Anastasiya

Books Read 19-25 January 2024 || Book Reviews

Hello Wednesday!

Here are the more of my reads from January 2024. That week didn’t leave me satisfied with all my choices, with only one or two books really standing out to me. But hey, not every book can be a winner!

Remember to check out the question at the end and leave a comment.

Disclaimer: All posts/reviews are based on my personal views and opinions.

seeds planted in concrete by bianca sparacino

Published: 2015

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 118

Rating: 1/5

This is the third poetry collection I’ve read by this poet, and this one was my least favourite. This was a little repetitive and felt like the pieces were slowly going around in circles around the same message. The pieces lacked depth to them and I couldn’t find much to relate to. Maybe this collection should only be read by those who had their hearts trampled on but even then, the level of emotion was low.

Please Don’t Go Before I Get Better by Madisen Kuhn

Published: 2018

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 180

Rating: 1/5

I decided to give this poet another chance after my disappointing experience with her collection ‘Eighteen Years‘ and this will most probably be the last collection I’ll waste my time on. This was like reading a teenager’s diary and as a teenager, I probably would’ve felt the same as I do about it as an adult. There was barely anything relatable to find in the pieces. If you want to read poetry, this won’t be it. If you enjoy reading journal entries then proceed.

The Princess and the Goblin by george macdonald

Published: 1872

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Fantasy, Classics

Pages: 165

Series: Princess Irene and Curdie (Book 1)

Rating: 3/5

I had no idea that this classic even existed until I stumbled across it. The title sounded interesting and I decided to give it a go. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either. I didn’t find many fantasy elements in the story that captivated me and left me wanting to continue with the series. The plot was simple and didn’t seem like it was well developed: like the original idea was put on paper and not reworked to improve. The writing style was annoying with the author toying with the reader but not having a point to it.

Black Beauty by anna sewell

Published: 1877

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Historical Fiction, Classics

Pages:285

Rating: 5/5

This was such a beautiful read and took me back to reading ‘Call of the Wild‘ except I liked this book more. The story is told from Black Beauty’s point of view and in case you don’t know, Black Beauty is a horse. I didn’t realise that a story like this would pull on my heartstrings so much. All the horses in the book had their spark as they added their own life stories to Black Beauty’s journey and you can cue the tears a few times while reading.

Prompt: Color in the Title

bloom by beau taplin

Published: 2018

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 82

Rating: 2/5

With a title like that, I was hoping to find a collection filled with inspiring pieces to brighten up your day. Instead, there was a scatter of generic pieces that didn’t follow each other or stick to similar themes. This is my first collection by this poet and I’m sceptical about trying another one if this is the result of her poetry.

To Build A Home by micheal tavon

Published: 2022

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 201

Rating: 5/5

I enjoyed this collection so much. These pieces were a whirlpool of emotions scattered over the pages, touching on topics that we can all find a way to tie to our own lives and situations. The position of the pieces throughout the collection was well done, showing a timeline of a journey and the growth from it. This is a poet I will keep my eyes on.

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by warsan shire

Published: 2011

Source: Digital Library

Genre: Poetry

Pages:37

Rating: 2/5

This has to be one of the weirdest poetry collections I’ve read so far. All the pieces pretty much went over my head and I couldn’t find anything relatable. The majority of the pieces weren’t poems but just sentences that could easily have been read as quotes. There are heavy topics covered but I didn’t enjoy the graphic depictions and they could’ve used better wording and descriptions to make this less of an uncomfortable read.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two by j. k. rowling

Published: 2016

Source: My Bookshelf

Genre: Fantasy, Plays

Pages: 343

Rating: 5/5

I’ve had this book standing around on my shelf for so many years because I wasn’t enthusiastic about the format used. When I was reading it, I regretted waiting so long to pick it up. The story was amazing and I loved how we were able to see some timeline changes to see how things could’ve ended up in the Harry Potter universe. Some of those changes were unpleasant and thank goodness they never came to light. If you’ve read all the Harry Potter books but haven’t read this one, I highly recommend this time-travelling book diving into the past and messing with choices.

Prompt: Goodreads Choice Winner 2016

In the comments:

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