3:00 AM

I know, you are thinking I am talking about being an insomniac but actually, this is a book review and that is the title. "3:00 AM"   by Nick Pirog.

This is a rather short book (132 pages) and I wanted to tell you about  it while it is still free and as of this morning, it still is. Sorry but it is only in digital form. Amazon does have a free app where you can download digital books to your PC, iPhone, iPad, or  Mac. No need for a Kindle.

You can add the App at the same site as the book link above. No, I don't work for Amazon. 

Nick Pirog knows how to think outside the box, keep your interest yet give you a chuckle. His book is based on a character who has an extremely rare condition. So rare it is actually named after him.  Henry Bins  is awake for only one hour each day, from 3 AM till 4 AM. One hour to do all one must do in a day.

Exactly at 4 AM he drops into an unconscious state ready or not and often he is not ready which results in a crash of sorts.  He  stays that way for the next 23 hours. Henry's brief waking  life is normally very orderly, amazingly accomplished and is measured in minutes and seconds.  This has gone on for all of his 36 years.

However one night during his one hour of wakefulness, he hears a woman scream, then sees a man leave her house. The fleeing man is the President of the United States.  I told you--outside the box.

His character Henry Bins does his best in his brief hours of consciousness to solve the mystery and find a killer.  Along the way he is adopted by the dead woman's cat. The cat is a hoot and a fun supporting character.

I would be hooked on this book by the premise alone but I also enjoy his often humorous writing style. Nick Pirog, like his character, crams a lot into the 132 pages, one hour at a time.  If I have any complaint, it was too short and  wrapped up a bit too quickly but with an ending I didn't see coming.

I can actually see "3 A.M". as a TV series that I would watch. Look how successful the show "24" was in one hour increments.

One thing besides enjoyment, this book has made me really look at how I often waste too many of the 24 daily hours I am blessed with. I am really planning to do much better. I may have 24 hours a day to play with unlike Henry's one hour, but my number of days has been limited by age.  I can and will do better.

When I lost Mighty Dog, I also lost some daily structure and pleasure, especially the regular walks. However I did not replace my new found hours constructively. Instead, I frittered them away like I had an endless supply.

Henry Bins'  amazing time management inspired me regain my lost hours.  As a start I have signed up to  volunteer at our local Humane Society as a dog walker. They need the exercise, I need the exercise, and it will be nice to be around dogs again. Those will no longer be wasted hours. All ready a bit of improvement but I probably have more work to do. Henry has inspired me.

Hope you give "3 AM" a try and that you enjoy it,  I really did.

Self help books or perhaps a really amazing person in your life may nudged you in a better direction. However, have you ever had a work of fiction inspire you to make a life adjustment??  I was a bit surprised that this one did.