To Hold The Sun

Thanks to Good reads for choosing me as a First Reads Winner.It was a nice little inspiring story that will finally help you guide to enjoy the passage of life, especially for young children.The writing was quite fresh and engaging and I loved the author's approach of depicting how we humans should live our lives and ultimately finding joy in the whole process.The author has even tried to justify his stories by pouring so many philosophies of life, which will ultimately enlighten you mind to liv [...]

Self-help books aren’t my thing, and finding most of them to be trite and laden with mundane clichés, I’ve finished perhaps a fraction of them before throwing them down in disgust. The beautiful thing about Chas Watkins’ To Hold the Sun is that it isn’t a self-help novel in even the loosest sense of the genre, but rather a brilliantly rendered fictional story that is life-changing to those with open minds and hearts.An unhappy reporter who’s read all the latest self-help books without [...]

"To Hold the Sun" was originally written for the author's children, but its wisdom and teachings are salient for all ages. Watkins drives home the point that we are masters of our own fate, not meant to passively catch a ride on the wave of time, but rather actively, consciously, and passionately direct ourselves towards our goals. Self-help literature usually force feeds the reader quick fixes and cliche solutions to common problems - Watkins encourages quite a different approach through a char [...]

felt this book was more self help than a travel book as i don't usually read self help books myself. was interesting up to a point.

Highly recommended for all, this book inspired me. Well thought out, well researched and well written, To Hold The Sun is a true gem.To Hold The Sun was originally thought of and written by the author for his children, in part at least to use his writing to pass onto them his insights and to inspire them. The story follows the narrator, a writer in his own regard, who is given a somewhat different assignment by his editor. The story unfolds for the reader as the narrator pursues this assignment, [...]

The reporter of this fictional story has an assignment to conduct a series of interviews, with Paul, on the picturesque Caribbean Island, Roatan. Paul and the reporter, talk about approaches to life and how to be happy and healthy.Below are only some of the topics presented.Paul starts with explaining steps in visualization exercises to replace negative emotions and later discusses meditation in greater detail. Also, Paul explains that the best way to bring about change is to make accomplishment [...]

"To Hold the Sun" tells the story of a jaded young reporter who travels to a Caribbean island (Roatan) to interview "Paul", a philosopher who is living on the island. He is not getting paid for the work (which tells us that perhaps his career is on the skids) and hopes to generate a series of articles that will revive his career and justify the cost of the trip. From these humble expectations, the series of interviews he conducts become in fact a series of life-lessons, taking the journo on his [...]

I don't know if my parents ever learned to really enjoy life. Not that they were sad, morose people they were just so bound by responsibility, and being what they felt was expected of them. I think my father was beginning to catch a glimpse of the possible - then he had a stroke at the age of 47. Not that all responsibility is a bad thing. It's necessary. But there's a reason they say "all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy".What Mr. Watkins has done is shown us one way to begin celebr [...]

What an amazing book. The worst part about it is that it ended! The author provides great insights into how to live a happier life and I did not want that stream to stop flowing. I am already looking forward to the next book.This book doesn't just show you the path, but it also instructs simple and easy steps for you to retrain your brain to follow this path. And its a fun read at the same time. Congratulations to the author.And no, you don't necessarily need to do handstands to find this happin [...]

Very different type author/book for me. I was expecting a lite weight easy read, one of those chic flick type of Islands, beaches sun and a little weird mystery maybe? I got a experience of a lifetime, turning me inward, learning more about myself than ever before! A rare book, a fun, easy read that absolutely pleased my need for an interesting quest. I received this book free as part of a program to read and reveiw. And I am so thrilled with it. My only regret is that it was a ebook, I wish I h [...]

A MUST read book, the moment I started reading it my mind and my heart were flying and getting together, written with a lot of love and details have help me to change my life in many aspects and enjoying every little moment of it, read it twice already and getting back to it very soon, totally mindblowing word by word

I expected to like this book because it is based on the place where I live. However, it was unexpected that I would feel changed in the best possible way after finishing it. Thought provoking and yet entertaining. great read. I highly recommend it.

Very pleased with how the author works in his ideas and experiences of living and loving life on Roatan through literature.A great read from start to finishyou won't be disappointed.What a beautiful letter to send his children off into the world.a must read!

The author has achieved his goals in conveying his thoughts on how we should all deal with life. I absolutely love this book!!! 5 Sunsets to you Mr. Watkins!

I Loved this book. Great insights!

Once you begin to read this book, you won't put it down!A great read!You will love it!

I think i would appreciate this book much more if i was a teenager. If you have a genuine interest in behavioural/cognitive science, the way the mind works etc. and have read some more academic or scientific books of this subject matter you will probably find this book as a collection of oversimplified bits and pieces of such books. I am by no means an expert in this field but this is my honest opinion. However, it is funny to see that the author tries to convince you that he is not offering a s [...]

Just finished this book and I liked it immensely. Chas Watkins’ writing style is engaging and literate, and very polished.Chas introduces his subject by being very direct about what the book is and is not: This is not a quick-fix-self-help-turn-your-life-around-in-a-week book. It is an accumulation of a lifetime’s worth of knowledge and experiences about how to manage yourself and your life a little bit better, and he gives some pretty down to earth and pragmatic ways about how to do that. S [...]

I don't know if my parents ever learned to really enjoy life. Not that they were sad, morose people they were just so bound by responsibility, and being what they felt was expected of them. I think my father was beginning to catch a glimpse of the possible - then he had a stroke at the age of 47. Not that all responsibility is a bad thing. It's necessary. But there's a reason they say "all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy".What Mr. Watkins has done is shown us one way to begin celebr [...]

The idea that the author’s main focus while writing this book was to guide his children through a happy life was very intriguing to me. The fact that it is centered in Roatan was another selling point. I’ve always wanted to vacation there, and would move there in a second if I could, even though I’ve never been. It’s got beautiful beaches and water, and nothing makes me happier than being at the beach.The book is a lesson for living your life to the fullest. It’s main purpose is to tea [...]

Chas Watkins has written an amazing book that is like no other self-help book that I have ever read. This is a wonderful story full of amazing wisdom, yet written in such a way that it is extremely enjoyable to read. I've often expected books that can really influence your life to be so complicated that it takes years to really understand. This book gives you the tools needed to live a really happy and meaningful life in a very easy to understand way. I think that this book will change my life a [...]

A young journalist is given an assignment by his editor to follow a strange man for a week and to conduct an interview with him during that time. His editor had met this unusual individual at a recent conference and noticed him doing frequent handstandsHonestly! Although taken aback at first, the journalist couldn't possibly refuse the chance to escape to this coveted location for a week, even if all expenses were not coveredwhich all were not.This is an innovative tale of resulting challenges P [...]

To Hold the Sun is an inspiring novel, a story about meeting Paul, who provides great insight on how to live a better life. Paul shares philosophies on life, inspired by science and experience. He helps through teaching ways to deal with pain and suffering, how to create better habits and the profound effects such habits can have on your life, and other life lessons. I liked that the character tied so much of his wisdom to philosophy and science, combining the two to create great messages for a [...]

There's a lot to be taken from this book. The philosopher Paul presents ideas like love and spirituality in a powerful new way. I didn't always agree with the methods used in the book but appreciated the principle. Instead, I could modify the ideas to suit my own beliefs. I liked the point made about the ripple effect. Paul points out that actions we take toward a lifestyle change can have an incredible effect on our entire well-being. Now, the best part of the story was the author's call to act [...]

This book was not at all what I thought it was going to be; it was even better than I could've imagined. I found "To Hold The Sun" to be a wonderful inner journey, unlike any self-help book I have read. I find myself taking advice from Chas Watkins in the different ways to approach different issues spiritually and mentally. It probably would make my spirtitual and mental journey much easier if I could practice meditating in Roatan like Watkins got to experience. I am very glad I came across this [...]

I won To Hold the Sun by Chas Watkins from .Readers will want to pause often and reflect upon what was just read and how it applies to their own lives as they journey through Chas Watkins' book, To Hold the Sun. Written as a guide for living for his own children, this work of fiction is insightful and inspirational for all readers. The story is full of examples sand advice that readers may use to launch their own journeys to personally more fulfilling and happier lives.To Hold the Sun by Chas Wa [...]

This book was very interesting to me, because the author is putting interviews into words. Not only are these interesting questions,but they are also life lessons. I really liked that Paul believes in living happy. This book also left me smiling and I felt as though there was going to be a sequel with more wisdom. The author wrote this for his kids, and you can tell that he was trying to help them along their way. The book also had a nice flow and was easy to read. The pictures could be framed a [...]

This is a good book for someone seeking a happier life. The author lays out ways to ask yourself how you can be happier. He then gives exercises for achieving those goals that may make you happier. It is thought provoking and the advice is helpful for most people.However, some people need to get out of their heads more. Stop thinking and over-analysing everything.The description of this island is amazing. I would love to go there some day!The author wrote this as a gift for his children. I love [...]

An entertaining approach to positive life changes we all could benefit from. Most people don't like to be preached at so writing it as a novel allowed the delivery of these positive changes without making you feel defensive etc. Additionally, I find it very noble that the author encourages piracy of his own book. He obviously feels we can all benefit from making the changes he suggests in his book so making it readily available is a good way to start. I received a free copy of the book in exchan [...]

I really give this book 3 1/2 stars. This charming parable assembles all the advice Chas Watkins wishes to give his children into an imaginative story featuring subtly described "how to's" for subjects such as forgiveness, forming good habits and living a satisfying life. This one would explode if Oprah got her hands on it's right up her alley! While the book is well written and the advice seems sound it's not really my cup of teaI received a copy of this book from first reads arc program.