the sun and her flowers ~ rupi kaur

Book Review:

I could rave about Rupi Kaur's poetry for days. I loved her first collection, milk and honey, and this was no different. I did not want to put the book down. I read and reread the poems many times before moving on to the next poem. I analyzed the words compared to the beautiful, yet minimal sketches that she includes on the various pages. I was beyond happy with this collection. 

My favorite poems were probably "introvert" and another one that didn't have a name but is on page 223. They both come with sketches and those images just really amplify the messages that each poem is trying to convey. 

The collection is the perfect infusion of feminism, mental health awareness, and self-love. 

Pages: 256                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

whiskey words & a shovel I ~ r.h. Sin

Originally released in 2015, this re-rerelease packs the same punch as the first version, but makes an even greater connection with the soul of the reader. Each piece has been re-seen and revamped to reflect the author’s continuing journey with his partner, Samantha King, without whom this book would not exist. Samantha is the muse, the “she” the writer speaks of; she is every woman who has felt like she wasn’t good enough, and every woman who struggles to find love.  

Book Review:

In a previous blog post, I said that I wanted to start reading more modern poetry; therefore, I bought a few books full of modern poetry. I bought all 3 from r.h. Sin's whiskey words & a shovel set as well as a few more. At first, I was skeptical of reading poetry by a man. I didn't believe that his words would be able to resonate with me. How wrong was I? At least, in this case, I was 100% wrong. I felt something ethereal in every poem. This may be due to the fact that the poetry is inspired by the relationships his current partner has experienced as well as her feelings of inadequacy, but nevertheless, many of the poems spoke to my feminity. 

If you are trying to get into more modern poetry that really speaks to the current social climate, I would start here. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this set. Personally, I find it very hard to review these books, as there is no true plot or characters to discuss, but just know that everyone will resonate with these poems for one reason or another. I truly feel that anyone above 16 years of age should be reading these poems. 

Pages: 306                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

milk and honey ~ Rupi Kaur

this is the journey of

surviving through poetry

this is the blood sweat tears

of twenty-one years

this is my heart

in your hands

this is

the hurting

the loving

the breaking

the healing

- rupi kaur

Book Review

Over the years of reading, I have gone through different phases; sometimes, I really like poetry; other times, I really don't. Recently, I have been trying to get back into reading it as I love listening to Spoken Word poetry. So, since I have only heard good things about it, I picked up Milk and Honey. So worth it!

Very quick read, obviously. But the blatantly truthful poems coupled with the sketches made the perfect combination. It was incredible. Now, parents, if you are trying to get your adolescent into poetry, pick something else. There are some poems in here that contain situations that I wouldn't have been comfortable reading at a younger age. 16+ is what I would age this book for. But nevertheless, it was incredible. 

I loved the style of her poems. I loved that everything is lowercase and punctuation isn't proper. I loved that she separated in the book into sections: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, the healing. I could really resonate with the fact that the poems weren't happy or hopeful. As a mediocre poet myself, all of my poems come from painful experiences, so I could really understand that. 

Pages: 204                                                                                                                              Rate: 5/5

Favorite Passage:

you tell me to quiet down cause

my opinions make me less beautiful

but i was not made with a fire in my belly

so i could be put out

i was not made with a lightness on my tongue 

so i could be easy to swallow

i was made heavy

half blade and half silk

difficult to forget and not easy 

for the mind to follow