Baptized in Moonlight Poetry Book Review

Title: Baptized in Moonlight
Author: Morgan Scott
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Morgan Scott
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Pub. Date: November 24, 2018

Synopsis:
In this collection of poems, Morgan Scott depicts the story of a young girl turned ferocious woman, and ties her growth to the phases of the moon. Written with the intimacy and unflinching honesty of an untamed spirit scorned and reborn, Baptized in Moonlight is a book for anyone who has ever felt as if the odds were stacked against them. Filled with painful acknowledgments of broken relationships – and the hope of a life lived with wild passion – you will dive to the depths and ascend to new peaks as you begin your own journey through the lunar cycle. This collection is part heartbreak story, part coming of age, part love song, and part battle cry. You will find yourself among the pages, and be spurred to get to know yourself on a deeper level.

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Baptized in Moonlight is divided into 4 sections titled Waning, New, Waxing, and Full. Each phase of the moon (section) is tied to the authors growth, her journey, and things she has gone through. This poetry collection has themes of heartbreak, healing, abuse, finding yourself, spirituality, motherhood, self-love, and acceptance.

it is heavy
to carry my sadness
over my shoulder
every place i travel

and yet
she is the only consistent
friend that i have ever known

and there is comfort
in knowing
that she will never
leave me

no matter how hard i try
to release her

I really enjoyed this collection and read it in a few sittings, wanting to take it all in slowly. I loved how the author not only named the sections the phases of the moon but she also gave it definition. The poems in this collection are longer than what I usually see nowadays in poetry collections and I loved that too!! Morgan Scott really conveys her emotions and impact with her words. There are also illustrations sprinkled throughout the book which gave it an extra touch.

love is not slipping
not choking
it is not bending
as far backwards as your body can
until it breaks

love is not toeing the line
between anger and passion
worried that one wrong move
will land you in terror

love is not hiding yourself
trying to contort into his dream girl

love is not dumbing yourself down
to make him appear smarter

love is not not not not not not
the rush of air before his palm
strikes your cheek

so don’t believe him when
he tells you it is
because the picture he has built of love
is one that temporarily plugs his wounds
while ripping yours open

Although I don’t rate poetry books based on connection, I ended up really connecting with the poems and author. Specifically with her poems about god, spirituality, self (surrounding those previous themes mentioned). It felt nice to feel understood in that aspect. I really appreciate the author just being straight forward and not making it pretty. Poetry that is raw like this really gets me in my feels. I found myself dog earring (yes, judge me) a lot of her poems. Overall, I would highly recommend this poetry collection! Also, the author is super freaking sweet and you should check her out. Her links will be at the bottom!

women are born full
full of magic
and tenderness

our hands
and our hearts
have carried the weight of
the entire galaxy
for generations

we could tap into our
mother energy
and heal the world of pain
if only you would
move out of our way

Author Links:
Instagram
Amazon

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That is all for today! Just a reminder to please support Indie Authors and their work! I hope you all have a great day xo

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

a letter to the moon

dear moon,

come sing to me
on the nights
i feel lonely.

know that you can
tell me your
darkest secrets
for i have them too.

please share with me
what the stars
have planned,
yet keep me
in suspense.

may i keep
you company?
you remind me
of myself.

sometimes i look
at you and wonder
if the clouds blanket
you with safety
when you don’t
want to be seen..

because the weight
of the world
probably rest on you,
knowing that i am
not the only person
writing this letter
to the moon.

Poetry Book Haul

Here I am with another book haul! I mean, did the title give it away? lol! As a writer of poetry who also has a book, I feel like it’s so important to support other writers in the genre as well. I also love to read poetry. I have found myself not feeling alone a lot of the times while reading others work. There are so many indie poetry authors out right now that I feel like their voices need to be heard. Some poetry isn’t for everyone and that’s okay! While some like dark poetry, others might like positive happy poetry and some just don’t like poetry at all. I hope you find something here that you may like! =)

The order goes by purchased date!
Titles link to Goodreads

• Honeybee by Trista Mateer
  Having been previously described as an “aggressively personal poet”, Trista Mateer takes this to heart and then to paper in her first collection. Presented more or less in the order it was written, the poetry in Honeybee is in turns bitter, tender, and messy. Following the course of a little more than a year, the poems showcased in Honeybee chronicle the on-again off-again process of letting go.
• The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace (Andrews McMeel)
  “Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we’re off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales.”
  A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.
• Empty Hotel Rooms Meant For Us by Christina Hart
  This collection of poetry focuses on dismembered loves, present and past, as past lovers aren’t actually in the past for the author. She carries parts of them with her, even though their hearts are no longer hers.

 

• Her Treasures by Fida Islaih
  Islaih shares her travel to Malaysia. She continues to share more of her thoughts on Palestine. More poems include her love for her sisters, faith and words.
• Tell Me Where It Hurts by J.R. Rogue
  Bestselling author J.R. Rogue returns with her second volume of poetry, Tell Me Where It Hurts, a raw, heartbreaking, and honest glimpse into the demons she has faced in her 33 years.
• Mad Woman by Kat Savage
  Author of Learning to Speak, Kat Savage, returns with Mad Woman whish is comprised of 40 pieces that capture her stream on conscious, her confessions, and her strange thoughts. In Mad Woman, she bears it all and embraces her madness driven by loneliness and disappointment.

 

• soft magic. by Upsile Chisala
  ‘soft magic.’ is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. ‘soft magic.’ is a shared healing journey.
• Walking through the Forest: love, loss and other tall trees by Elizabeth Ann
  love, loss, pain, healing, poetry.
  Elizabeth shares her experience with heartache and grief by embracing acceptance and self-love in a collection of poetry written with straight forward vulnerability.
  Join her walk through the forest, surrounded by love, loss, and other tall trees.
• Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook (Andrews McMeel)
  In Alicia Cook’s second poetic effort, designed in the style of an old mixtape, she sets her thoughts to a nostalgic tune. There is no Table of Contents. Instead, there is a “Track List,” making it easy to refer to them to your friends with a, “Hey did you read track seven?!” There are no chapters. Instead, the book is divided into two parts, or as one would say in the 90’s, two “sides.” Side A holds poetry that touches on all aspects of the human condition like life, death, love, moving on, evolving, growing up, hometowns, family dynamic, life after trauma, and make-ups and breakups. Side B holds the “remixes” of these poems, in the form of blackout poetry, also known as “found poetry.” Side B gives the material a fresh twist by creating new poetry out of Side A. There is also a very special surprise at the end of each track.

 

• Yellow by Alannah Radburn
  This book is a collection of poems. Yellow explores the feelings of love, happiness, heartbreak, grief, resilience and healing. It is an homage to the author’s most recent relationship. Strong feminist and LGBT+ undertones emanate from within the pages. Though it celebrates a relationship between two women, its themes and emotions are universal.
• I Am More Than A Daydream by Jennae Cecelia
  How often do you daydream? For most, it is many times a day. We stare out the window instead of the task in front of us. We fantasize about where we would much rather be, the significant other we long for, our ideal job, the body we hope to see in the mirror, a healthier mindset, pure happiness in our lives and the lives of others, peace in this chaotic world. However, how many of us daydreamers believe these pleasant thoughts will truly turn into our reality? Daydreams are more than just short bursts of happiness that only our minds can see. I know I am more than a daydream; and you are, too.
• lavender petals and a wild heart by Cheyenne Raine
  A lavender sky of words, thoughts, poetry and prose written with love and curiosity. A collection inspired by the emotions that flow from the heart due to the gentle presence of a wild and adventurous soul. This book dives into the mixture of warm and lovely feelings that blossom when adoring another’s heart.

• Table for One by Laura Ashley Laraque
  This book talks about a female who has experienced what many have, heart break. In the midst of her pain, she takes on a journey to learn to love herself. Also, expressing emotions and looking back on memories that although left scars, have led her to sit at her table alone. Finding yourself is crucial and she explains how she accomplishes this day by day.
• Bones in the Garden by McKayla Debonis
  Here lies the anatomy of the first Heartbreak.
  But,
  take my advice, you can grow, you can heal, you can learn, no matter what.
  Just pick yourself up and keep going.

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and that is it for now! have you read any of these poetry books? let me know in the comments so we can talk ❤

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

it was 8:43am

demons
are
real

they exist through
my mental illness

the torment of
thoughts i go
through in my
mind is
unfathomable

i long for a day
that i wake up okay,
with strength and
courage to do
what is needed

yet for now,
they continuously
l i n g e r

showing in hues
of exhaustion
insecurities
and anxiety

something in regards to my poetry book

it is now available via
KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!!

yes, you read that right!! amazon kindle unlimited!
which means if you have this feature it is free. whoop whoop!
once again thank you to everyone who’s been supporting me
and just being there for me with positivity. it means the world ❤

Synopsis:

one day i met a guy
who stole my heart,
we created a world
for ourselves.
and another day
he broke my heart
and shattered
my soul.

i took the tattered
pieces of this
broken soul and
became anew.

– here lies the hurting, the healing, and the learning

 

 

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you can add it on goodreads here =)

my book is available via worldwide amazon platforms, barnes & noble, book depository, and createspace as well. stay tuned for some freebies in a very near future hehehe!!!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Mini Book Review: Hummingbird by Sophia Elaine Hanson

Title: Hummingbird
Author: Sophia Elaine Hanson
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Sophia Elaine Hanson is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestselling young adult novel, Vinyl: Book One of the Vinyl Trilogy. She resides in New York City and loves pigeons and Star Wars. Hummingbird is her first collection of poetry to come to print. It tells a story of love, loss, and rebirth.

 

 

 

 

 

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I read this beautiful collection while on my way home from work. This poetry book can be read in less than an hour. I loved all of this and it resonated with me. Even the illustrations gave this book an added touch to the amazing writing.

Hummingbird is about a relationship that fell apart and how Sophia found herself anew. She talks about her feelings and thought process through and after the relationship. Some of the poems mentions experiences that she went through and didn’t think of till she met this person. And it was so relatable because as humans, we sometimes don’t completely grasp something till we’ve been through it ourselves.

I felt like I was going through the motions with her. I found myself longing and being positive in the end.

This one is added to my favorites list for 2017.

Here are some of my faves:

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When I was fifteen, I got
sick. No cure, only
treatment. When I was
sixten I was assaulted. I
used to joke that at least
I got the bad stuff out of
the way early, as if there
was a cap on how much pain
a person could endure over
the course of their life.

– Obviously, I had never
been in love

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if you are interested in maybe buying
this poetry collection, please click here.

thoughts on this collection? would love to chat in the comments!!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

 

Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately
Author: Alicia Cook
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: CreateSpace (version I own), Andrews McMeel Publishing
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Alicia Cook’s second poetic effort, designed in the style of an old mixtape, she sets her thoughts to a nostalgic tune. There is no Table of Contents. Instead, there is a “Track List,” making it easy to refer to them to your friends with a, “Hey did you read track seven?!” There are no chapters. Instead, the book is divided into two parts, or as one would say in the 90’s, two “sides.” Side A holds poetry that touches on all aspects of the human condition like life, death, love, moving on, evolving, growing up, hometowns, family dynamic, life after trauma, and make-ups and breakups. Side B holds the “remixes” of these poems, in the form of blackout poetry, also known as “found poetry.” Side B gives the material a fresh twist by creating new poetry out of Side A. There is also a very special surprise at the end of each track.

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First off, I want to wish Alicia Cook the happiest of book birthday’s to Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately!! It is now officially published with Andrews McMeel Publishing with tons of new poems so I cannot wait to grab this edition and read the rest!

The copy that I am reviewing is her self-published version which I purchased back in January. And easily one of my favorite poetry collections. This collection was full of nostalgia, grief, loss, love, growing, and so many other things that a lot of us humans go through.

Stuff I’ve Been Lately is divided into two parts. Side A are full length of poems that talk about all the topics I mentioned. Side B are the remixes, where she takes these same poems are creates “black out” poetry out of them. Still equally and impacting as Side A.

These poems were very unique and threw a punch in each one. I loved reading Side A, Side B and then alternating as well. This is beautiful, raw, and emotional.

If you ever dealt with loss, grief, nostalgia, self-doubt, then I would recommend this to you. It really touched my heart.

Some of my favorites:

(above images show Side A and Side B of the same poem)

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If you interested in this collection, you can purchase a copy on Amazon here.

Thoughts on this collection? Lets talk in the comments!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Walking Through the Forest by Elizabeth Ann Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Walking Through the First: love, loss and other tall trees
Author: Elizabeth Ann
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Library and Archives Canada
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

love, loss, pain, healing, poetry.

Elizabeth shares her experience with heartache and grief by embracing acceptance and self-love in a collection of poetry written with straight forward vulnerability.

Join her walk through the forest, surrounded by love, loss, and other tall trees.

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I have the honor of personally knowing this lovely author. Not in real life but we have created in online friendship. We started this process of writing our poetry books together. Sharing excitement, jitters, and our debut babies. It’s been so cool to know her and just talk on a more personal level.

Elizabeth Ann released her poetry book on April 3rd and I just needed to get my hands on it immediately. Once the book was delivered to my house, I found myself opening up the book and reading all of it at once.

Lizzy (as I call her) writes about heartbreak, loss, and learning through a failed marriage. She expresses her pain, heartache, disappointment, hopes, self-love, and other things through each poem. Taking a punch to my emotions with each page I turned.

Walking through the Forest is a collection for all people but I would highly recommend it for those who feel in despair. Trust me, Lizzy will make you feel connected through it. She writes about things that she learned through her relationship which made her stronger and I applaud her for that. Lizzy talks about how she lost herself in someone but found herself instead.

Some of my favorite poems:

I have learned far too much
about myself in this forest
to turn around now.

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I am no longer a vessel
to be used only for
a man’s satisfaction
and then thrown to the side,

easily abused,
easily ignored,
easily neglected.

-this wildflower has bloomed

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Take stock of the damage.
Breathe.
With hand on heart, feel it
beat and pulse.
There may be damage,
but Heart is beating.

Beating Heart means Healing Heart.
Honor painful moments.
Cry when necessary.
Be brave.
Be kind to self.
Be kind to others.
Step by step,
Walk Yourself Through.

You got this, girl

-instructions give on self-love

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I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
If you are interested in purchasing, please check out Amazon!

I hope you are all having a lovely day =)

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

It Starts Like This by Shelby Leigh Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: It Starts Like This
Author: Shelby Leigh
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

After writing a poem a day for a year, Shelby Leigh decided to take her favorite works from the challenge and create her debut poetry collection. Beginning with heartbreak and loss and ending with closure and hope, It Starts Like This is the narrative of a girl learning to overcome and appreciate all aspects of life. This collection takes you on a journey through love, loss, grieving, and healing and will resonate with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

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This is Shelby Leigh’s debut collection of poems. She started off by posting a poem every day in 2015. This collection has all her favorite poems.

I really liked this collection, Shelby has a mix of long poems and short poems too. So we see her craft in different types of poems. Since this is a collection we see different emotions conveyed through each poem. In some poems she talks about love, loss, healing, and hurt.

I feel like a lot of people can relate to this collection if they ever experienced someone hurting them.

Definitely a strong debut for the author, I would love to read more by her.

Some of my favorite poems:

Swearing

I swear
with every kiss
you leave words on my tongue
and every time you break away
I breathe a poem
into my lungs

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Battle Scars

I can create a painting
from the freckles on your cheeks
or a song from your soft breaths on my neck
I can trace the scars on your thighs
with our legs intertwined
a mark of triumph not of failure
a memory of a war you fought with yourself
and won

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Full Moon

today I noticed I am a lot
like the moon
ignored and unexplored when
I am barely there
just a sliver in the darkness

but when I am at my best
full and vibrant
that is when I am noticed
that is when the wolves howl
to feel alive

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And that is it for this review! I would love to know what you think! Let’s chat in the comments =)

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)