Leave This Song Behind: Teen Poetry At Its Best

AUTHOR: John Meyer, Stephenie Meyer, Adam Halwitz, Cindy Spertner
PUBLISHER: HCI
PUBLICATION DATE: April 26, 2016
PAGES: 216
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

It's been 10 years since the last book in the Teen Ink series Written in the Dirt was published. Now, a whole new batch of teen writers has emerged with their own unique voices. Leave This Song Behind features the best poetry submitted by those writers to Teen Ink over the last five years. The pieces in this book were chosen because they were so powerful that they stood out from the rest. Teen Ink editors took a deep look into each poem's strengths then divided Leave This Song Behind into seven sections based on the poetic techniques or qualities that moved them most. Vivid sensory details made some poems shine; others caught their attention with simple, sparse language. Still others were chosen because of their thoughtful use of form; compelling stories; strong figurative language; unexpected connections and wit; and fresh writing about familiar topics.
Dig in and let these brave young voices capture your heart and mind with their passion, their pain, and their amazing poetry!

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MY RATING:Leave This Song Behind is a collection of poems that depicts different life situations teens experiences: such as depression, problems with parents, sexuality and love issues, to name a few. Teen poetry but a young adult, such as I, still can relate to some of the poems in this book. Several of these poems that I associate myself into are: Write What You Know by Mandy Seiner; Charcoal Boat by Callie Zimmerman; A Letter to the Past, Present, and Future Selves by Sofia Wesley; and Chinese Politics (over dim sum) - Eda Tse. There are other poems that are quite remarkable, e.g., Don't Fall In Love by Claire Podges; and The Sistine Closet by Hannah Livernois. The selection of poems in this outstanding book will leave readers ponder whether they have experienced the same situation or currently in that state, which was described in each poem. If you are into poetry, having a copy of this impressive book should not be missed. Thanks to the publisher for the review copy of this.

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Memories by Lang Leav

AUTHOR: Lang Leav

PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing

PUBLICATION DATE: October 6, 2015

PAGES: 256
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: Best-selling poet Lang Leav presents a gorgeous hardcover gift book featuring the best of Lullabies and Love & Misadventure plus thirty-five new poems for fans to discover, along with original color illustrations by the author.

For fans of Lang Leav, this beautiful gift book is a must-have! Beloved pieces from Lullabies and Love & Misadventure are collected together in this illustrated treasury. In addition, 35 new poems that have not been published in any Lang Leav collection offer something new to discover. The author's original art is presented in lovely four-color illustrations.
Lang Leav's evocative poetry in a gorgeous package with ribbon marker and cloth spine is an irresistible gift for any poetry lover!

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MY RATING: I've got to enjoy only 6 out of the 35 new poems/prose in this 3rd book of Lang Leav. I was anticipating that this could be better than her 2nd book, Lullabies. But I was quite disappointed that it didn't meet my expectations. These are the 6 poems/prose that I like in this book: Virtual Love A Writer's Plea Take me someplace where I can feel something—I want to give away my heart. Tell me his name so I can know love when it speaks to me. Give me someone I can write about. Dear Love In Love You’ve not yet had your heart in halves, so little do you know of love— to tell me I will soon forget, there will be others to regret. Now all the years have proved you wrong, my love for him burns bright and strong; you can’t divide the stars from night— from love there can be no respite. Hope The Saddest Thing

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The Universe of Us by Lang Leav

AUTHOR: Lang Leav

PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: October 4, 2016
PAGES: 240
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Lang Leav presents a completely new collection of poetry with a celestial theme in The Universe of Us.

Planets, stars, and constellations feature prominently in this beautiful, original poetry collection from Lang Leav. Inspired by the wonders of the universe, the best-selling poetess writes about love and loss, hope and hurt, being lost and found. Lang's poetry encompasses the breadth of emotions we all experience and evokes universal feelings with her skillfully crafted words.

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MY RATING: I tried to like the poems in this book by Lang Leav. But it seems that no matter how much I try, I can't seem to connect to almost 90% of the content of this collection. I just found some poems too pretentious while some are bland and vague.

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Lullabies by Lang Leav

AUTHOR: Lang Leav
PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: September 16, 2014
PAGES: 248
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

A sequel to the hugely popular, best-selling Love & Misadventure, Lullabies continues to explore the intricacies of love and loss.

Set to a musical theme, love's poetic journey in this new, original collection begins with a Duet and travels through Interlude and Finale with an Encore popular piece from the best-selling Love & Misadventure. Lang Leav's evocative poetry speaks to the soul of anyone who is on this journey.

Leav has an unnerving ability to see inside the hearts and minds of her readers. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world.

Lang Leav is a poet and internationally exhibiting artist.

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MY RATING: I had high hopes for these poetry books of this author because they are always on the bestseller list in our local bookstores here. So I was really curious about what's the hype and give some time to read them. Just like my review of her book Love & Misadventure, I was thinking that maybe I was neither in love or heartbroken that's why I cannot fully grasp those poems. But I guess it's not me because there are other not-so-good reviews about this. Still, regardless of the low rating I gave and the bad review, I found some good poems in this book such as When, An Artist in Love, Forewarned, The Dream, The Poet, Perfect, Ode to Sorrow, and Almost. While the short stories I enjoyed are Patience Dyslexia, Dead Poets, Despondency, and Nostalgia for Today.

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Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav

AUTHOR: Lang Leav

PUBLISHER: Lang Leav

PUBLICATION DATE: April 26, 2013

PAGES: 176
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Lang Leav is a poet and internationally exhibiting artist. Awarded a coveted Churchill Fellowship, her work expresses the intricacies of love and loss.
Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully conceived, Love and Misadventure will take you on a rollercoaster ride through an ill-fated love affair- from the initial butterflies to the soaring heights- through to the devastating plunge. Lang Leav has an unnerving ability to see inside the hearts and minds of her readers. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world.

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MY RATING: These are the poems that I like in this book: Just Friends, Afraid to Love, A Way Out, The Keeper, and Jealousy. Is it me or it is just that some of the poems included here are either lack of depth or feelings? But despite that, I really like Lost Things and Dead Butterflies; especially the latter. I might have enjoyed these books of Lang Leav if I am either in love or heartbroken at the moment.

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Smoke & Mirrors

AUTHOR: Michael Faudet

PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing

PUBLICATION DATE: November 14, 2017

PAGES: 240
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Smoke & Mirrors is the third book from internationally bestselling poet Michael Faudet, author of Bitter Sweet Love and Dirty Pretty Things—both finalists in the 2016 and 2015 Goodreads Readers Choice Awards.

Michael Faudet’s latest book takes the reader on an emotionally charged journey, exploring the joys of falling madly in love and the melancholy world of the brokenhearted. Beautifully captured in poetry, prose, and short stories, Faudet's whimsical and sometimes erotic writing has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of readers from around the world.

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MY RATING: ★★★★★ Just within this year, I was able to read the first two poetry books of Michael Faudet and I was quite disappointed, thus I have to rate them low. But this latest and soon-to-be-published poetry book of Faudet is very impressive! I can count a lot of poems that are remarkably well-written most notably Destined To Be Yours, Love, and A Beautiful Deception. Once released, I would definitely obtain a copy because this is for keeps.

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Bitter Sweet Love by Michael Faudet

AUTHOR: Michael Faudet

PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing

PUBLICATION DATE: October 25, 2016

PAGES: 208
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Bitter Sweet Love is the much-anticipated second collection of internationally best-selling poet Michael Faudet, author of "Dirty Pretty Things," a finalist in the 2015 Goodreads Readers Choice Awards. Michael Faudet's whimsical and often erotic writing has captured the hearts and minds of literally thousands of readers from around the world. He paints vivid pictures with intricate words and explores the compelling themes of love, loss, relationships, and sex. All beautifully captured in poetry, prose, quotes, and little short stories.

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MY RATING: Similar to Faudet's first published of a compilation of poems, this 2nd book of the author didn't please me. There are few prose and poems that are a bit okay yet still far to be considered remarkable or exceptional.

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