skudiklier's Reviews (647)

Dearly

5.0

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

I've read a little bit of Margaret Atwood's work before, but never really any of her poetry; I don't know why I was so surprised to like it so much. I read this for a book club and I found myself bookmarking nearly every other poem. She breaks this book into sections, and I definitely liked some of them more than others, but more than that I love the way they all fit (or don't fit) together. I'm glad I bought this book instead of getting it from the library, so that I can go back and read some of it again.

Content Warnings

A Sense of Urgency

Samantha Nimmo

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

This chapbook is so gorgeous! I love Sam's writing so so much, and I'm so happy to be able to get a copy of this beautiful work.

Content Warnings

Loneliness and Other Vast Bodies of Water

N.K. Said

5.0

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

holy shit!!! This chapbook is amazing and I am currently speechless and N.K. Said is such a good poet. I want to name every single poem in here as my favorite, so I guess that means that should just go read the book yourself. The poems in here all go so well together, and the writing is jaw-droppingly good, and I'm just. in awe.

Content Warnings

Sunday Mornings at the River Summer 2021: A Poetry Anthology

Sunday Mornings at the River

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Full disclosure: three of my poems are in this book, so I'm pretty biased!
However, most of the poems here were not written by me, and I loved so many of them. I got to read some of my lovely poet friends, but I was also blown away by some poets whose work I'd never read before. Sunday Mornings at the River always curates amazing anthologies!

Content Warnings

All It Takes to Sink the Boat

Johanna Rawlings

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

This book is absolutely lovely! Johanna is an amazing poet and artist, and this collection feels just like her. I'm so glad I got to read it.

Content Warnings

Red, White & Royal Blue

Casey McQuiston

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I've heard so much about this book and was a little worried it couldn't live up to the hype--but oh my gosh, I loved it. This book is everything people keep saying it is, and everything I wanted it to be. I felt so many things while reading this, and I felt so seen. I would really recommend Red, White & Royal Blue.

Content Warnings

BLANK: A Novel Abstraction

Ashley Wylde

4.25

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Reading this book is such a unique experience; it feels so raw and personal and real.

I don't regret reading it, and there were definitely parts I loved. However, the further I got into it, the less worth it it felt. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to someone unless they're exactly the right kind of person who needs it.

Content Warnings

girl, isolated: poems, notes on healing, etc.

Trista Mateer

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

This is an incredible collection, and the sooner you can read it, the better. It's the perfect thing to read in 2021, but at the same time it feels timeless. It feels like the poetry version of Bo Burnham's "Inside," in the best possible way. There are pieces in this book that I'll keep in my head for a long time, and so many I know I'll want to come back to later. I'm so grateful to Trista for sharing this with us.

Content Warnings

Whose Names Are Unknown

Sanora Babb

4.75

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I never read The Grapes of Wrath, and I pretty much knew nothing about this book going in, besides that it wasn't published for a long time and John Green likes it. The characters, story, and writing are all very good. It was sad and hard to read at times, and there were some especially dark passages that I wasn't quite prepared for. It's easy to connect these people's struggles to the state of our world now, and makes me tired to think about. But it's a very good book and I'm glad I read it. My favorite line was "What's the matter with me? Picking at death like an old hen pecking apart something too big to swallow."

Content Warnings

The Box in the Woods

Maureen Johnson

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Another amazing mystery with Stevie Bell! I've never thought of myself as a mystery fan by any means, but between the Truly Devious series and this new book, I'm wondering if I need to rethink that stance. This book just flies by in the best way. Everything about it is good, from the pacing to the characters to the conclusion. As long as Maureen Johnson writes books like these, I'll keep reading them.

Content Warnings

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