it is very similar to MS. FND is really just a term they use to describe an issue with how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body. The doctors don’t have a clue what is going on or what causes it, so they came up with a generic name. Functional neurological disorder encompasses anyone who is having symptoms similar to MS, but don’t have MS. My words, not theirs. Well, that is the impression I got when reading up on it. I feel like in some ways, FND is worst than MS because at least with MS, they have some ideas what is going on. They don’t have a clue in regards to FND.
I am happy that someone thought to not just write about a person with MS, but also make them the main character. A bunch of unrealistic shit happened in the book, but it’s fiction, so that is to be expected. My main issue with the book was how things were just falling into place for her from beginning to end. Now we know life is far from that. I felt so bad for her when her fiancé stormed off and said, “I didn’t sign up for this shit.” I guess it is a good thing he didn’t marry her because he would have absolutely signed up for that shit. To me, her fiancé leaving her was the most realistic part of the book.
The book was a romance novel, kinda, so there were parts that were a little too sappy for me. I am kinda over romance novels. In the book, the main character wrote a song and sang it with this band she joined because her new boyfriend had the hookup. See, unrealistic. The author, Nina, actually wrote the song and sang it in real life. It is a single called Take A Moment, just like the title of the book. The song is on Spotify and I have added it to Ebony’s Playlist, if you want to check it out. I won’t say I am a fan of the song, but I respect Nina for having the balls to do it. I will leave the song on the Playlist for a week or so.
I probably gave away a little too much in this review, but if you are interested, it is not a bad book to listen to or read. I have encountered so much worse. There are books out there I started, and I will never finish. Have you ever read a book with your illness featured in it? Or someone you know? If so, did it shock you or did you already realize it before the reveal? Three more books to go and I will have reached my goal, 104. I could combine all the books I did not finish into 3 books and slide across the finish line. Just a thought 😆. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚.