Tag Archives: Poetry

O Terrible Bird by Sandra Kasturi

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for black feathers ellen datlow book cover

Title: O Terrible Bird
Author: Sandra Kasturi
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Poetry
Dates read: 23rd January 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Poem
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Was it you? Are they limp in your claws?

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Synopsis

An incredibly dark avian poem that will leave tingles running up and down your spine.

Thoughts

I knew that the collection Black Feathers was a horror collection based around birds. I knew this, and yet, it wasn’t until I read the opening poem that I really clicked as to what this truly meant. And then I was just uncomfortable. And drawn in. And imagining dark shadows soaring above us. This poem took me on a complete journey of horror and wonder. And in such a short amount of time.

This is the second of Kasturi’s poems that I’ve had the fortune of reading. And man, is it worth it. this is an incredibly intense and dark poem. One that, like all good pieces of poetry, has layer upon layer of meaning. And one that I will probably reread again and again in an attempt to find more meaning.

 <- Black Feathers ReviewThe Obscure Bird Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Faery Tales by Wendy Froud

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for troll's-eye view book cover

Title: Faery Tales
Author: Wendy Froud
In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Poetry, Villains
Pace: Fast
Format: Poem
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: wished, as I had done.

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Synopsis

A poem that looks at the three different stages of women throughout fairy tales. It asks (and answers) the question “what happens after happily-ever-after”?

Thoughts

I really loved this poem. I tend to find with poetry, some things just strike me beautifully, and some don’t really pull me in at all. But, probably because this is a story that is based on the women of fairy tales, I adored it. There was a great passage of time throughout the three stanzas and they captured the ways in which we change over time.

What I liked most about this poetic tale was that it starts with the innocents – the goosegirls, the princesses. Then it travels to their happy endings – the princesses, the mothers. But, ultimately, it shows how these happy endings turn into not-so-happy-endings – the stepmothers and the evil witches. There is great duality right throughout this tale.

 <- An Unwelcome Guest ReviewRags and Riches Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Gentle Alice by Kris Dikeman

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: Gentle Alice
Author: Kris Dikeman
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Poetry
Pace: Fast
Format: Poem
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: plates and

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Synopsis

A poem which tells the story of Gentle Alice.

Thoughts

One of the things that I love most about this poem is the way in which it is laid out on the page. The entire thing takes the shape of a teacup with a wisp of steam coming from the top. The perfect poem and imagery to start off a collection of stories based around Alice in Wonderland.

Although this is a short, sweet and concise poem, it bares the wordplay and interplay that I loved throughout Carroll’s works. It is one of those multilayered stories that I will read again and again and again whenever I need to quickly be transported away to another world. And it will continuously reveal new, fun and intriguing meanings. Actually… I think I’ll go and read it again right now…

 <- Mad Hatters and March Hares ReviewMy Own Invention Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

Let the Night In by Sandra Kasturi

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Let the Night In
Author: Sandra Kasturi
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Poetry, Vampires
Pace: Slow
Format: Poem
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Hush – he lays you, bitten, down.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A poem about the secrets in the night and the vampires that live there.

Thoughts

Every now and then it is nice to read a good little poem. And this one fit that bill – it was only four stanzas, and the language utilised is quite evocative. At least, it made me think of shadows whispering along moonlit nights and avenues. Nights where the monsters roam.

This is a nice, simple way to start of the Evolve collection of vampirific short stories. It has all of the darkness and intricacy of a vampire on the prowl, with the sense of mystery and lyricality that I’m beginning to associate with the subgenre.

 <- Evolve ReviewLearning Curve Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Romantic Poets by William Blake, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, George Gordon Byron, William Wordsworth & Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Book Review, , , , , , , , ,
Overview
The Romantic Poets

Title: The Romantic Poets
Author: William Blake, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, George Gordon Byron, William Wordsworth & Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Poetry
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: With rocks, and stones, and trees.

Synopsis

omanticism gained traction in the late 1700s as writers moved away from the intellectualism of the Enlightenment and toward more emotional and natural themes. The major works of the movement’s five most famous poets — William Wordsworth, George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, and John Keats — are represented in this handsome Word Cloud Classics volume, The Romantic Poets. One of the largest and most influential artistic movements in history, Romanticism valued intuition and pastoralism, and its themes are well represented in the verse of its stars.

Thoughts

There’s something wonderfully soothing about reading poetry. It is relaxing, and lyrical and although it often isn’t as amazingly descriptive, it is a great way to soar through the literary world.

I had forgotten the joys of romanticism. And the ways in which it has completely changed and informed much of the literature that I love and enjoy today.

There’s not much that I can really say about this collection. I will probably pick it up and read parts and writers from time to time to get my poetry fix. This is probably the only time I’ll actually read it cover to cover. There was just something so enjoyable about this first time though…

<- The Wizard of OzJane Eyre ->

Image source: Rainbow Resources