Conversations About Christmas: A Collection of Poems About Christmas Time by T.L. MacRae

This collection focuses on, as the title says, poems that openly talk about Christmas and the festive season. The collection to me reads as a series of poetic storytelling essays covering topics of Christmas, love and loss in the supposed best season openly discussing the depths of dark times but also the joy simple seasonal things like festive films and music can bring. The Miscarriage , was a heartbreaking poem especially losing a pregnancy, it feels like a cruel twist from a wonderful gift of hope and joy. My Only Christmas Wish, was such a relatable poem about not settling for less than basic, decent respect and love. I myself related to the collection for the fact that usually the season is portrayed to be a happy time yet, in my family nearly every day in December is often an anniversary of someone's death and a reminder they're no longer with us. A great collection if you too find the festive season not always delightful and happy.

Soft Is Still Strong by Mira M. Wynn

These 100 short sentence/poems reach out with gentle statements of truth and reflection especially in how rest and saying no can make you richer in emotion for yourself if you give so much to others and end up drained and depleted for you. A beautiful collection to remind us all to make time for ourselves too.

Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

This collection of poetry focuses on life, if sad, in love, heartbroken or feeling lonely. It was an empowering, relatable and encouraging collection to sit and feel your own life moments echoing. One particular poem, to build a house, how love can be the architecture of a person's body and soul, the way they treat you telling you it's love, truly a beautiful poem of this collection that sums up the whole book celebrating love, rather nicely I feel.

Reckless Roses by Sarah A. Bailey

The book focuses on a love triangle between August and Zach, two brothers and Elena, a girl who both brothers desire yet she's with Zach initially, despite feeling a pull towards August too. From first love to forever love it was a story keeping you hooked in the characters lives as they develop and they carve new paths in life. It had a great twist ending that I was surprised by and didn't see coming in a good unexpected drama way. I will say there is strong language and sexual references so it's definitely a 16+ in language use not for younger readers.

Dear Me At Sixteen by Shannon Sonnenberg-Pietila

This poetry collection focuses on the way as we look back and reflect on life as the teenagers we were that could help those going through those equally tough and formative years hopefully relax and adapt and realise life in your teens is all about embracing chances and first's without taking life too serious. The collection goes beyond the superficial parts of life in teens where we often found ourselves focusing on looks being the thing that worries and matters most to embracing who you are at your core mattering more importantly. A fantastic collection for any teen growing up worrying and realising actually life should be all about relaxing on what we can't change and adapting to embrace what we can control to become a stronger, healthier version instead.

Getting Through What You're Going Through: Notes and Poems for Hoping and Becoming by Tanner Olson

This collection of poetry and notes included to add depth to the story of the creation of this collection opens us to all look around us and accept what we can or cannot control, just ease. From discussing the pressures of stress and how they can make you physically ill in various ways, for example, my own mum has suffered with Psoriasis from stress with no previous experience in any of her sixty years of life she'd live through including some rough times. The book reminds us to hold Hope and Grace and believe life can get better through all the tough times we face. The poem, Grief, was simple in reading but full of deep feelings and emotions. Not All Growth Is Seen, too, was a strong poem about depth over natural observation at surface level. Let Change Come, how we should embrace the good and bad of life that shapes us especially as we often can't stop it happening. It's a book about embracing life and getting outside enjoying nature and connection with others too and the snapshots captured of life and discussed in the book are delightful and eye-opening. A book to leave you feeling able to relate to many aspects and comforted that we often all face similar hards times.

Drowned Promises by Sara Simic

TW Alcohol abuse and violence. Growing up in an abusive household witnessing alcoholism turn into violent outbursts and hearing her father beat her mother, Rose escapes at night and meets a kind young fisherman, William, who's straight talking and kind to her. An aspiring artist, Rose gets through life dreaming of escaping to Paris to become a famous artist, yet, the pull to William is a strong bond she doesn't want to say goodbye. With a serious undercurrent to the whole book about abusive households and addiction, where love is not always displayed in a healthy way and showing to have passion to follow your dreams despite adversity is possible. There was also clever cover imagery and choice of colours tying in the plot line nicely and I enjoyed the characters soulmate style intertwined story too.

Painting Through The Rough by David Aro

Dex is a student with a strong work ethic instilled by his parents to strive for the best grades and high athleticism to achieve whatever career he desires in future, if only he can learn to control his temper which gets him into trouble risking his future achievements. However, whilst being banned from golf due to his temper, he meets artistic Hazel who together, they discover a passion for an art project that can benefit them both and brings two people unexpectedly closer together in a slow burn bond of understanding. Seeing the characters building up their trust in each other was beautiful and so realistic too especially as teenage life can be a tricky time emotionally to navigate as we see in the characters separate issues throughout the book. Also, as a girl who grew up playing golf myself as a kid and always drawing or reading I really loved the book for engaging us in thinking and appreciating the sport of golf not regularly used in children's or teen fiction and the book being written in a good flowing verse style too was engaging and more interesting to read as mini poems supplying the storyline to unfold that way too, a fabulous book to review!

Before the Full Weight: Carrying You Always by Miriam Oglesby

This poetry collection was short and tender focusing on the loss of babies and miscarriage. Carrying You, was a tender poem, how once conceived you will always feel a link to baby and being a mum whatever circumstance, in life or death. A poetry collection to make you feel how precious life is.

The Meth Diaries by SaDee Hodge

I always enjoy SaDees poetry, each collection is gritty, gripping and ripe with raw emotion in each line, stanza, verse and always flows so well detailing her story. This collection focuses as you can gather from the title about drug abuse and the effect it has on your life and others around you and how addiction occurs trying to cope with deep pain and trauma. There's no holding back, a raw and real look at life dealing with addiction and it's effects on your life and those around you.

Gone Missing: Someday We'll Meet Again by Linda G. Hatton

A short collection of poetry focuses on detailing the thoughts and feelings as people and pets pass, reflecting on your own idea of death and wishes for after the event thinking ahead for how you desire your loved ones to react and feel even though you can't change it. A short collection but with depth of thoughts bravely faced and made into concise poems that hit you deep.

Memento Mori by Kay Haven

This was a moving collection of poetry about death, grief and loss in any way where love was involved. Some stand out poems to me were: If These Walls Could Speak, how places, rooms and items hold so many memories, observed by the surroundings. The Five Sonnets of Grief, was sad and beautiful in the storytelling poetic recount of how losing the love of your life leads you through a dark isolating path. Reflections, was a beautiful poem about the art our bodies wear and how each person views us differently especially to how we view ourselves. Artists Never Heal, about how writers and poets, singers etc, will all draw on the feelings of pain time and time again to create beautiful art from the pain. It was a deeply moving collection and utterly relatable if you've faced grief and loss.

A Piece Of Me by D.E Bivins

This collection of poems was about how we loose little pieces of us in different experiences and how it changes and shapes us. Some stand out poems to me were: Empty Words, about trust broken by promises unkept and betrayal and the inability to go back and trust as you once did again. We Live, We Die, about the fragility of life and lessons we learn through this experience of living. Words, about owning your power to share your experiences in poems or stories. Social Media, was an open poem about how life has changed for the worse as we disconnect in person and try to connect online keeping distance and hoping on chance of connection instead. A lot to a little and Change, how you can live through times where you had everything to having nothing you expected. This was a collection to feel how life transforms us over time.

Hold The Cork by Lee Mawdsley

This poetry collection not only has a fun title, but the poetry spilling out covers so many vast areas of life we all encounter and have to adapt, change and cope with. An Empty Letter, about wanting to regain contact after being close before yet struggling to be able to communicate. Rain and Pain and The Darker Hours, were two poems looking at how the weather makes us feel more deeply and relates to our thoughts contrasting or inspiring. Life Lessons and Old Habits, how we can feel like the constant cycle of living means we're always learning whether it's good or bad developments. Support, about all the ways, you can find someone truly caring deeply for you and wanting to help. A great collection about all the good and bad times in a relationship and how it can be testing, ending and ultimately makes you feel deeply.

An Ode To Motherhood by Annie Noor

This collection of poetry talks about all aspects of the journey that motherhood brings, from the delight and wonder as your body creates the tender new life to the birth and awe of the new little one to treasure right through growing up and adapting, learning and guiding each other through it all. The book was laid out beautifully with simple black text on a light coloured background with white flowers, a symbol of the purity of life and really fit the collection well as does the fun cover too showing the delight and wonder mother and baby share together. A beautiful collection as an insight into how life changes in a beautiful way welcoming a little one.

Lies & Games by R.R. King

This poetry collection is set to chapters of confessions through poetry and details the heartbreak experience from the male perspective utterly raw and open emotionally from feeling like the back up option, a juxtaposition of wanting to help the girl he admires, love her and feel her best yet knowing deep down there's feelings of unease especially around another guy that plants the seed of doubt in the mind and stop you from opening up and being fully vulnerable. The collection talks of many experiences such as being scared to admit feelings for fear of rejection and playing games and the chase and the exhaustion it can cause you and personally as a female I relate the opposite way as I've only known guys to play the games so to read from the view what happened to me and knowing happens to males too makes me feel there's just good caring and kind people out there and a whole other load of people who just enjoy games and playing with feelings and unfortunately you often encounter them! The collection is illustrated with great sketch style outlines of a male and female in various situations matching the poems main topics and all of the collection ties in well to the title and cover of effectively feeling trapped from a males perspective in a web of the girl's making surrounding him. A great collection about guys embracing their feelings and processing them healthily.

Regretting You by Mae Ellison

This poetry collection was about love and the way you can loose yourself in the relationship and that person so deeply, it isn't until it's over and on reflection you see the ways you changed to fit their ideals. Some stand out poems to me of this collection were: The Weight Of What I Didn't Say, how you can feel alone in the company of others you were once so close too. When Love Became A Mirror, about how the one you love can affect how you see yourself negative rather than good and the toxic way it can alter your own thinking. My Body, My Boundaries, about owning yourself and the confidence you have first. Reclaiming My Reflection, about making you happy first over anyone else. The Art Of Being Alone, preserving space and time for what you love. Each poem had a selection of songs relating to the poems subject and made it even more impactful I often find when writing with music they works best together like a team I feel and the inclusion of Banks's songs especially as a huge fan of her music fitted with the collection seamlessly.

Out Of The Darkness by J M Edgley

As the title suggests of the collection, this poetry collection focuses on coming out of the darkness and depths of depression and living with PTSD too. Some stand out poems to me were: Into Despair, about the way depression can sneak up again and pull you back under and into it's depths. Trapped By Time, was actually really relatable and so similar to something my mum once said to me I'm too oretty to feel so sad, which I never understood and this poem really hit me deeply and completely. A Date On A Calendar too, about the fragility of life's monumentous moments that can hurt years after loss, again a really relatable poem at this time of year especially when December is seen as a joyous month, in our family, there's so many anniversaries of loss it can be more sad than a glad time of year. The collection also includes poems on child loss and the fragility of life and the open discussion of mental health around such a saddening time especially really struck with me as it doesn't get written about or openly discussed in my opinion and truly, it was a fantastic collection of poems.

Love Notes Volume 2 by Cheryl Bradshaw

This collection was deeply impactful and deals with the topics of abuse and how one person can affect you so much and the desire to help them can make you put yourself second. The poems that stood out to me didn't have titles in this collection but were numbered: 16, about safety and how it can effect you. 23, about the illusion of life and feeling how it is going or right 24, about seeing love different at teens to your twenties from toxic to loving. 25, about knowing yourself enough to know good and bad behaviour signs. 55, about fearing an explosion from a toxic partner and choosing to stay silent instead to not risk it. I love collections of micropoetry where you can easily read it say on a bus or train journey and feel still as deeply as if you've read an in depth collection which this collection did seamlessly each piece making you think and reflect.

Thoughts That Haunt Me by Ariel Day

Another beautiful short collection of poetry by Ariel. Wordsmith, Morning Make-up and Ambush, were some shirt stanza poems detailing short but effectively how abusive or controlling behaviour as well as cheating can impact you and the relationship you were in. The title suits the collection heartbreakingly perfectly.

She Speaks In Petals by Mrs Heidi Prowse OAM

This poetry collection is split into sections, starting with a lot of self love and acceptance poetry. Some stand out poems to me were: Her Own Skin, was a powerful poem of strength about one's self perspective. Silhouettes, was a beautiful poem of how others can help our own view of our bodies to cherish, especially a loving partner. Beauty, about the daily life moments and of beauty over painting our faces daily with make-up, covering over embracing ourselves. Betrayal and Wounds, were two stunningly written and deep feeling poems of the emotional weight of being hurt so cruely by the one you loved the most. Forgiveness, about not forgiving those that hurt you because it hurt you so badly. Healing, was a powerful poem about owning scars others caused you. It was a powerful collection of poems to find strength and resilience in and one of the best in depth collections detailing moments of a girl growing into a woman's life.