About the Book
Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas: Festive Hospital Diaries, comes from the author Adam Kay, of the multi-million-copy hit, This is Going to Hurt. The back cover says that this book is a love letter to all those spending their festive season on the front line. Adam delves back into his diaries as a doctor delivering babies at Christmas.
I love this book. Not too sure about the application of developing soft skills, but a good read all the same. Maybe a book to be filed under releasing stress as no matter how tough our job gets, it cannot be as hard as being a doctor in the UK NHS on the frontline at Christmas.
This book was £9.99 (Bought for £4.99 on a deal) and has about 150 pages. Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas contains around 38,000 words. It will take the average reader about 2.5 hours to read, with 60% comprehension.
I had previously read This is Going to Hurt and found it to be hilarious. Adam’s stories are intriguing, shocking, and written with such wit that you cannot help but laugh out loud.
In Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas, he recalls stories like the naming of a child. The child was called ‘Coyle’ because his Mum fell pregnant despite having a coil. You couldn’t make it up!
The stories are almost endless and the amazement joins it. At times, you think Adam must be making it up, but then you realise that it is people, the NHS, and Christmas. So, probably not.
Final Thoughts
Whilst reading Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas I often found myself laughing out loud. In disbelief. And wanting more. Like a great stand-up comic, the laughs start and don’t stop.
I thoroughly recommend this book to wind-down and realise that life isn’t so bad. You could be a doctor in the NHS.
