Reviewed by Rita Vetsch for Readers' Favorite

Take This Journey With Me; Poems from the Laboratory of John Turner is an uplifting collection of inspirational poems all bound together into one astounding book. The book begins with a bottle floating in from the sea where the reader gets a lovely message from that bottle; “Take This Journey With Me.” The title is very appropriate as each poem is really a journey into the human soul and beyond. Turner creates a unique spin on his poem called “The Narrow Road,” which is comparable to Robert Frost’s poem called “The Road Not Taken,” however, Turner weaves in a new perspective on where the narrower path leads. He is able to elaborate on an existing and popular poem, but make it his own with his delicate and intriguing words. The poem called “Upon My Garden” truly brings a scenic garden to life entwining nurture and nature throughout it. There are numerous poems to name, but the ones that I adored most were related to the delicate transformation of a beautiful butterfly, poems about our conflictions and flaws, about being a human being, holding another person’s hand, and how the wind can bring us so much joy and laughter.

I knew immediately from viewing the cover and title of this book that it was going to be a special collection of short poems that I wouldn’t want to put down. The cover is gorgeously illustrated with a sunset rising over the most astonishing scenery. And the title truly says it all because it really is a journey and an exploration of feelings, emotions and images that reminds me of a series of Thomas Kinkade paintings. Each chapter is short and flows to the next chapter easily with simple wording that anyone can comprehend. The poems each have their own unique rhyme and rhythm to them that flow like a sweet lullaby. The short poems truly touched my soul and through John Turner’s wording, I was captivated and eager to keep reading to the next chapter. I am blown away that such a great writer can touch someone’s soul and bring so much passion to a person’s life through writing words onto a page. Turner’s poems are each a masterpiece to be treasured and savored! He states in one of his writings that “One of these days, I am going to make a difference”, well John Turner, you truly have made a difference with this wonderful and rare glimpse into such unique and exquisitely written poetry! Turner touches the human soul, give us hope and inspiration, and just turns a gloomy day into a bright day for us readers. I thoroughly enjoyed each poem and I am going to purchase this special collection of poems for my mother, who has a birthday coming up soon. Well done Mr. Turner!

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

How many times have you wanted to find the right words to say to someone special but they just wouldn’t come to you? Well, I might have just what you are looking for. In his book, “Wonders,” Kevin Hollingsworth pens a collection of literary prose from the expressions of his own heart. Since it is much easier to show you instead of tell you, I am giving you a few lines from Kevin’s poetry story called 'Eyes': “Your photo is worth more than a thousand words. I try to look away and run, but it is your beauty that catches up with me. I cannot deny the reality of this historic situation as I turn back to look at your most exquisite picture. Looking at you there are just too many things to remind me of the consummate definition of lovely; your lovely eyes…”

As you can see, Kevin Hollingsworth has that special way with words that not many people have. He covers many different subjects such as sadness, loneliness, happiness, true love, romance, being a dreamer, appreciation for life and many more. And with each poem, you will want to read it over and over again.

“Wonders” is a short book, very easy to read, but its value is priceless. Some poems are long, some are short, and you can use all or any part of them. This would make a really nice gift book, or a book to use when you want to write something nice in a card and just don’t have the words. Your friends and family will be in awe of your kind words. I encourage you to grab a copy for you, or for that special person in your life.

Reviewed by Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot for Readers' Favorite

If you like your poetry halfway between reality and the twilight zone of lethargic sleep, this is the book for you. In "A Song Beneath Silence", auth Apryl Skies takes the reader through lyrical moments in which love is always complicated and beauty is held in glass. She takes the reader through the obscure parts of life in which paradoxes must be endured and people must release themselves to what is rather than what they wish life to be. There is a section on the mythical where birds are taught to sing and the subtle hues of colors are related to moods and human environmental experiences. Lastly, the author explores the Gothica where we all move through, whether we like it or not. In Gothica, there is hunger and thirst, lust and sin, and invitations to death itself.

Some of the simplest poems tend to break through the resistant heart. When loving someone, you must love them "halo to horn." Souls can "shatter like glass" when faced with truth and reality. Perhaps one of the most poignant of all the poems is the one called "Chaos" in which dragons land on petals as bombs simultaneously explode. It is the juxtaposition of human emotion with human behavior that captivates the reader and forces an exploration between the worlds of fantasy and reality. Ms. Skies' ability to breech this "no man's land" is a credit to her lyrical and poetic expressions. She unmasks us in all our promises and our failures and leaves us to make of the world what we will.

Reviewed by Molly Edwards for Readers' Favorite

When I think of poetry, I think of 'roses are red, violets are blue'. That's really the only kind of poetry I've ever read or known. But, when I received the chance to review this book, Pesky Poems by T.L. Needham, I was quite pleased with what I read and how T.L. Needham put the book together.

The result of this authors compilations of poems is a wonderful little book that will sometimes have you smiling, other times have you thinking, and over all, leave you happy that you read this book. It's not a big book, quite small actually. But, the power this book will have over you as your read each poem--from 'Pesky Poem' about having trouble writing the words, to poems about Cupcakes (which makes me hungry just thinking about them all over again!)--will leave you with a wonderful new appreciation for writers and for poetry.

Overall, this is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. Thanks to T.L. Needham, I have a new found love for poetry and wish that other poetry books were compiled like this! Easy to read, wonderful to enjoy, and perfect for everyon looking for a quick read. This is certainly a book that I will be keeping on my book shelf, and when I venture into my writing journey, or even my reviewing, I will be pulling it out and re-reading it and using it for inspiration in finding the words I want to use. I certainly hope that this is not the last poetry book by T.L. Needham!

Reviewed by Bernadette Acocella for Readers' Favorite

Poet Leslie-Anne Brill divides her collection "New York Dreaming: Poems of the City, the Suburbs, and Daily Life" into five sections: the city, the suburbs, from the editorial desk, love, and life. This division could represent stages of human development that one would expect a poet to pass through, starting with celebrations of youthful independence in New York and ending with several meditations on death. The progression of this book is very natural and though each section has its own shining moments, by far my favorite section was the one on New York. A former New Yorker myself, there was a lot I could relate to in this section. "Bronx Bummers," about the recently built Yankee stadium, was insightful and clever, and certainly echoed the way I felt when I first saw the construction from the subway platform. When the poet says, "You can't walk ghosts/ across a street, not even for a better seat" I both laughed to myself and nodded in agreement for the way that Brill indicts corporate greed for discounting the Yankees' history. "Ten Years Later" is the obligatory September 11 poem, and is divided into two long, vertical stanzas meant to visually represent the Twin Towers.

All in all, Brill writes beautiful poems that are easy to appreciate and relate to. The internal rhymes in the poems create a musical effect, and Brill uses many diverse forms throughout the book. In the poem "Clock in Grand Central" the stream-of-consciousness snapshots that Brill provides ("shoe shine newsstand violet candy/ bit o' honey good & plenty") work well in a poem about one of New York City's busiest locations, but this same technique does not translate when she writes about the suburbs, perhaps because the suburbs are notoriously quiet and peaceful compared to the city. Among the editorial poetry, "Thin Envelope," a modern take on a standard rejection letter, stands out as the best. "Snow Day," from the book's life section, is another gem, and urges adults to "bow to the weather" and enjoy snow again. However, some of the poems in the love and life section have been done before by countless other poets, so they should have a freshness which they lack. On the whole these sections seem much more limited than the poems in the city section.

Reviewed by Bernadette Acocella for Readers' Favorite

Orlando Ferrand's collection "Citywalker" is full of poems about his Cuban heritage, religion, the search for identity and the loneliness he encounters in New York City. The city is almost a character in this book, a backdrop for all the important encounters that stir up so much emotion for the poet. In this collection the reader watches the poet go through a spectrum of emotions while dealing with his family, his lovers, and himself. The theme of home and homeless occurs over and over, though early on in the collection, in the poem "Family Landscape," the poet decides that "Home does not remain the same." Throughout the book Ferrand uses religious imagery in unique ways, such as in the poem "Space" and "Do you believe in love?" The poem "Song for a romantic season in white" contains one of the most beautiful loneliness images I've encountered recently: "that colorless insect/killing us all."

In one of my favorite poems, "September 11," Ferrand writes the word "falling" down the page and writes each letter twice. This was a beautiful visual representation of the Twin Towers, and was also reminiscent of something e.e. cummings might do. The poem describes a very human reaction to the tragedy and the final stanza of the poem sums up how many New Yorkers felt that day: "Today, I am New York/ I walk downtown/ Gazing at Ground Zero/ Surrounding the incomplete horizon/ Of my own geography." I believe many people in and around New York felt this very same way that day.

There were many beautiful poems in this collection that I could understand and relate to. Ferrand is clearly a poet unafraid to share his journey around New York and toward himself with readers, and the result is often beautiful. Overall this book was very moving and a pleasure to read. At times some of the imagery was a bit too opaque for me, but the emotion behind even Ferrand's most nebulous lines was clear. Finally, as someone who owns and reads many poetry books, I do feel that the book would benefit from a table of contents, so that readers could find their way to favorite poems more easily.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Under the Stone is a book of poetry. Featured are poems written in many different forms, as well as poems written about many different topics. Some poems are joyful and happy, while some are about things that are sad. Some of the poems that I liked the most are: "Once Upon My High School Time"; "In the Summer Garden"; "December Stanza"; "Seasonal Flowers"; "On the 4th of July"; "Spring Has Come Back" and "Lullaby for a Sleeping Child." These poems and many others in this book are not only fun to read, the effects they have on you give you new and interesting places to think about, new ideas and a new language in poetry. I loved the Lullaby Child poem because of the sweetness of the feeling it gives while reading it. The words calmly flow throughout the poem as it describes the precious sleeping child.

Since I don't read a lot of poetry, this book was new and different for me, giving me a different aspect to my usual reading. The poems were interesting and a lot of fun to read, and reading them a second time, paying attention to the easy flowing words, was emotional and gave me a musical feeling. Not all of the poems in the book flow easily, though...just the ones I picked as favorites. I enjoyed this book and could feel the heart and emotions of the author as I read the poems.

Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

Real Life Poem Collections by Todd Pagano, is a book of poetry that, at times, reads like a very short story. They are poems that deal with real life issues, spirituality, humor and everyday situations. From poems to our President, to our soldiers and the American Flag, to Christianity, there are sure to be a few poems in this small book that will become a favorite. A few favorites of mine were "A Mother's Love," "This House," and "The Love Of Your Life." With just 47 pages in the book, there are also several blank pages in the back for taking notes, expressing thoughts, or perhaps writing one's own poetry.

The book contains 76 poems, but they are short. I enjoy reading poetry; and I have learned over the years, it is best to read poems slowly to get the full impact of what the poet is communicating. I found the lack of punctuation marks had me mentally inserting them as I read. With that thought in mind, I consider these to be more prose than poetry. Whether one considers them poetry, prose, or very short story-type poems, I feel the reader will enjoy the book.

Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite

A Book Of Poems: The Inner Soul was written after a tragedy in the authors life. Surviving an auto accident he put his deepest feelings into his poetry, his inner soul into words. As he writes he portrays sadness, love and loss, joyful expressions and moments of pain as he relates to life in general throughout his poems.

Out of this small book of 19 poems there is a poem for each and every reader that will touch them in their inner soul. "Beautiful Dove", "Cleansing Love" and "My Rose" were my favorites. As I was reading through the book I was reminded of the Book of Solomon and the beautiful analogy between lovers. The photography included with each piece of poetry is simple but compliments each written piece. Recommended for everyone. I think each and every reader would find their self in at least one poem.

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Janet Hoult, Professor Emerita at California State and writer of this little rhyming tome, might be in her seventies but I have to say that she is sharp as a tack and her poetry is right on real.

"Body Parts" takes a whimsical look at all the things that can happen to older folks and all the debilitating conditions that we go through as we get older: poor vision, hearing loss, memory loss, arthritis, hair less/loss, replacement parts and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Her message is clear. In very funny verse she tells us all to freely share our knowledge with younger folk and try to look on the bright side. We are not growing older; we are growing better.

Janet made my day. I took this book to my dermatologist`s office and shared some of the funny poems within. We all had a good laugh while waiting for our appointments. Thank you Janet and keep writing. You could be the next Janet Thurber.