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| (Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
I love Han Kang's writing, so I'm excited to read her latest book. It's a nonfiction collection of essays, poems, diaries, and photographs titled, Light And Thread. I love that title, and I love the idea of getting to know her through these personal pieces of writings. How exciting!
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| (Thank you to Restless Books for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
about book: (summary from publisher)
In a sweeping but intimate blend of ecopoetry, mythology, and political verse, Eskatos & the Stretched Necks of Stillness communes with Sweden’s primeval woodlands during an age of transformation. These collected poems lead the reader down overgrown paths, beyond the flickering of leaves and lichen, to meet the dead: a troop of scattering spirits that Söderlund sets out to praise, and to mourn. Shining of rain and gnawing of sorrow, cast from stone, frost, surgical nails, and charcoal ash, Söderlund’s hypnotic ode forms a fragile tether to a world and past that threatens to slip through our fingers, and which no generation who seeks to survive can disclaim.
my thoughts:
Wow! What a powerful collection of poetry. I absolutely LOVED it to bits. Talk about all the feels, Eskatos & The Stretched Necks of Stillness by Mats Söderlund and translated by Olivia Olsen, has it in spades. The way Söderlund explores grief through the life and death of nature is exquisite. His ability to create a rhythm with his words is astounding. You can't help but feel the urgency with which he writes, because it touches you deeply and leaves its mark. This book is a testament to his talent and creativity. And, it's the perfect example of how poetry can be both loud and quiet at the same time. It's truly an amazing read.
I would happily recommend Eskatos & The Stretched Necks of Stillness to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you won't want to miss out on this excellent book. Make sure to grab a copy and check it out!
Thank you to Restless Books for providing me with a copy of this book.
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| (Thank you to Poetic Book Tours for providing me with the opportunity to review this book!) |
about book:
With urgency and compassion, humor and wonder, Amanda Shaw’s It Will Have Been So Beautiful examines the many dimensions of what it means to call anything “home,” including the earth as we know it. In a manner reminiscent of Eugène Atget, who wrote “will disappear” on his photographs of turn-of-the-century Paris, Shaw captures the unique melancholy of living in a time of unknowable change.
As she explores the line between love and loss, Shaw implores us to find a more profound commitment to life in all its forms. At times playful and ironic, the poems celebrate language’s sonic capacities, probing art’s potential to move us from mourning to joy.
Advance Praise:
Alan Shapiro, acclaimed author of “Life Pig,” describes Shaw’s debut as “a beautiful and troubling book.” Shaw’s intelligence breathes life into every line, offering a rich, complex, and startlingly vivid exploration of the impact of the “enlightened” West juxtaposed with a poignant portrayal of the best and worst aspects of humanity.
Nathan McClain, author of “Previously Owned,” praises Shaw’s collection, noting that it is as interested in language itself as what language can create. With an “ear attuned to silences,” Shaw navigates the complexity of human interactions, addressing topics such as illness, home, love, and loss. The energetic collection uses a rich, musical dialect that resonates with the reader.
About the Poet:
From the time she learned to read her first word — “Boom!” — Amanda Shaw has been in love with literature and language. She earned a BA in English from Smith College and has advanced degrees in education and writing. Equally at ease in a high school classroom and a World Bank boardroom, she is an expert teacher who continues to share her belief in the power of words with students of all ages.
Amanda began her career at a public high school in Brooklyn, where she was committed to student-centered curriculum and staff development as part of NYC’s small schools movement. After nine years in the city, she moved on to teaching ESL internationally and domestically, first in Rome and now in Washington DC. Witnessing poetry’s unique impact on students’ intellectual and emotional development galvanized her own writing. In 2020, she received her MFA from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers.
In addition to actively participating in local and online writing communities, Amanda is the book review editor for Lily Poetry Review Books, where she supports emerging writers. Lily Poetry Review Books will publish her debut collection, It Will Have Been So Beautiful, in March 2024. The poems, written over 15 years, explore love and loss in personal and global contexts. For the past four years, Amanda has divided her time between New Hampshire, where she was born, and Washington, DC. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
my thoughts:
Poetry is thoughtful and precise. It can be endearing and heart wrenching. I love reading poems - they wake me up and shake me up. So, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Amanda Shaw's debut collection of poems titled, It Will Have Been So Beautiful. Talk about the perfect treat to remedy a months-long reading drought. I picked up this book and could not stop reading. I fell in deep and loved every second spent with these poems about life, loss, identity, and home. It was all about the human experience and it was ace. I loved it!
Shaw's creativity thrummed throughout the pages. There was humor and candor within the vivid images and her clever observations were peppered with insight. What a wonderful book of poems! I highly recommend any and all fans of poetry to grab a copy ASAP - you won't want to miss out on Shaw's poetic prowess!
Thank you to Poetic Book Tours for providing me with the opportunity to review this book!
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| (Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
about book:
Take an unforgettable journey from the Cold War USSR to Savery, Wyoming, from the mountains of Tuscany to the peak of Yosemite’s Half Dome, from the Canadian wilderness to the beaches of Normandy. James Morehead’s (Poet Laureate – Dublin, California) acclaimed collection is built around a series of memoir poems that takes readers into pre-perestroika Soviet Union through the eyes of a teenager, from Moscow to Tbilisi to Leningrad (and many stops in-between). The striking cover, designed by Zoe Norvell, is based on a 1982 lithograph by Igor Prilutsky.
my thoughts:
Portraits Of Red And Gray: Memoir Poems by James C. Morehead is a smart and moving collection of poetry. I loved it.
The poems evoke a sense of nostalgia and provide such a clear picture of life, that you can't help but get caught up in them. I really enjoyed reading about Morehead's life through his careful and clever prose. His poems are like time capsules from various moments of his life history and it is fascinating.
I would happily recommend Portraits Of Red And Gray: Memoir Poems by James C. Morehead to anyone and everyone looking for their next great poetry read - you will LOVE this book bits! Make sure to check it out!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
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| (Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
about book: (summary from Goodreads)
The poems in If The Sky Won’t Have Me weave a brilliant tapestry of the human condition, focusing on nature, the female experience, family drama, aging, politics, and regret. Images of water feature strongly, as do rebirth and regeneration, both physical and spiritual. A perfect sequel to the author’s debut collection, the moon won’t be dared, these poems expand and deepen our understanding of what it means to be alive in a complex world.
my thoughts:
Love, love, love National Poetry Month. I find myself devouring poems every day and just savoring them throughout the week. It's such a treat in April, especially, when the weather is so crazy and the news is so dire. So, imagine how happy I was to get my hands on a copy of new-to-me poet, Anne Leigh Parrish's, latest poetry collection, If The Sky Won't Have Me: Poems - hurrah! I was thrilled to bits!
This beautiful book is filled with amazing poetry that I can't stop thinking about, along with beautiful images scattered throughout. It is such a lovely book to get lost in and spend time with. The poems are chock full of powerful lines and vivid imagery, that you can't help but imagine so clearly in your mind. I really enjoyed this book so much. It's definitely one of my new favorites.
I would happily recommend If The Sky Won't Have Me: Poems by Anne Leigh Parrish to anyone and everyone looking for a new poetry book - you are going to fall in LOVE with this one! Make sure to check it out!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
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| (Thank you to the Poetic Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
about book: (summary from Goodreads)
Our Wolves looks at the identity of wolves in our everyday lives and the varied ways of viewing the wolf. For example, this character cannot be seen as merely bad or even redeemed or misunderstood, as in some interpretations of the fairy tale. Similarly, “Little Red” is not simply a victim or a representation of innocence. Instead, this collection reveals the tale as a conduit for many voices and interpretations of gender, identity, and feminism.
my thoughts:
Love, love, love! Luanne Castle's new poetry book, Our Wolves, is creative and unique. Inspired by the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, she writes poems that reimagine the characters and reinterpret their story - talk about a clever way of exploring gender and identity. These poems were heartfelt and engaging. I enjoyed slipping in and out of the book, so that I could devour each piece slowly. These poems depict "Little Red" coming of age and sometimes her journey is not an easy one to take in.
Castle has created a fantastic collection of poetry that her readers will enjoy reading again and again. I would happily recommend Our Wolves to anyone and everyone looking for their next poetry fix - you are going to fall in deep with these poems. So, make sure to check out this book ASAP!
Thank you to Poetic Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
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| (Thank you to Haymarket Books for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
about book:
Diamond Sharp’s Super Sad Black Girl is a love letter to her hometown of Chicago, where the speaker finds solace and community with her literary idols in hopes of answering the question: What does it look like when Black women are free?
Lorraine Hansberry and Gwendolyn Brooks appear throughout these poems, counseling the speaker as she navigates her own depression and exploratory questions about the “Other Side,” as do Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, and other Black women who have been murdered by police.
Sharp’s poetry is self-assured, playful, and imaginative, reminiscent of Langston Hughes with its precision and brevity. The book explores purgatorial, in-between spaces that the speaker occupies as she struggles to find a place and time where she can live safely and freely. With her skillful use of repetition, particularly in her series of concrete poems, lines and voices echo across the book so the reader, too, feels suspended within Sharp’s lyric moments. Super Sad Black Girl is a compassionate and ethereal depiction of mental illness from a promising and powerful poet.
my thoughts:
Wow! Super Sad Black Girl by Diamond Sharp is poetry at its very best. I fell in deep with this book of poems that explores depression, bipolar disorder, mental health, and living in an unknown state of mind and within the world. Talk about smart, emotional, and thought-provoking poems. Love, love, love!
Sharp's words ache with such force, you can't help but feel pierced by them. It is raw, personal, and very real. Her poems were lyrical and used repetition to their advantage. Reading them made you feel them and that experience was just eye-opening. It felt like you were peeking inside of her brain and it was enthralling. What a book!
I would definitely recommend Super Sad Black Girl to anyone and everyone looking for their next book of poetry - you will not want to miss out on this one! Make sure to check it out!!
Thank you to Haymarket Books for providing me with a copy of this book!
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| (Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
The Lamps of History wrestles with the ambiguities—and choices—between connection/alienation, renewal/decay, and faith/doubt. Its poems explore family histories and our stance toward them as they dim, frayed bonds with our grandparents’ traditions and beliefs, and distances ingrained in our current relationships. There are also poems on our civic estrangements: an ode to a papaya that spills into America’s tribal conflict; elegies to the environment (one on disappearing phytoplankton, another on forests ravaged by pine beetles); a ghazal to a semi-automatic weapon; and a failed recipe for noodle pudding. Michael Sandler’s writing marshals wit and wordplay in a deft handling of language and form. The poetry navigates the crosscurrents of tradition and post-modernism, steering somewhat closer to the former. Poet and editor George Bishop concludes: “This language is addictive. A stunning sense of place and story. To be read and read again.”
my thoughts:
Poetry is where it's at. I always enjoy reading new-to-me poems and finding new poetry to fall in deep with. So, I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Michael Sandler's book, The Lamps of History. It's a fantastic collection of poems that cover a wide range of topics: family, relationships, the environment, and politics. I found myself dipping in and out of the book every day. I just loved Sandler's use of language and how he was able to evoke such vivid imagery and powerful emotions. It was fascinating to experience each poem - I would read a poem and let the tone settle in and then read it again and let the words sink in. It was such a great reading experience.
I'd definitely recommend Sandler's book, The Lamps of History, to fans of poetry - you will LOVE this book!
Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Lamps Of History
Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!
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| (Thank you to the publisher and Poetic Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
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| (Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
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| (Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
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| (Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!) |
Las casitas near the gray cannery, nestled amid wild abrazos of climbing roses and man-high red geraniums are gone now. The freeway conceals it all beneath a raised scar. But under the fake windsounds of the open lanes, in the abandoned lots below, new grasses sprout, wild mustard remembers, old gardens come back stronger than they were, trees have been left standing in their yards. Albaricoqueros, cerezos, nogales . . . Viejitas come here with paper bags to gather greens. Espinaca, verdolagas, yerbabuena . . . I scramble over the wire fence that would have kept me out. Once, I wanted out, wanted the rigid lanes to take me to a place without sun, without the smell of tomatoes burning on swing shift in the greasy summer air. Maybe it's here en los campos extraños de esta ciudad where I'll find it, that part of me mown under like a corpse or a loose seed.- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15602#sthash.OcRkPHV0.dpuf
Las casitas near the gray cannery, nestled amid wild abrazos of climbing roses and man-high red geraniums are gone now. The freeway conceals it all beneath a raised scar. But under the fake windsounds of the open lanes, in the abandoned lots below, new grasses sprout, wild mustard remembers, old gardens come back stronger than they were, trees have been left standing in their yards. Albaricoqueros, cerezos, nogales . . . Viejitas come here with paper bags to gather greens. Espinaca, verdolagas, yerbabuena . . . I scramble over the wire fence that would have kept me out. Once, I wanted out, wanted the rigid lanes to take me to a place without sun, without the smell of tomatoes burning on swing shift in the greasy summer air. Maybe it's here en los campos extraños de esta ciudad where I'll find it, that part of me mown under like a corpse or a loose seed.- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15602#sthash.OcRkPHV0.dpuf
Las casitas near the gray cannery, nestled amid wild abrazos of climbing roses and man-high red geraniums are gone now. The freeway conceals it all beneath a raised scar. But under the fake windsounds of the open lanes, in the abandoned lots below, new grasses sprout, wild mustard remembers, old gardens come back stronger than they were, trees have been left standing in their yards. Albaricoqueros, cerezos, nogales . . . Viejitas come here with paper bags to gather greens. Espinaca, verdolagas, yerbabuena . . . I scramble over the wire fence that would have kept me out. Once, I wanted out, wanted the rigid lanes to take me to a place without sun, without the smell of tomatoes burning on swing shift in the greasy summer air. Maybe it's here en los campos extraños de esta ciudad where I'll find it, that part of me mown under like a corpse or a loose seed.- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15602#sthash.OcRkPHV0.dpuf