A MOTHER'S LAMENT by @NikkiRodwell #Poetry #TuesdayBookBlog #RBRT

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Poems about the trials and joys of motherhood.

I've never considered myself one who appreciates poetry, but lately I've found myself liking the type featured in this book - short pictures of an emotion, many of them free verse.  A Mother's Lament is a raw look at some of the realities of the state of motherhood, straight from the heart.  I've read a couple of Nikki Rodwell's poems on social media, and think she has a definite talent for encapsulating a situation and plumbing its joys and depths, in just a few words.  'The Swamp' so articulately describes the pain of deep family rifts, with the end verse telling the child that behind all the difficulty, the mother's love still remains. 'Peace', which comes next, is like a sequel to this.

Other favourites:  'Overboard', three short verses about the carrying of and giving birth to a child, alienation as the child grows ('Mid voyage your compass went awry' - love that), and an image of the mother treading water, 'hands clutching to driftwood' as she waits for the child's return.  I think this was my favourite of all of them.  'Broken Pieces' is in a similar vein.  I smiled at 'I love you but I don't like you' - I heard my own mother say similar about my sister and me on more than one occasion!

Then there is 'Brave' - a real gem; motherly advice about not following the crowd.  I also like 'Mirage' - sad and beautiful.  The collection ends with 'A Mother's Prayer for her Children' - but what is 'the golden rule'?!

Most of the verses are topped by a small, relevant graphic, which adds so much to them - these little pictures somehow give them all more meaning, and I think the cover is perfect.  It's a fine collection; Nikki Rodwell, you are a poet!

LIFE IS LIKE A MOSAIC by Sally Cronin @sgc58 #MondayBlogs

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: the author sent me a PDF, but then I bought it anyway because I wanted a proper Kindle copy.

In a Nutshell: Poetry and Pictures

I am somewhat blown away by this book - it's a work of art. 

The first part is a series of pictures - art, landscape, animals, birds, the fantastical, abstract, flowers, random objects, all sorts - each coupled with a short piece of free verse.  The poems are so clever, often just a few lines that encapsulate an idea, convey a piece of ponder-worthy wisdom, or paint a story in a flash-fiction fashion.  It's a delight from start to finish.  I believe Sally Cronin is producing hardbacks in the not too distant future; I will be purchasing several for presents.  And one for myself :)

Some of my favourites are astute comments on the darker side of the life we live now - notable are Scepticism, Westward-Two and The Future?.  Another repeated theme is that of ageing - I love Ageism and the last verse of Birthdays, in particular.  I name Ageism and Scepticism as joint winners!

The lovely Spices takes us into the second part, which consists of longer poems about Sally's life.  My favourite of these is The Lure of the Waltzer, which made me think of my early teenage years.

Ageism

(reproduced with author's permission)

Mind

body

and spirit

strive not to lose

the urge to explore

outside the barriers

created by young ageists

who dictate terms of existence

for those who have reached a certain age

How

quickly

they forget

who created

the technology

medical advances

and freedoms they now enjoy

are they scared that once set adrift

we might just show them a thing or two?

Take a look on Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature - the book is so perfectly presented.  In an ideal world, the hardback ought to be on display in high street shops at Christmas with all those 'little books of wisdom' type publications, because it's better than any that I've seen!

Sally Cronin is the author of fifteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001. This has been followed by another fourteen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest release, Life is Like a Mosaic: Random fragments in harmony is a collection of 50 + images and poems on life, nature, love and a touch of humour.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

Her podcast shares book reviews and short stories Soundcloud Sally Cronin

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

THEMSELF: Confessions of an Open University Creative Writing student by James Kemp

3 out of 5 stars

Non-fiction, Creative Writing short articles

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

This is a sort of diary, originally produced via James Kemp's blog, of some of his exercises from his course.  It includes some pieces he submitted, and a few other random ones, and poetry.  At the back there is some information on editing, self-publishing and promotion from James's own experience. 

This would be of interest to the absolute beginner, as some of the initial exercises are elementary, the sort of thing one learns at school.  It's nicely written and laid out, and James's manner is honest, pleasant and helpful.

This book skirts the edges of the various subjects it explores, as James's experience in such things as editing and marketing a book via Twitter is limited.  The information is basic, but not unhelpful, though some is incorrect (the minimum price to charge for a book on Amazon UK is 99p, not 77p, for instance). 

To sum up, this is a book for a novice or another creative writing student, and I'd describe it more as an anthology of pieces to dip into, as there are some of practical use and some pieces of fiction.

DARKNESS AND DECADENCE by Lynn Gerrard

4 out of 5 stars

Poetry

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Poetry is not my thing at all, but sharp humour of the dark type most certainly is, and I've enjoyed many of The Grumbling Gargoyle's observant verses on Twitter and her blog.

Some of the poems are heartrending, some harsh, some funny, always cutting straight to the point and never mincing words; the most valuable of any art form is that which dares to be honest, after all.

My favourites:

A Tired Brow
The Kid
The Path of Yesterday
Going Home
Closure
No Salads for Sonya
The Change
Night on the Prowl
The Window 

A worthy addition to anyone's poetry collection!