Death by Living by N.D. Wilson

Death by Living is a follow-up to N.D. Wilson’s critically acclaimed Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl. While Notes focused on a way of seeing life, Death by Living focuses on a way of living life. Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past—more decisions, more breathing, more love and more loathing.

In his uniquely poetic style, Wilson writes the stories of his grandparents, grapples with the concept of time, and inspires readers to “Burden your moments with thankfulness. Be as empty as you can be when the clock winds down. Spend your life. And if time is a river, may you leave a wake.”

 

My review:

This book sounded really good when I got the review offer for it, so I signed up for it. I really hate to give it a negative review, but I had a hard time getting into it. The author's style of writing seemed very disjointed to me, with him jumping from topic to topic and discussing very mundane things from his life. I even had a hard time understanding the point of the book.

 

   It is very possible it is just me, as the book has several 5-star reviews on Amazon, so this is a book that I am not going to recommend not reading, as other people obviously loved it. It just wasn't something I enjoyed.

 

About the author:

 

   N. D. Wilson is the best-selling author of the 100 Cupboards trilogy (now in more than 20

languages) and the acclaimed Ashtown Burials series (both from Random House). Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl was adapted into the widely distributed "bookumentary" film of the same name.

 

He has adventured on camera for the National Geographic Channel, is currently involved in producing C.S. Lewis' “The Great Divorce” for the screen (which he adapted himself), and once typed a short story on a napkin for Esquire magazine. His writing has been featured on media outlets ranging from NBC's “Today" show to NPR's “All Things Considered.” 

 

He was born and raised in Moscow, Idaho, where he currently lives with his wife and their five young kids (along with two tortoises and a snake). He is a Fellow of Literature at New Saint Andrews College, where he teaches freshmen how to play with words.

 

 

Death by Living is available from Thomas Nelson Publishing

 

Thanks to PR by the Book for the review copy