Artsy with Mya

 This is the first children's book that I have requested and read and it was an excellent choice for my younger brother. My younger brother is not very much of a reader, so I wasn't sure what if any books he would be interested in.  He enjoyed this book a lot and even told me that he wouldn't mind getting this book in the future to read which is high praise from him.  On my side, the illustrations of this book was fantastic and I still managed to teach my brother some new words as well.  Definitely recommend this for kids who are learning to read or you want to ease them into reading.  Special thanks to my little brother for helping me write this! I received this book free from NetGalley and Chouette Publishing free to review.  Five out of five stars. 

 Turning ordinary things into art. Recognizing the beauty that is sometimes hard to see. If this is something that you as a reader enjoys, then this is the poetry collection for you. The haikus and senryus were particularly beautiful in this collection and I have not seen a lot of them in my poetry reading recently, so it was nice to see and appreciate them again.  Again this collection is all about ordinary days, thing that people do and pass by and never realize just what they are or could become.  A stunning example of what can happen when you slow down and see the world as an artist's palette.  I received this book free from NetGalley and the author free for review and this is my unbiased review.  Five out of five stars. 

 Truly an amazing piece of work. The author's descriptions of mental health - the okay, the bad and how he fights it is touching and immediately recognizable. I have experienced many of the same mental health that the author describes in this book and to see what he writes and to read it and recognized it in my experiences is truly incredible. There are specific discussions of the poems below if you would prefer not to read until after publishing. The way that Patrick Roche uses pop culture in his poetry to create and expand upon a theme is a style that I have not seen previously used in this way. Like in the poem, "Retcon", where he takes the Phoenix from X-men comics and other comic characters and uses them to make the reader understand what he is saying.  "Siri" is another poem that can be heartbreakingly familiar to the reader familiar with depression, feeling isolated and unsure of your family. Probably one of; if not the most tear-inducing poems of the boo...

 Five out of five stars doesn't quite seem like enough to give this book. Honestly I would double or triple this rating and it still wouldn't express just how fantastic this poetry is.  This book is about femininity and how it is both soft and hard; kind and harsh; loving and cruel all at the same time. As a feminine person, reading this book is simultaneously the easiest and the hardest thing to do. You can't put it down because it is so clear and relatable, but now you see what you go through in a whole new light.  Selecting a favorite poem from this work will probably be close to impossible to any of its readers as it is certainly impossible for me.  The only thing that I can say to close out this review is if you are looking to expand your library with some poetry, this is truly the best book to do that with.  I was given this book by NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing free to review.  Five out of five stars

 There are several aspects of this book that I can relate too as a female such as the poem "3 in 4" and "After the Breakup". These poems have to do with being a woman and the feeling of love.  Other poems in the book, I could only read and try to understand the emotions that the author put into her work. Poems that dealt with the idea of a homeland and not feeling like you belong such as in the poem "Home Says Go Back To Where You Came From" and others like that.  It would do a disservice to the book and to the author not to mention the artwork that is scattered throughout the book. Each piece is truly stunning and elevates the poetry around it.  Truly a stunning work in both writing and art. I received this book free from NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing to review.  Five out of five stars. 

 This book is classed as a biography/memoir and poetry which is a rather unique concept to pull off in a book. I feel like Sister Sharon Hunter did rather well at working the two different genres together, but this is definitely a poetry book versus a memoir.  The way that the Sister allowed her faith to infuse her work in different ways depending on the stage of her life was compelling.  Another excellent part of the book was the artwork that denoted the different sections of the book. They reminding me of melted wax artwork on display - absolutely stunning.  I received this book free from NetGalley and Paraclete Press to review and this is my unbiased review.  Four out of five stars.