Bookish Resolution: More Poetry

In the beginning of this year, when everyone was busy trying eat more healthy and exercise more, I opened up my imaginary notepad and wrote down, “Read more poems” and I’m glad to say that I actually have read 5 poetry books so far. It’s a huge upgrade from my previous number which was 0.

So if you’re looking to read some poetry books this year, lemme help you out a bit with my mini poetry reviews.

#1 One by Sarah Crossan

This book breaks form. It is a novel but in verse. If you are a reader and are new to poetry and you’re not sure where to begin then I highly recommend this book. The plot and dialogues are said completely in verse.

The story is basically about these twins who are conjoined at the hips. They have been home-schooled all their lives but when their parents cannot afford to home-school them anymore, they are forced into a high school. In this book you see the world through their eyes and also see how the world views them.

It’s a beautiful book that made me cry. I couldn’t put it down once I started it and I definitely recommend it to everyone regardless of whether they like poetry or not. It’s a very minimalist and refreshing read.

#2 The Princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace

My partner in crime, Beez, has already reviewed this amazing book. The review is written entirely in verse. Here’s the linky: Click me!

This book, again, is a very different style of poetry. There is a plot, which is the author’s story, but it is very relatable because it’s a story of being broken and then healing again. It’s beautiful and it kept me up at night, crying.

But there is a lot of debate regarding whether this book is actual poetry because it doesn’t feel like your everyday poetry. But I think that’s the beauty of it because poetry doesn’t really have any rules. However, That’s just my opinion.

If you want to read something quick and empowering, then definitely give this one a try.

#3 Everything reminds you of something else by Elana Wolff

It took me a while to get through this one because it was crazy how the poet used SO MANY complex words! I think half of these poems just went over my head because I couldn’t understand them.

I mean, I did enjoy the way the poems were written but because they were so fancy, I couldn’t really fall in love with any of them.

For me the beauty of poems lies in its simplicity so this poetry collection was not my cup of tea. However, if you enjoy fancy words then definitely pick this one up. It could be a bit of a pain for people who don’t generally enjoy poetry but don’t let that stop you from trying it out.

(All thanks to netgalley from providing me with this collection)

#4 The Hour Wasp by Jay Sheets

The poems in this one were crazy beautiful! The imagery made me feel that I was high on drugs and I don’t do drugs. I used to read these at the dead of night because they made me feel like I was in a different place, separated from the world.

However, there were times where I felt a bit lost among the words. I would find myself reading some of the poems again and again because a part of it would make sense to me and then the rest would just confuse the heck out of me.

The illustrations, on the other hand, were to die for. I got an e-copy from Netgalley so I ended up taking a few screenshots of them. They have a very creepy, desert horror film kind of vibe to it.

I would recommend this to anyone who just wants to read something super vivid in terms of imagery because this collection provides a LOT of it.

#5 Graffiti by Savannah Brown

This AMAZING book was gifted to me by my forever bae, Beez. It’s also signed by the author and there’s a coffee stain on the front cover (Thaaanks Bae!).

This book is the kind of book you read in your twenties. Reading it reminded me of my teenage years and it also reminded me of who I am now and who I am yet to be. Definitely, the poetry book I would recommend THE MOST to anyone!

It’s bound to take you to a trip down memory lane, all the sweet, bitter and bitter-sweet memories. And the illustrations just add a beautiful touch to this masterpiece. I know I will revisit this collection again and again because I loved 95% of the poems and the rest I just liked. I didn’t dislike any of them.

Truly, a poetry collection worth reading. The best part is that it’s PERFECT for those who want to start getting into poetry.

Do you like poetry? If yes, then go ahead and recommend some of your favourites to me down below! If not, I hope you give one of the above mentioned ones a try.

Lots of love,

Raven