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Briannabrown1019 (799 KP) rated Love Her Wild in Books
Jul 4, 2018
"She was afraid of heights
But she was
much more afraid
Of never flying."
So I went into this book with no idea of who the author is or where they started. For background, I have been on a major poetry kick this year. I have been devouring books of poetry faster than I can find new authors. This book had some amazing moments for me, and some eh moments. It was a super quick and light read. I spent less than an hour to go through the entire thing. I loved the pictures as I thought they were beautiful, but I didn't love that there were so many of them in between poems as I felt like they were almost using it as filler. About 90 % of the poems were incredibly short, averaging about one sentence in length. However, the ones I liked really stuck with me. I think it was an overall really great collection, just maybe not my cup of tea. I think I would have to say part 3 is my favorite section.
But she was
much more afraid
Of never flying."
So I went into this book with no idea of who the author is or where they started. For background, I have been on a major poetry kick this year. I have been devouring books of poetry faster than I can find new authors. This book had some amazing moments for me, and some eh moments. It was a super quick and light read. I spent less than an hour to go through the entire thing. I loved the pictures as I thought they were beautiful, but I didn't love that there were so many of them in between poems as I felt like they were almost using it as filler. About 90 % of the poems were incredibly short, averaging about one sentence in length. However, the ones I liked really stuck with me. I think it was an overall really great collection, just maybe not my cup of tea. I think I would have to say part 3 is my favorite section.
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Phoebe Robinson recommended Cane in Books (curated)
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Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Optograms in Books
May 13, 2017
Great Collection
Stephen Watt is a poet and spoken word artist from Dumbarton. I stumbled upon his work by accident, and was drawn by his likeness in style to a favourite poet of mine, Raymond Carver. Delighted by what I had read, I preceded to watch some of his spoken word performances on You Tube. I was not disappointed. Watt’s poetry and indeed his spoken word delivery, is smart, punchy, intelligent and contemporary. I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review his new poetry pamphlet Optograms, published by Wild Word press in 2016. Optograms is a wonderful representation of Watt’s finest work, and is a fresh new approach to Scottish poetry. The poet tackles some controversial topics such as prostitution, homelessness, and gender as well as delving into the more intimate topics such as miscarriage and Alzheimer’s. The imagery is his work is striking and each word and line carefully crafted, but it is the way in which the poems radiate emotion that make this work unique. The readers need look no further than the opening poem to get an understanding of the poet’s compassion and understanding of contemporary society. ‘Lipstick’ explores gender representation and discrimination,
I go to my room, wiping
the admirer’s lipstick clean
with tights beneath jeans
retrieved from a friend’s house,
and with the words
Big Girl’s Blouse
reverberating inside my head
This poem speaks volumes in so little words and the reader is forced to look inwardly at their own behaviour toward people who do not conform to the norm. Similarly, ‘Prayers to Aliens and Satellites’ is a raw and candid view of homelessness which digs deep into the readers conscience,
where bloodless, xylophonic fingers
sink into armpits –
petitioned hands closed to benefits
and the friendships of passersby.
Like the previous poem, ‘Prayers to Aliens and Satellites’ urges the reader to become more aware of the social problems in society. If these poems are not enough to capture the heart of the reader, Watt surprises us with his heart crushing honesty in poems such as ‘Clinics Lip’ – a grief stricken account of miscarriage,
A husband, once the acme of affection,
now lollygagging in the garden;
crossmaker in waiting
for the small plot earmarked for the hill’s crest.
My own personal favourite is ‘Trouble was Someone Else’s Kid’, a short account of childhood memories, like a fragment of memoir condensed into neatly arranged stanza’s. There is something funny yet tragic about this poem that brought to me both nostalgia and a desire to relive my own fading youth.
We moved in shadows, kept the lid
on, as if peanut butter sandwiches
had pasted our lips together.
Other neighbourhoods sizzled
with pyromaniacs and politics,
alcoholics who played tin whistles
when Di and Charles got hitched.
These are only a few of the delights that can be found in this little treasure of a pamphlet and I would urge poetry lovers as well as those who are new to poetry to seek out a copy of this work. With twenty-six wonderful poems Optograms, is undoubtedly one of the best collections of contemporary Scottish poetry that I have read.
To learn more about the Stephen Watt you can visit The Scottish Poetry Library, http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/stephen-watt or like his Facebook page @StephenWattSpit. Optograms, can be purchased from stephenwattspit299@gmail.com or the publisher Marc Sherland marcsherland@me.com at Wild Word Press.
I go to my room, wiping
the admirer’s lipstick clean
with tights beneath jeans
retrieved from a friend’s house,
and with the words
Big Girl’s Blouse
reverberating inside my head
This poem speaks volumes in so little words and the reader is forced to look inwardly at their own behaviour toward people who do not conform to the norm. Similarly, ‘Prayers to Aliens and Satellites’ is a raw and candid view of homelessness which digs deep into the readers conscience,
where bloodless, xylophonic fingers
sink into armpits –
petitioned hands closed to benefits
and the friendships of passersby.
Like the previous poem, ‘Prayers to Aliens and Satellites’ urges the reader to become more aware of the social problems in society. If these poems are not enough to capture the heart of the reader, Watt surprises us with his heart crushing honesty in poems such as ‘Clinics Lip’ – a grief stricken account of miscarriage,
A husband, once the acme of affection,
now lollygagging in the garden;
crossmaker in waiting
for the small plot earmarked for the hill’s crest.
My own personal favourite is ‘Trouble was Someone Else’s Kid’, a short account of childhood memories, like a fragment of memoir condensed into neatly arranged stanza’s. There is something funny yet tragic about this poem that brought to me both nostalgia and a desire to relive my own fading youth.
We moved in shadows, kept the lid
on, as if peanut butter sandwiches
had pasted our lips together.
Other neighbourhoods sizzled
with pyromaniacs and politics,
alcoholics who played tin whistles
when Di and Charles got hitched.
These are only a few of the delights that can be found in this little treasure of a pamphlet and I would urge poetry lovers as well as those who are new to poetry to seek out a copy of this work. With twenty-six wonderful poems Optograms, is undoubtedly one of the best collections of contemporary Scottish poetry that I have read.
To learn more about the Stephen Watt you can visit The Scottish Poetry Library, http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/stephen-watt or like his Facebook page @StephenWattSpit. Optograms, can be purchased from stephenwattspit299@gmail.com or the publisher Marc Sherland marcsherland@me.com at Wild Word Press.
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Roxanne (13 KP) rated Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Being a part of the Gothic subculture I have followed these events since they happened. I have donated to the charity and I have joined marches through Plymouth in memory of Sophie. This collection of poems truly moved me, it did not matter that the poetry wasn't written in a style I'm more used to, I still very much enjoyed them and believe more people should read them. The subject matter brought tears to my eyes and the last poem made my heart ache. After recently becoming a mum myself I can not even begin to imagine the pain her family felt when she slipped away from them. Even though I did not know Sophie I still feel connected to her and am unbelievably sad that she was taken from this world in such a brutal and disgusting way...just because she and her boyfriend were different.
This is a beautiful collection, handled in a very sensitive way, I hope for this to reach more people as things need to change.
Rest in peace beautiful Sophie.
This is a beautiful collection, handled in a very sensitive way, I hope for this to reach more people as things need to change.
Rest in peace beautiful Sophie.
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Roxanne (13 KP) rated Dragons, Flowers, Trees And Other Pretty Things in Books
Nov 14, 2018
___ <b>3 Star Rating</b> ___
<b>Ebook downloaded for FREE from Smashwords</b>
This is a really beautiful collection of poetry written straight from the heart of the author. The subject matter of each poem changes throughout the book, containing life, love, nature and beauty.
It is a short, refreshing read which I recommend.
The main reasons I removed some stars was because some of the writing and poems were not to my personal taste (no fault of the author) and it is very obvious that english is not the author's first language as there were quite a few spelling and editing errors which made some of the poems quite difficult to read and understand. Other than that this was a nice and pleasant read.
<b>Ebook downloaded for FREE from Smashwords</b>
This is a really beautiful collection of poetry written straight from the heart of the author. The subject matter of each poem changes throughout the book, containing life, love, nature and beauty.
It is a short, refreshing read which I recommend.
The main reasons I removed some stars was because some of the writing and poems were not to my personal taste (no fault of the author) and it is very obvious that english is not the author's first language as there were quite a few spelling and editing errors which made some of the poems quite difficult to read and understand. Other than that this was a nice and pleasant read.
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EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Time & Knots in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Time and Knots is a beautiful book of poetry by poet Taran Singh. This collection was published in 2018. The book is broken down into sections y using seasons to lead you from Summer to Spring and ending with Void. Physically this book stunning. If you place it on your coffee table, you are sure to get comments on the exquisitely designed cover and beautiful aesthetic throughout the book. The level of detail given to the book is part of what makes the look so appealing, from the swirling design on the table of contents page to the Gurmukhi calligraphy at the beginning of each section.
The poetry itself throughout the book has a flowing language that sparks gorgeous imagery in your mind as you read. The topics fluctuate from poem to poem but overall look at the themes of time, memory, self, emotion, light, and dark. Reading this book, I simultaneously felt as though I was looking into the mind and heart of the author and exploring feelings and ideas that resonated within myself. I think this is because of the vulnerability that Singh shows in his writing, unafraid to explore any subject as long as he is searching for truth of feeling. It is hard to pick a favorite poem in this book because so many had lines that I found both beautiful and captivating. If I had to choose some of my top choices that I will surely come back to, they would be “Dark days leaving tangled knots,” “Autumn,” “Broken,” “Glow,” and “Void.” I also very much enjoyed that it was the last poem that was titled “Welcome.”
This is an exceptional body of work, and I immensely enjoyed reading each poem. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves deep and resonating poetry written in beautiful language — definitely a five-star read.
The poetry itself throughout the book has a flowing language that sparks gorgeous imagery in your mind as you read. The topics fluctuate from poem to poem but overall look at the themes of time, memory, self, emotion, light, and dark. Reading this book, I simultaneously felt as though I was looking into the mind and heart of the author and exploring feelings and ideas that resonated within myself. I think this is because of the vulnerability that Singh shows in his writing, unafraid to explore any subject as long as he is searching for truth of feeling. It is hard to pick a favorite poem in this book because so many had lines that I found both beautiful and captivating. If I had to choose some of my top choices that I will surely come back to, they would be “Dark days leaving tangled knots,” “Autumn,” “Broken,” “Glow,” and “Void.” I also very much enjoyed that it was the last poem that was titled “Welcome.”
This is an exceptional body of work, and I immensely enjoyed reading each poem. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves deep and resonating poetry written in beautiful language — definitely a five-star read.
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Pete Wareham recommended Run, Run, Run by The Velvet Underground in Music (curated)
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Apr 27, 2022
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Roxanne (13 KP) rated Grandma's Poetry Book in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a wonderful collection of poetry written by a Grandmother for her family and for all the doting grandmommas out there. I requested this in order to see things from my own mother's point of view as she herself is a new nanna. The words were so heartfelt and I enjoyed the journey surrounded by gorgeous grandaughters and grandsons who the author loves very much.
The book is described as an emotional journey from beginning to end...this it did well but one of my two gripes was that in my personal opinion the poems could have been placed in a better order than they were. Just the odd two thats all, which would of made it flow a lot better. My second and last gripe was that I felt some of the words were only chosen for the sake of making the poems rhyme even if it didn't make a lot of sense. This gripe wasn't prominent enough for me to give this collection any less than 4 stars as I enjoyed it very much.
I did have a favourite which turned my face into this...
<img src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/256/7/7/manga_moods__tearful_by_whitesakura59-d2yof2x.jpg" width="180" height="160"/>
...so emotional.
I thought this was a wonderful collection of poetry written by a Grandmother for her family and for all the doting grandmommas out there. I requested this in order to see things from my own mother's point of view as she herself is a new nanna. The words were so heartfelt and I enjoyed the journey surrounded by gorgeous grandaughters and grandsons who the author loves very much.
The book is described as an emotional journey from beginning to end...this it did well but one of my two gripes was that in my personal opinion the poems could have been placed in a better order than they were. Just the odd two thats all, which would of made it flow a lot better. My second and last gripe was that I felt some of the words were only chosen for the sake of making the poems rhyme even if it didn't make a lot of sense. This gripe wasn't prominent enough for me to give this collection any less than 4 stars as I enjoyed it very much.
I did have a favourite which turned my face into this...
<img src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/256/7/7/manga_moods__tearful_by_whitesakura59-d2yof2x.jpg" width="180" height="160"/>
...so emotional.
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Roxanne (13 KP) rated Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse in Books
Nov 14, 2018
<i>ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you.</i>
I imagine this book would look really nice as a glossy, A4, paperback. Bright, colourful and attractive with cute little drawings and speech bubbles. Visually, this is definitely a winner. After reading this book I understand that it definitely isn't aimed at my age group, I'm too old and my daughter is too young *sad face* although I believe it's something I would of liked when I was younger.
I requested this because as a child I was fascinated with the human body and now...I just like gross stuff.
The poetry element was a nice surprise, although towards the end it was a bit of a mish-mash (are we learning about the human body or Shakespeare?).
If you're interested in the human body with an extra dose of ickyness then I recommend The Horrible Science collection. I love those collections!
I imagine this book would look really nice as a glossy, A4, paperback. Bright, colourful and attractive with cute little drawings and speech bubbles. Visually, this is definitely a winner. After reading this book I understand that it definitely isn't aimed at my age group, I'm too old and my daughter is too young *sad face* although I believe it's something I would of liked when I was younger.
I requested this because as a child I was fascinated with the human body and now...I just like gross stuff.
The poetry element was a nice surprise, although towards the end it was a bit of a mish-mash (are we learning about the human body or Shakespeare?).
If you're interested in the human body with an extra dose of ickyness then I recommend The Horrible Science collection. I love those collections!