"Being a spirit-filled believer is no excuse for practicing sloppy medicine," Dr. Brand told me. "If you want patients to pay attention to your faith, you must first pay attention to your work."

This is the second book that I have read by Dr. Larimore, and I think I enjoyed it even more because I knew what to expect. He is a storyteller. While the book is non-fiction, it reads like fiction which means it is an easy and enjoyable read.

This is also the second book set in Kissimmee, Florida. You could definitely read this book by itself, but the first book, The Best Medicine, does introduce several of the characters. I am sure I was able to follow easier since I had read that one first.

The doctor does share stories of his patients from his practice thirty years ago. He also tells about different experiences that include such things as Florida history and Florida rodeo. Life lessons are intermixed in between, but because he has such a way with words, the result is that he sounds folksy rather than preachy. I enjoyed this book, and I hope he has another one planned in this series.

I did receive a copy of this book, but I also purchased one. I wanted to review it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

This book was written in a very conversational tone that made it such a joy to read. Growing up in a small town, this brought back memories of our interactions with our family doctor and how much love was shared between him and the town. Thank you for writing such a great memoir that brought back all of the nostalgia!

I start reading books like "The Best Gift" and often wonder if it will be a little bit cheesy with these homespun tales. However, not far into the book I started feeling like I was listening to Garrison Keillor tell stories about Lake Wobegon. The difference was that these were real people, with real life joys, struggles and hardships that often needed a source of hope that doesn't come from within. The author does a great job of showing how sharing your spirituality or faith, can be done with humor and compassion, without being over bearing and threatening to those you are sharing with. Very well done. I will give this as a gift to my small group. I hope that they enjoy it as much as I did.

This book did not disappoint It was an easy read that had me laughing in one chapter and in tears in the next as I read about Dr. Larimore's experiences as a small town doctor in Kissimmee FLA All the chapters inspired me because there was a lesson in each chapter The book motivated me to be more like the author and evaluate the good and bad things in life to see what lessons God is teaching me through my life experiences. The author is an exceptional storyteller who made me feel like I was part of the story The Best Gift would be a perfect read for this upcoming busy holiday season, I definitely enjoyed it.

dr larimore always delivers a thoughtful and engaging narrative of his medical practice.