Whatcha Reading Wednesday - On the Move: Poems about Migration

On the Move: Poems about Migration

by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Quentin Blake

What they say: Former Children's Laureates Michael Rosen and Sir Quentin Blake join forces for a personal and uniquely affecting collection of poems about migration.

"What you leave behind

Won't leave your mind.

But home is where you find it.

Home is where you find it."

Michael Rosen and Sir Quentin Blake join forces for a landmark new collection, focusing on migration and displacement. Michael's poems are divided into four: in the first series, he draws on his childhood as part of a first-generation Polish family living in London; in the second, on his perception of the War as a young boy; in the third, on his "missing" relatives and the Holocaust; and in the fourth, and final, on global experiences of migration. By turns charming, shocking and heart-breaking, this is an anthology with a story to tell and a powerful point to make: "You can only do something now."

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday - A Poem for Every Night of the Year

Sometimes I just need a poem to make me smile or to work through the dramas of the day...

A Poem for Every Night of the Year
by Allie Esiri

What they say: A Poem For Every Night of the Year is a magnificent collection of 366 poems compiled by Allie Esiri, one to share for every night of the year. The poems - together with introductory paragraphs - have a link to the date on which they appear. Shakespeare celebrates midsummer night, Maya Angelou International Women's Day and Lewis Carroll April Fool's day.

Perfect for reading aloud and sharing with all the family, it contains a full spectrum of poetry from familiar favourites to exciting contemporary voices. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, W. B. Yeats, A. A. Milne and Christina Rossetti sit alongside Roger McGough, Carol Ann Duffy and Benjamin Zephaniah.

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Cover Love - The Poet X

The Poet X

by Elizabeth Acevedo

I do firmly believe in not judging a book by it's cover but sometimes I find myself drawn to a book by whats on the outside before falling in love with the story inside...

I absolutely adore the beautiful cover for The Poet X because it's all kinds of quirky, creative and gorgeous!

What they say: A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. 

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Absence of You - Tour

Absence of You

by Sarah Elle Emm

Released on 17th May 2016

Absence of You, a collection of poems, takes you through stages of love, from the first moments of falling, to heartache, to healing and growing. With Sarah Elle Emm’s simple, yet powerful, words and rhythm, venture through the ups and downs on this heartfelt journey.

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon

Author Spotlight:

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of ABSENCE OF YOU, LAST VACATION, the HARMONY RUN SERIES, and MARRYING MISSY. She has lived in Germany, England, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and traveled extensively beyond. Her writing cave is currently located in the Outer Banks. When she’s not leading kitchen dance parties with her daughters, she writes poetry and fiction.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Amazon Author Page

This Feature is a part of the Blogger Outreach Program by b00k r3vi3w Tours

Love-a-thon - Book Spine Poetry

2015 Book Blogger Love-a-Thon

February 21-22, 2015.

Hosted by: Alexa Loves Books     Book Spine Poetry Challenge.

It turns out book spine poetry is actually WAY harder than I had imagined but it's also really fun!!

Below is my first EVER attempt and it may be a little moody and dark but I hope you like my rather lame attempt...

So it reads:
Fateful Ugly love Haunted by Your Touch. Entwined with You As you like it. The Edge of Always Everything to Lose Beautiful Oblivion Losing it One Tiny Lie. Lover Mine Fallen Too Far Last Kiss Goodnight

Or with sneaky extra words added in and formatted:
This fateful, ugly love. I'm haunted by your touch. I'm entwined with you forever my love, as you like it. We're on the edge of always, with everything to lose.
This beautiful oblivion, I'm losing it because of one tiny lie. So lover mine, have I fallen too far? Can I have one last kiss goodnight?


You can checkout more book spine poetry via Alexa Loves books (here) or the linky here!

Shakespearean Valentine's

Last year I did Biker Valentine's, this year I'm doing the Bard!

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies!

For those of you who have a valentine, for those who don't and for those of you who really couldn't care less, I'm celebrating Valentine's day the Shakespeare way with some of my fav sonnets!

My favourite is Sonnet 55:
Whether it was meant as an impassioned hope to preserve his friend's memory or as a mockery of the egotistical classical poets, I love the eternal message here:

Sonnet 123:
Not exactly romantic be honest. I've always appreciated how Shakespeare comments on repetition of all things and how nothing is new because it has happened before, even love.

Sonnet 138:

This was written for Shakespeare's adulterous 'Dark Lady' and exposes the pitfalls many relationships fall into. He ignores her lies and chooses to remain there but detached from her.

In Sonnet 23:

Shakespeare is too scared to speak of his true love, so he writes about it - we've all been there.

I know these aren't necessarily the most outwardly 'Valentine's Day' themed poems, but I like how they demonstrate the many varied forms of love and expression. 


And because I couldn't resist a Supernatural Gif:




So who has a date with Fifty Shades this weekend?