Reviewed by Tania Staley for Readers' Favorite

Every once in a while, a book of poetry comes into my possession that forces me to share it with others, whether they consider themselves poetry readers or not. Sherry Rentschler’s book, Paper Bones, is one of these books. As I read her poems, I wanted to share them, if only to hear them said aloud. In her introduction to the collection, Rentschler states, “I don’t know if I will ever call myself a true poet,” but I will do it for her. She is a poet in the truest sense of the word. Someone who sees the world in a new light and shares their insights with the melody of their words.

Her poems have the ability to both enchant and haunt the reader. Rentschler’s poems take on often clichéd poetic topics, such as love, loss, and depression, and explore them in new and profound ways, sharing her perceptions of these experiences with honesty and creativity. For example, in her poem “Love’s Last Stand,” one of my personal favorites in the collection, she equates the act of falling in love with a game of poker, with the love interest playing a gambler who has never been beaten and the potential suitor playing the adversary simply trying to win one hand. Like many of the poems in her collection, this one is clever and whimsical, yet at the same time shines a glaring light upon the serious issues of the topic. In this poem’s case, the games we play in love. Paper Bones is an excellent poetry collection that I will recommend to all the poetry readers in my life. I highly recommend it for both scholars of poetry and those just beginning to explore the art form. I truly hope that this is not the last I will read from this outstanding poet.

Reviewed by Gail Wickman for Readers' Favorite

Alessandra Gelmi’s collection, Ring of Fire: Selected Poems 1972-2008, brings together poetry that touches in one way or another on the topic of suffering. Don’t expect these more than two dozen poems to be anything like any other poems about suffering that you have read. The topics range from the achingly painful, such as lost love to the inability to conceive to orphaned children to the frailty of age, to the breathtakingly shocking, such as torture and child abuse. More than once I had to reread a poem because the revelation at the end wrenched the early lines into a new focus. Gelmi does not write easy poetry, she writes rich poetry.

Alessandra Gelmi has an incredible talent for voice, irony and image. The three residents in “Visiting the Nursing Home” all have distinct voices, as does the speaker in “Deliverance.” Gelmi’s use of irony can be political or personal. In “Casualties,” we see the pain of orphanages, with a last line that punctuates the inhumanity of institutions; in “Television,” the last line makes us want to cry for every abandoned child who dreams of a loving birth mother. It is perhaps Gelmi’s images and the fresh language she uses to describe them that truly make Ring of Fire: Selected Poems 1972-2008 a pleasure to read. In “Over Dinner,” she compares needy women to “these gulls circling above you/ready to swoop down/Cannibals in white brassieres” and describes herself as a baby as looking “like Benito Mussolini/Bald like bomb-razed land.”

If you enjoy rich poetry that takes some time to unpack, I highly recommend Alessandra Gelmi’s collection Ring of Fire: Selected Poems 1972-2008.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Dreaming My Animal Selves: Le Songe de mes Ames Animales (Bilingual Collection in French and English) by Helene Cardona is a bilingual collection, as the title suggests. Bilingual works always help in widening the reader audience. This collection will appeal not only to French but also to English poetry enthusiasts. The poems take you through a surreal and ethereal world, with emphasis on dreaming and visuals that heighten the surrealist effect of the poems. The poem by Rainer Maria Rilke in the prologue speaks about the influence of Rilke in the poet's style and thinking to a large extent.

Bilingual poems are always challenging because translating and keeping the metaphor of the original intact is not an easy task. The poet has done that here with ease and skill. All the poems express freedom, free thinking, and thoughts that are not chained or bound by any rules and norms. That is exactly how poetry should be written. All the poems are rich in imagery and the visuals are highlighted by the word choices and the author's keen eye for detailing. The poems are dreamy, bordering on surrealism, spirituality, and nice imagery.

All the poems are soul-searching and they enchant you with their mysticism and elegance. The surrealist feel in the poems at times makes them wistful and magical. The cosmic forces of the universe, fantasy, surrealism, dreams, and many other topics are part of the theme in the poems. All the poems are crafted well and each has some interesting concept to share with the reader. I haven't read such a beautiful poetry collection in recent times. They are surreal and ethereal with wonderful imagery.

Reviewed by Michelle Robertson for Readers' Favorite

Reflections Of Life by Jon M. Nelson is a collection of poetry which introduces readers to his life as an American soldier. A soldier is more than just a "Military Robot," as some may call them. A soldier has feelings of love, hate, sadness. He endures happiness, faces fears, struggles with obstacles and hardships, all while serving the American people and its government. The author writes about all those feelings and circumstances in 153 pages of pure, raw, honest emotion.

The book contains headings such as: American Pride, Love of a Lifetime, Human Nature, A Darker Side, and God's Beauty. Each of these headings have their own particular theme within. For example, the section American Pride contains poems pertaining to the soldiers' experiences and hardships as they remain committed to the cause and fight to keep America and its people safe and free. Love of a Lifetime is poetry pertaining to the author's wife. The writings within this section are from deep within the heart and soul of the author, describing so much love, passion, devotion, and appreciation to one person. The writings are of a Romeo and Juliet nature. The poetry is simply romantically divine. Human Nature consists of a variety of passionate poems pertaining to perseverance, good change, peace, youthful innocence, strength, hard work, dedication, friendship, morals, values, chance, and giving all for a better tomorrow. A Darker Side consists of the inner struggles a soldier might face such as the nightmare of war, the loss of comrades, isolation from humanity, depression, self doubt and distress. God's Beauty consists of poems pertaining to God. These poems appear to be the author's way to cope with the evil, the hardships, loss, and sorrow by finding God and the love, beauty, purity, and innocence in all he created.

Jon M. Nelson's collection of poetry is a heartfelt, powerfully emotional look into a soldier's mind, soul, thoughts, and life. A reader will gain knowledge, understanding, and respect for the American soldier as they read the author's skillfully and expressively written book.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

"Reel to Real" is an excellent collection of contemporary poetry. It highlights the kind of poetry that is the favorite of all poetry publishers. The abstract images leave the reader to interpret every poem his/her own way. The collection is divided into two sections, but the entire book is dedicated to 'Fatemeh'. The author captures the reader's attention with excellent wordplay and some wonderful imagery. Certain poems have deviated from the usual formatting to make them more effective. The different kind of formatting of certain poems has also added to their visual appeal. There are a few very short poems. Though very short, some of them have a philosophical feel to them and all of them are very profound, especially the poem 'The Longest Marriage' where the poet conveys something very philosophical and rational in just three lines. All poems give you a different meaning each time you read them which tells you how skillful and adept the writer is in handling themes. A lighter poem with humor is 'A List of Things to Do When You're Bored'. It shows the poet's lighter side too and how comfortable he is when writing lighter poems.

The poet has also handled minimalism very well. The minimalist poetry in 'The New Age' and 'Nursing a Cold to Its Demise' is also very effective. Many poems are very colorful and they read as if the poet has taken a brush and painted the scene. The impressions and the poet's observations on life and his surroundings form the essence of his poetry.

Reviewed by Michelle Robertson for Readers' Favorite

"On Edge", written by Bob MacKenzie, is an intriguing book of emotions, thoughts, and circumstances in a poetic form. MacKenzie reveals topics within his poetry that are often hard to speak of in a natural everyday conversation. Within the 16 poems laid out in his book, MacKenzie reveals raw emotion that will make you gasp, cry, feel mad, sad, and broken inside, but at the same time let the reader know there is light through the horrible darkness of pain and suffering, but not often reached easily.

Reading Bob MacKenzie's incredible book of very raw, real poetry brought all emotions out in me. I recognize how difficult a few of the poems' subject matter must have been to write about, though essential. That fact alone makes reading this work of written art worthwhile. Readers of this book are going to most often relate to the dark demeanor of MacKenzie's words within this book. Horrible circumstances are often the most remembered; it is human nature. MacKenzie portrays this over and over. Bob MacKenzie reminds his readers that in dark times, light can appear through the smallest of cracks. The road to this light is most often a hard one but it is a road at the very least. Bob MacKenzie's "On Edge" will move many people in many different ways, as poetry can be interpreted variously. The poetry within this book is so very long because it draws your thoughts away from the actual poem and to a related situation, happenstance, or circumstance that a person has experienced, heard of, or fears.

Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

"Jacaranda: Tails Before Bed" is a 127-page book of poetry by E. W. Bosworth. It is divided into six chapters of random poems that deal with love and life. Bosworth is a new poet and, according to him, his writing is a reaction to the uniformity of post-post-modernism. He calls this unique voice postmodern formalism, which embodies, demonstrates and enacts the contradictions that he believes are inherent in a "systematic denial of history." Each chapter in the book starts with black and white images that seem to hold meanings too. Reading his poems is like listening to a new voice in poetry that is waiting to be heard.

It is simply difficult to ignore Bosworth's poems as they draw us into his varied experiences. In 'Craft', he says: "A poet wrote that walls don't have to be confining, nothing to make a body “fret”. "He came up with that while wandering around the mountain with a sonnet in his head." I guess this sums up pretty well the author's creative process, and the simplicity in his choice of words makes his poems quite charming. Much of Bosworth's poetry is inspired by the people and the events that surround him but there are also flowers, birds, snow, philosophy, history, and the human struggle that soars above us all. His poems are full of images and, as a reader, I try to find out his meaning to determine where he is bringing us. Through his experiences in life, just what is this poet trying to say? In the first lines of his poem 'Parole', he writes: "Looking into the Jacaranda is looking into your life no wonder there's so much simile on top of simile." Indeed, his poems leave me to determine, for myself, which features of his reference point he is trying to predicate. This is an enjoyable and insightful book of poetry.

Reviewed by Susanna Bencen for Readers' Favorite

Each "The Sycamore Seed" poem is beautifully composed by J.D. Mallinson. These are not mere trite rhyming couplets to please the ear, but are filled with the details and depth of nature herself. In fact, I would go further and say that "Sycamore Seed" is the song of nature and land as well as the beating hearts that live within. The book is divided into five sections: Nature, People and Place, The Arts, Miscellany and History. The subject matter of each poem is meticulously researched either through direct observation or via other methods. To muse upon these poems is not only a delight to the senses but also instructs you through Mallinson’s learned reflections. J.D. Mallinson uses numerous composition methods. He plays with rhythm as in the ‘Garden Spider’ to describe the tentative weaving of the spider that sits lurking in a corner or creating art in the great outdoors. He plays with voice as in the ‘Slug’ which sings its low song, long and rambling, like wading through the sludge of its trail. In ‘Bird-Watching in Wales’ you can hear the lilt of the Welsh dialect coming through in each verse. You will certainly be ensnared by the spikey consonants of ‘Pruning the Hedge’ or hear the beating wind of the undulating ‘Autumn Gale.’ The poems often end thoughtfully as in ‘Gnats among Pine-Trees.’ He also uses alliteration to great effect. Imagery is crystal clear in such phrases as ‘a Pelican pecking the life-blood from her breast’ in the ‘Rain on the Sea’ or the ‘dream-like nebulae’ of ‘Hollingworth Lake.’ His poems are usually based on reality, but sometimes fantastical stories interweave the phrases such as in the meandering mermaid notes of ‘Copper Beech,’ or the enigmatic interludes of ‘Silverdale.’

Reading these poems is like going on holiday to explore rustic towns and antiquated mysteries. To hear pithy stories of characters and dreams we can go to 'Batsman on Tour’: ‘Success won him the laurel crown / failure saw it wither on his brow.’ Musing on the voices of nature, I find myself naturally attracted to particular poems of birds, flowers, horses and snow. It also happens that those are the creatures and elements which take my interest in real life too. Reading "The Sycamore Seed" is like looking at a mirror that enables one to find their own natural song and rhythm. I find J.D. Mallinson’s work fascinating. "The Sycamore Seed" is a must for anyone wishing to learn descriptive writing as J.D. Mallinson is a master at honing the skills essential for exquisite and reflective composition.

Reviewed by Alexander Rigby for Readers' Favorite

The way that K.D. Rose puts words together in Inside Sorrow creates an absence not only within the heart of the reader, but also upon the page where the letters and phrases are contained. This book of collected poems is organized in a chronological way, spanning over the course of time as grief spreads and runs deeper. Beginning on the day of the occurrence and transcending through the days, months and years that follow, we are taken as a witness to the sorrow that seeps into and overflows above the day to day tasks and interactions that take place. As time goes on, the act of mourning evolves in certain ways, but the tone still stays true to how it has always been.

Poetry can be complex and over calculating, or it can be simple and strong. The latter is the way I would describe K.D. Rose’s poetry in this collection. Although her poetry is not lengthy, her words impacted me in such a direct manner. Through reading her work, I felt the pain of the speaker, who felt lost in a world where love had left her. I thought there were certain parts that on their own were brilliant, so adding them together with the other poems she had so thoughtfully constructed made her work speak all the more loudly. The kind of grief that she describes in Inside Sorrow was not only heartbreaking, it was profound and beautiful.

Reviewed by Jean Brickell for Readers' Favorite

I was just not into poetry, that was until I read "In the Company of Women". The further I got into the book, the more poems I identified with. The book touches our relationship with mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. Some pay tribute while some rant about the behavior. But all can touch a nerve.

When I read the poem, 'In the Kitchen with Dovey', I remembered watching my mom cook, then helping her with small tasks and later graduating to cooking. Good memories! 'My Unsung Heroine' was a very moving tribute to a mother in terrible circumstances. I cried as I read it. 'Vermillion' was a piece of art like a shiny jewel. 'A gift for Tabitha' was a beautiful poem that touched my heart in a special way. It spoke of love for a child. 'Warmth on a Cold Day' speaks of love a grandmother has for the grandchildren. It makes me remember my grandma baking loaves of bread and letting us tear the first loaf apart and eat it steaming hot with butter. These were the good days before her mind became cloudy. 'Birthday Lunch Autopsy' is a humorous poem of a friendship gone bad because the friend is showing antisocial personality problems. I laughed that it was not me experiencing this lunch; sounds as if an antacid would be in order. I loved reading these poems as they reinforced the kinship with friends, mothers, grandmothers, sisters and cousins and made me appreciate them all.