Hello!
This week I bring you a review of the most recent book I have finished reading. It is a little different from the usual books or novels I review but I feel so passionate after reading this poetry collection. I don’t own many poetry books, in fact, the last one I bought was Blythe Baird’s If My Body Could Speak, a couple years ago.
I recommend that poetry book too, but right now I am hyping up this collection of poetry by Halsey. One of my favourite singers and new writers. I saw this amazing person in concert last year and had the absolute best time. It has been months since the concert and I still have blues wishing I was stood in the crowd of the O2 in London. I have always found comfort in her lyrics and have admired her for many years. I jumped at the chance to purchase this book as soon as it was released. If you like her lyrics you will adore her poetry.
I have made a list of my favourite poems from the collection: - A Story Like Mine
- Smoke
- Forever... is a long time
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder
- Forever cursed in love are the observant
- Devil in me
- Bring on the black
- Seventeen
- Powerless
- Fun Girl
- Bad Day: 3
- Antagonist
- American Woman
- Battles
The poems lengths varied, I quite like that some were a couple of lines whereas others spread over a couple of pages. The topics were love and often of love, sex and family. I felt myself being transported into this celebrities life, seeing things I would have never guessed that they had been through. Her words were so raw in places. I loved dipping in and out of this collection, such an intense read. I found myself tearing up quite a bit. There was one poem in the collection is only seven lines long, it was the first in the collection that really made fall in love with the words. Battles:
One of the previously mentioned poems grabbed my attention in particular: A Story Like Mine. From the first sentence in and I recognised it immediately, I had seen a video of Ashley performing this poem at a rally on Facebook. I have watched this performance many times since. Even when reading it, it really shocked me. The pain and atrocity mentioned felt all but too familiar, I cannot imagine that I am the only woman who felt the same. The way Ashley words things it is so raw, she really puts her heart out.
It was nice to read something that doesn’t have a linear narrative, that’s one of my favourite things about reading poetry. Each new poem tells a new story and captures different feelings. I am constantly in search of new poems and poets to read, if you have any recommendations it will be greatly appreciated! I’ll see you guys next week with a post about a book to film adaptations!
