January Wrap-Up 2017

HI EVERYONE!!! How’s your day treating you so far? How about month? How’s the new year so far? Cause here in the USA we’re going through it and we need a miracle like yesterday. K thanks lol. Anyways, I read 3 books and 1 I’ve DNFed. Let’s jump right into what I’ve been reading and up to =)

What I Read:

 

Broken Flowers by R.M. Drake ★★★★
Genre: Poetry
This is my second R.M. Drake. I love his writing and he talks a lot about loss and brokenness within yourself and relationships. I have a non-spoiler review with even some of the poems here.

 

 

 

 

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★★
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
My favorite of the month!! What a magical world I got to live in for the days that I read this. This circus is everything I would love to visit and more! I have a full non spoiler book review here. I would love to reread this one day in the future and may be even see it as a movie adaptation. This one definitely deserves all the hype!

 

 

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Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James 
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian
This is the one I DNFed. Not because it’s bad cause trust me, I was really liking it. However, with everything that is going on in the country I live (USA) which is very much like a dystopian novel at the moment, it was affecting my reading experiencing with this one. So I decided to put it down till I am ready to pick it up again.

 

 

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The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins ★★★★ 
Genre: YA, Verse, Realistic Fiction, LGTBQ+
Definitely a heart wrenching novel about two girls that don’t even know each other but eventually cross paths. About knowing yourself, relationships, and family dynamic. I have a non spoiler review for this book here.

 

 

 

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Poetry:
Another month where I know I didn’t post much poetry. And I’ll explain all of that in another post I have coming on Friday. Here’s what I did post in January though:
People I Once Knew – Part 15
so what do you think?
People I Once Knew – Part 16
women’s march
looking at human’s on my train ride
and we’re all just entertainers

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Memes of the month:
I participated in some meme’s this month that mention other books that I’m excited for!
Waiting on Wednesday – The Seafarer’s Kiss
WWW Wednesday
Top Ten Tuesday – Graphic Novels

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Exciting News!

I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT OF MY POETRY BOOK COMING THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I literally cried once I typed up the last poem. I cannot wait to share with you all more details in the next coming months! I can’t believe this is happening. I didn’t even have this book in mind till I was a few poems in and thought that I should just make a book out of it. I know I’m being vague but just give me some time, I will eventually share the synopsis, links, and all that good stuff coming in a few weeks. I’m still working on some things and haven’t set an official date but it’s looking like June =)

what have you all beautiful human beings been up to? did you read any of these books? let’s talk in the comments!

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

 

Broken Flowers Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Broken Flowers
Author: Robert M. Drake
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon (Goodreads doesn’t have one):

“And you will go on / searching for the best of you / and you will never find it, / but that is the point.” This stunning collection of poems asks readers to keep on seeking – the journey is the destination.

In this fifth installment from Robert M. Drake, the poet meditates on the subtle beauty of brokenness.

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Another beautiful poetry collection by R.M. Drake. This is my second collection that I have read by him. The first being Black Butterfly, I have a non-spoiler review for that one here. I really despise rating poetry because well as a writer of poetry, I know it’s written from the soul and sometimes even dark places. However I felt underwhelmed with a few of the poems while reading this collection. It felt a little repetitive.

R.M. Drake writes about a lot of loss and brokenness. Loss and brokenness within yourself, others, relationships. About wanting the people who hurt you, back. There were times he is talking to lover in one poem and in another poem he is talking to his brother. He also talks about healing and how it’s okay to feel hurt no matter how much time has passed.

The last few poems mention police brutality, social media, and what is going on in the world today. Which I feel are so important.

The connection is there though, between his poems and humans. You can feel the connection. I still resonated with many of these poems.

His writing in this one is completely different from Black Butterfly. Broken Flowers is full of spaces and even a bit like story telling where as Black Butterfly is not.

I always keep these poetry reviews short because I feel like they’re biased. It all depends on the reader and their life experience to connect with the poetry being read. What Person A might understand from a poem, Person B can see something completely different.

Some of my favorite poems:

Be gentle and kind.

Be fragile and soft.

I know the world tells you otherwise,

but deep down inside

you are not what they want you to be.

You are all the things that change. . .

all leaves that fall,

all rain that meets the ground,

and all the petals that the flower

can no longer hold.

So if you are meant to shatter,

then go ahead, break beautifully,

for the more you fall,

the more you rise and the more you do both,

the easier it will be to

find yourself again.

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What She Said to Me One Night:

I have too much universe in me.

I deserve more than the sky

and a few stars.

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Dear Mother,

If I die,

do not let me become a hashtag.

I know there is more to people than sharing

terrible news and talking about how cops have

murdered innocent African-Americans.

I know there is a light in every one of us

and I know we all want change but do not know how

to touch change.

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let’s chat in the comments, what do you think?

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

December Wrap-Up 2016

Hello there! The last month of 2016 was filled of so many ups and downs but I am grateful that we have started a new year with new expectations and goals. I am very satisfied with how I ended my year in reading. I read a total of 5 books and 1 I DNFed (did not finish). Let’s get onto the books and what I’ve been up to this month!

What I Read:

 

 

Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter ★★★★★
Genre: YA Paranormal
Midnight Hour is the 4th book to the Shadow Falls: After Dark spin off series. I wrote a full non spoiler review for that book and you can check it out here! This is one of my favorite series and I still cannot believe that it is over.

 

 

 

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Replica by Lauren Oliver ★★★★★
Genre: YA SciFi
This is the first book the Replica series. A book all about clones and two girls that are linked in all of this somehow. One of my favorite reads of 2016. I definitely would recommend this. If you want to read a in-depth non spoiler review, then click here!

 

 

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RoseBlood by A.G. Howard
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling
This is the book I DNFed. This is what I wrote on Goodreads: DNFing at 80 pages. I really thought I was going to love this book but I found the story too slow paced for me and a little all over the place with the elements involved. Nothing was really making sense and things got a little repetitive already.

 

 

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The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden ★★★★.5
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adult
A Russian Folklore that will have you wanting to read every single word and will make you feel like you are there in the village with the family. I have a full spoiler free review here. Definitely a book worth reading.

 

 

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we carry the sky by McKayla Robbin ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
A poetry collection about femininity, identity, violence and healing. One of all time favorite poetry collections. I have a spoiler free review that includes some of the poems here.

 

 

 

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Black Butterfly by Robert M. Drake ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
A poetry collection about the transformation and rebirth of life and death. r.m. drake wrote this for all the people who have lost someone either living dead. I have a full non spoiler review that includes some of the poems here.

 

 

 

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Poetry:
I know I didn’t post much poetry this month and that was because since the holidays were around I didn’t want to post dark things during happy times. I decided to back off a bit on it but nevertheless I did post and in case you missed it:
not what you say i am
a question and a question and a question
People I Once Knew – Part 14
untitled; a teaser from the book i’m writing
it’s not that easy.

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I’ve also been working on my poetry book and I posted a couple of Waiting on Wednesdays, Top Ten Tuesday, Standalone Sunday, and Series Saturday. If you want to check out my memes then please click here. I hope you’re all having a lovely new year. Have you read any of these books or plan on too? Let’s chat in the comments!

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Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Black Butterfly Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: Black Butterfly
Author: Robert M. Drake
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Format: Paperback (gift from LairofBooks)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Black Butterfly is a symbol of transformation and rebirth after death. Drake wrote this book for those who have lost someone in death and in life.

This book is a collection of memories and experiences Drake lived after the death of one of his brothers. He promised he would write him a few words after he failed to complete the task while his brother was alive. This book is everything… this book is for all who are breathing and for all who are no longer here. This book is for you.

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This is so deep. I can’t even begin to explain in words the emotions and feelings this book has put me through. I remember having to go to the bathroom to cry because I felt like r.m. drake was just talking about me through his poems.

Black Butterfly is a collection of poems that are about memories and experiences after losing someone in death or in life. Because sometimes people are no longer apart of your life and you still grieve them all the same.

Black Butterfly is also filled with beautiful illustrations. His poems are both long and short. r.m. drake definitely has a way with words. This book will make you think, it will make you grateful for the memories, it will make you cry, it will make you wonder about the life you have with the people around you, it will make you reflect on yourself.

I recommend this poetry collection to anyone who’s lost someone in death or life. If you’re going through a break-up, you lost a friend, or something just simply happened, then pick this up. And if you lost yourself, then read this..you might just be able to breathe a little more easily after it.

Some of my favorite poems:

She did not find
the grim
in falling apart,
for every time
she found herself
to be broken,
she knew
that she was brutally
remaking herself
and collapsing
to be reborn
like a rioting star;
haunting
the dark sky.

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People are all the same
but you and I,
we’re not like them.
So to say that we’ll both stay
isn’t you and it isn’t me
either.
We’re tragically drawn
to one another
and eventually we’ll fall apart.
So let’s enjoy
whatever it is that we have,
because when we’re done,
I wouldn’t know what else
to give you
other than just another story.
And that alone might be
the most beautiful thing
we’ll ever live to tell.

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I couldn’t find the
words to save you,
to make you still.

And I buried myself
in the regret
until I became it.

If only I had
known,
then perhaps,
you
would have stayed.

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have you read any books by this author? let’s chat in the comments!

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Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)