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Category: Diabetes Book Reviews

reading diabetes related books

My December Updated Reading List

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

I had set a goal of reading 25 books this year, or basically, 2 books a month. The first 3 months of the year, I was on pace. I was primarily listening to audiobooks, which is the same thing to me. It’s easier for me to do that.

I am nowhere near the 25 that I wanted to be at, but my goal is to read at least 3 of the 4 books listed below. These are books that were sent to me in agreement of writing a review for them. I get at least 2-3 of these emails a day asking to review books and 90% of them I decline. I only accept the ones that I feel I could personally benefit from and then sharing that to my readers who could benefit from it.

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Open Up Your Bag_ A Diabetes Picture Book Review and Giveaway -featured image

Open Up Your Bag: A Diabetes Picture Book Review and Giveaway

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

There is a new diabetes book making its way around the world and I feel proud to call this person a friend. I’ve known Mike on the interwebs for probably close to 10 years at this point. I’ve only met him a hand full of times in person, but every time that I have, he has been one of the nicest, sincere people that I’ve met.

Mike just so happens to be an incredible doodler. And if doodler isn’t a word, then it is now because that’s what Mike does.

I’ve seen his doodles be used by an entire company as their avatars.

Mike has created the book Open Up Your Diabetes Bag: a diabetes picture book.

This book is filled with Mike’s doodles to help kids learn and understand their diabetes management a little better. You can also head to Mike’s website, DiabetesDoodles.com and download activities so your children can color his doodles!open up your bag diabetes book doodles

The book contains concepts of opening your meter bag, testing your blood sugar, taking your insulin and more. This book is intended for kids and that’s just what I used it for.

I read this book with my daughter multiple times and there’s a page in the book where one of the doodles is taking a shot with an insulin pen and my daughter laughed and said, “daddy that silly penguin is taking a shot like you.”

That comment right there made the minimal investment worth it.

The book is super small so I can’t give too much of a review other than that I back this book up and I highly recommend it for not only a child with diabetes but any parent who has diabetes and wants to explain diabetes management to their child.

via GIPHY

FREE GIVEAWAY ALERT

I’ve asked Mike if I could do a giveaway here and he said absolutely. So, guess what, that’s exactly what we are going to do!

You can enter this giveaway with multiple different actions. The more you do, the more entries you get.

Please see below for the details. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, August 14.

 

Open Up Your Bag: A Diabetes Picture Book

Mindy Bartleson’s Kickstarter for Her New Self-Published Book

Chris Stocker

Mindy Bartleson is writing a book and she needs our help to crowdfund in order to self-publish. The Kickstarter campaign is already live, please go  check it out here – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1535066151/coming-of-age-with-chronic-illness-and-mental-heal

Below is a guest post from Mindy talking about her book.

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Over the years, I’ve adjusted my blog. I wanted to talk about it all together- the type 1 diabetes, PCOS, endometriosis, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, (other diagnoses), loss, and more- because like the title of my blog says- “There’s More to the Story”. I wanted to talk about it honestly- the good and the bad. I didn’t used to do this. I thought I had to pick a viewpoint and couldn’t change my mind. I had to either be positive or negative so I found myself not only lying to the world around me, but also to myself. I eventually changed this mindset and aimed to be honest.

Mental health is important- regardless if you have a mental health diagnoses or a chronic illness. Sadly mental health is taboo and a lot of people don’t see it as important. I used to not acknowledge it at all, but over time I realized how important it is. I also realized that I cannot just focus on one thing in life- one diagnosis- because that means that things can get missed.

About two years ago, I made the decision to start a project. I decided to write a book about chronic illness and mental health. I’m aiming to balance the positive and the negative together on growing up in general but also with chronic illness and mental health along for the ride.

Over the past two years, writing this book has pushed me to process a lot of my past. All of it. I’ve seen how far I’ve come and realized the importance of so many situations.

I’m pursuing self-publishing and utilizing crowdfunding to make this dream happen!

Mindy is self-publishing an honest book about growing up with chronic illness and mental health. She wrote the content before rose colored glasses impacted her experiences too much. To help this book get published, you can visit the crowdfunding page to learn more, back her project, and help spread the word. You can also follow Mindy on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her blog “There’s More to the Story”.

Mindy Bartleson Kickstarter

Bright Spots and Landmines Review on YouTube

Chris Stocker

Hey everyone. I finally did my review of Adam Brown’s Bright Spots and Landmines and decided to do it over on YouTube. I have embedded the video just below, but you can also click over to YouTube to watch the video with this link.

In order to be eligible to win the FREE copy of Adam’s book, you must Like, Comment and Share the video on YouTube.

If you’d like to purchase Adam’s book you can do so with this link (http://amzn.to/2uxOfHO), I believe it is priced at less than $7 which is awesome.

Hope you enjoy!

Switch It Up Book Review

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

This book was sent to me for free in exchange for writing a review. See my disclosure page here. Links included in article may include affiliate links.

Also, read until the end to find out about a giveaway for this book!

As you may remember, my wife and I have been trying to eat a lot healthier. Not so much a diet, but more of a lifestyle change. I have been trying to cut out as many carbs as possible in order to lower my insulin usage and hopefully increase my insulin sensitivity levels.

So, when I was asked to review a copy of Switch It Up: A Fresh Take On Quick and Easy Diabetes-Friendly Recipes for a Balanced Life by Corinne Trang I thought it was a no brainer because I really need some new recipes.

This book is one of the American Diabetes Association books.

One of the main issues that my wife and I always have is repetitiveness. We find something that we like that is healthy, but then we overdo it and then we start to get bored with it. Once I get bored with something, then it just makes me want to go and eat unhealthy food that may be quick to fix for dinner.

The pictures in this cookbook are unbelievable. A lot of the times my wife may find a recipe online but it’s filled with ads all over the page, confusing cooking instructions or you have to sign up for something in order to read the full recipe. That’s why I like good ole’ fashioned cookbooks and recipe books.
So far, some of my favorites have been the Curry Spiced Chicken Breast, Avocado Corn and Tomato Salad, and Pork Lettuce Wrap with Prune Relish.

Curry Spiced Chickren Breast, Avocado Corn and Tomato Salad and more great recipes Click To Tweet

We’re just getting started with this book though, so I’m sure we will have a lot more favorites soon.

Finally, I am going to be giving away one FREE copy of Switch It Up to one lucky winner. Here’s how to enter in order to win:

1. Comment below or on Facebook (you can use the Facebook comments below)

2. Like this post on Facebook

3. Share this post on Facebook and/or Twitter (You can simply click to tweet below)

Once doing all three you will automatically be entered to win a FREE copy of this book.

Winner will be selected on May 10, 2017.

I'm entering to win a free copy of Switch It Up by Corinne Trang from The Life of a Diabetic Click To Tweet

All images in this post are credited to: ©2017 by Corinne Trang. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. Switch It Up is available at ShopDiabetes.org, in bookstores nationwide, or by calling 1-800-232-6733. Food Photography: Corinne Trang

Gift Ideas for People with Diabetes This Holiday Season

Chris Stocker

If you are reading this, then you probably have diabetes yourself, so I recommend that you share this post with your family members and friends.

If you have a loved one that is living with diabetes, or a co-worker, or you just want to spoil yourself, then what better time to show them how much you love them than with a diabetes related gift for the holidays.

I’ve put together a list of items below that I think would make the best holiday gifts for people with diabetes. Also, please add additional gift ideas in the comment section below. Just as an FYI, most of the products I’m listing were created by people with diabetes or a parent of someone with diabetes.

Diabetic Dabs

If your glucose meter bag is anything like mine, then it is filled with blood. There are people who lick their finger after testing, some wipe with a wet wipe or napkin, some just wipe their finger on the inside of their meter bag (me!) or some carry around some bulky product to wipe it with. Diabetic Dabs make it easy to just stick to the inside of your meter bag and simply “dab” your finger into the gauze cloth without making a huge mess. – http://diabeticdabs.com/

Books About Diabetes

I’m not going to list all of the books here, I am just going to link to my recent post about my favorite diabetes books. These are all great gift ideas and the best part is that if you know multiple people, you can just buy several!

PumpStash

There are several products out there that were created by those living with diabetes to make it easier to hold your insulin pump while playing sports, or even just everyday wear. Corrine started this company and created this product. She created the product to help her store her pump more easily by adding a pocket to the back of spandex. – http://www.pumpstash.com/

Lauren’s Hope Medical ID Jewelry

If you are anything like me, then you hate the thought of having to wear some sort of medical ID bracelet or necklace. In fact, I don’t even wear one because they annoy me, especially the really plain ugly ones. So, this could be a great gift idea for someone who doesn’t currently wear a medical ID bracelet because they aren’t fashionable or cool. Remember my niece who was recently diagnosed? Well, my sister in law bought her an ID bracelet from here and she absolutely loves it and doesn’t mind wearing it. – https://www.laurenshope.com/

Use the coupon code FAN for 10% off an order

Pump Peelz

If you know someone who rocks an insulin pump, then why not help them add a little flare to it with an insulin pump skin. You can choose from their favorite NFL team to a color, to a simple design (I’m into all things camo). Pump Peelz offers skins for Dexcom, Animas Ping / Vibe, tSlim, OmniPod, Medtronic, Pebble Watch, VerioIQ and more – http://pumppeelz.com/

Charity Donation

If you’re not sure if any of these gifts will work for the person with diabetes that you know, then simply make a cash donation in their honor to their charity of choice. I have done this in the past with birthday gift ideas and it worked out quite well.

Sponsor a Trip

This gift could be pricey, but if you have the budget and means, then why not? Pay for their trip to a diabetes conference in 2016. Christel has the ultimate list of diabetes conferences in 2016. (as well as the diabetes UNconference). I would say that the vast majority of us living with diabetes would love to attend some of the meetups and conferences but just simply can’t afford them, so of course this would make the perfect gift!

Etsy Items

There are a TON of diabetes related items on Etsy. If you just do a search for Diabetes (which I have done here for you), you will find a lot of items.  A lot of items on Etsy can actually be personalized for a few extra dollars.

Cupcakes

Every person with diabetes I ever met has loved cupcakes, so you can’t go wrong there!

If you have any additional gift ideas for someone with diabetes, or someone who loves / cares for someone with diabetes, then please add in the comments below or share on Facebook.

My List of Favorite Diabetes Books

Chris Stocker

A recent diagnosis that was brought to my attention led me to recommending books about diabetes, so I decided to make a list of my favorite diabetes books that I’ve read over the years. If yours did not make the list, don’t get upset, I either have not had a chance to read it, or it just slipped my mind because there have been a lot sent my way over the years.

So, here we go, and in no particular order:

  1. Balancing Diabetes: Conversations About Finding Happiness and Living Well by Kerri Sparling
  2. Dealing with Diabetes Burnout: How to Recharge and Get Back on Track When You Feel Frustrated and Overwhelmed Living with Diabetes by Ginger Vieira
  3. Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin by Gary Scheiner
  4. Kids First Diabetes Second: Tips for Parenting a Child with Type 1 Diabetes by Leighann Calentine
  5. Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad by Scott Benner (this one is not strictly about diabetes)
  6. Diabetes Do’s & How To’s by Riva Greenberg
  7. The Book of Better: Life with Diabetes Can’t be Perfect. Make it Better by Chuck Eichten
  8. Sugar Linings: Finding the Bright Side of Type 1 Diabetes by Sierra Sandison (I haven’t read this one yet, but it’s on my list)
  9. Thriving with Diabetes by David Edelman and Paul Rosman (I haven’t read this yet, but is next up on the list)
  10. The Diet Game by Marci Sloane MS, RD, LD/N, CDE

If you have any additional books to add, please do in the comments.

Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal Review

Chris Stocker

LIS_Cover_sealLife Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad is by far one of the best books that I have read in a long time. That could be the end of this review but I should probably tell you why it’s one of the best. It has taking me a long time to finally write the review, but I finished this book in less than 2 days because I couldn’t put it down.

As some of you may know, I work home. I work for myself, actually for my clients, but you get the point. Amanda is a teacher, so that means she is gone most of the day and I am home all day. Since I feel that being a teacher is one of the most important jobs in our world and I understand how hard she works, I like to make sure the house is cleaned, dishes are done, food is cooked and laundry is done. So, even though we don’t have kids, I am a stay at home dad in training.

When I first met Scott in real life in Indianapolis, I loved the fact that he was a stay at home dad and I couldn’t wait to read the book. There were so many different stories in the book that I caught myself saying, wow, I had that same discussion or thought with Amanda.

Scott does an amazing job telling the story of a stay at home dad by making it funny and serious at different times. Honestly, I think he makes it look cool to be a stay at home dad.  Tie in a little sports and diabetes, and you have yourself a best seller

A few of my favorite chapters in the book are:

  • The Path to Parenthood Starts with Sex
  • I May Be Growing Ovaries
  • Her Breathe Smells Funny
  • I Remember Having Sex..and the Baby Proves It
  • Could I See You in the Basement for a Minute?

I would definitely (this is so cliche, but oh well) recommend this book to my friends and family.  In fact, the copy that I have has now been read by myself, my mother, grandmother, and I read most of it out loud to my wife because I was laughing so much throughout it.

If you haven’t read this book already, I hope you enjoy.

The Book of Better Review

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

I read the The Book of Better: Life with Diabetes Can’t Be Perfect. Make It Better* almost a whole year ago now. Maybe not that long ago, but it was definitely  a long time ago. I was sent a copy when it first came out and I read it right away, but never posted my review of the book. Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the ideas and concepts in this book lately, and not just in regards to diabetes, but in life in general, so I decided to finally write this damn thing.

In a very short summary, this book is about one concept. You may not ever be able to be perfect, but you can always do something just a little bit better. Let’s use an example from my life. I am trying to cut out fast food from my life. Well, I may give in to the urge every so often, but instead of getting 3 burgers, fries and a soda, I can do better by getting just 1 burger a side salad and a drink. It’s not the perfect choice, but it’s still better than the original option.

In the book, Chuck uses a common theme of learn from the idiot and the mistakes from the idiot. A lot of times, I find myself to be the idiot, and I don’t always learn my lesson from these mistakes that I make. Some times it takes me about 4-5 different times of commiting the same mistake before it finally hits me.

Chuck also talks about the fact that diabetes is not easy, but nothing worth doing is easy. So if you want to do diabetes right, and I’ll let you decide what “right” means, but, it’s not going to be easy. If it is easy, than there’s probably some improvements you can make. I take this same concept in my life in general too. Living off a budget and having financial peace is not easy, but it’s worth it.

Being a sports fan and an athlete my whole life from little league football to playing in college, I have always idolized coach Valvano. I always use the phrase, don’t give up, don’t ever give up. Chuck speaks about this in the book as well. You may have 5 consecutive blood sugars of over 300 after exercising, but don’t give up. Make a better improvement. Maybe next time, you’re at 260, then at 240, then next thing you know, you’re blood sugar is around 120 after exercising.

The way this book is written is great. There are a lot of great images that break up the reading and with the way my attention is when I read, it’s perfect. With different size fonts and colors, it grabs and keeps your attention. Great idea for a book. The book also includes a lot of real-life definitions of words. Not like the doctor speak or what you find in a medical diabetes book.

There is so much more to this book than what I have put in this review, so I strongly encourage you all to read it if you haven’t yet. Christmas will be here soon, so you may not be able to get it delivered before than, but it’s a great book with the New Year coming up. Don’t just think about the stuff in this book about your diabetes management, I use a lot of concepts from this book in my business management as well.

Enjoy.

*This link is an Amazon Affiliate link, meaning that I get paid a commission if you click on this link and purchase this book. I use these links because each person from Amazon that uses my affiliate link, I donate 3% to diabetes research or a diabetes charity of your choice.

**Disclosure – I was not paid to write this review. The review above is my own. These are my thoughts and opinions of the book.

Book Review – Kids First Diabetes Second

Chris Stocker

When I received an excerpt copy of Kids First, Diabetes Second, the very first thing that stood out to me was the cover. The cover includes art from Karen Graffeo that she created as part of Diabetes Art Day in 2011. This cover will grab your attention right away.

The book is broken down into very simple, easy to read chapters.

The first chapter introduces you to who Leighann is and gives a detailed description of Q’s diagnosis day. For those that have gone through a diagnosis, either your own or a family member or child, then you probably experienced many of the same feelings and emotions that are described in this book. I couldn’t help but think about some of the same thoughts and reactions to situations described in the book that I had felt on the day I was diagnosed almost 10 years ago. Read More