Review: These Are the Words by Nikita Gill (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Macmillan Children's Books / Willow Publicity for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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These Are the Words by Nikita Gill

Published: 18th August 2022 | Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books | Source: Publisher
Nikita Gill on Instagram

From international poetry sensation Nikita Gill comes her highly anticipated YA debut These Are the Words: an empowering, feminist and beautifully illustrated poetry collection exploring all the things Nikita wished someone had told her when she was younger.

Reclaim your agency. Discover your power. Find the words.

Taking you on a journey through the seasons of the soul, in this collection Nikita gives you the words to help heal from your first breakup, to celebrate finding your family, to understand first love, to express your anger and your joy, to fight for what you believe in and to help you break some rules to be your truest self.

Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Nikita herself and featuring seasonal astrological poetry, this collection is an achingly beautiful, stunningly warm and fearless expression of truth from one of the most influential and well-known voices in modern poetry.

REMINDER FOR HEALING
You do not owe anyone your forgiveness.
The trees do not apologize to the wind that uproots them.
The rocks do not apologize to the erosion by the sea.
The stars do not apologize to the universe
when they are writhing and dying out.
And you are not obligated to forgive anyone
but yourself. From The StoryGraph.

Purchase from Bookshop.org*
The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features anxiety, depression, non-graphic sexual assault and abuse, heartbreak, homophobia, biphobia, racism, misogyny, trauma and grief.

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Review: Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Published: 18th February 2021 | Publisher: Orion | Source: Bought
Nikita Gill's Instagram

In Where Hope Comes From: poems for a broken world, Instagram superstar and poet Nikita Gill returns to her roots with her most personal collection yet. Sharing a number of poems that she wrote when the world went into lockdown, this collection will include the phenomenal Love in the Time of Coronavirus which was shared across social media over 20,000 times, as well as her poems of strength and hope How to Be Strong and Silver Linings. This collection will be fully illustrated by Nikita with beautiful line-drawings, and moves her into an exciting new space in the market as she tackles themes such as mental health and loneliness. The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book discusses depression and anxiety, death, and the coronorvirus pandemic.

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Review: Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill

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Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill

Published: 5th September 2019 | Publisher: Ebury Press | Source: Bought
Nikita Gill on Instagram

Empowering life lessons from myths and monsters.

Wonder at Medusa's potent venom, Circe's fierce sorcery and Athena rising up over Olympus, as Nikita Gill majestically explores the untold stories of the life bringers, warriors, creators, survivors and destroyers that shook the world - the great Greek Goddesses.

Vividly re-imagined and beautifully illustrated, step into an ancient world transformed by modern feminist magic.

'I watch Girl become Goddess
and the metamorphosis is more
magnificent than anything
I have ever known.' From Goodreads.

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Review: The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace

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The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace

Published: 6th March 2018 | Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing | Source: Present
Amanda Lovelace's Website

The witch: supernaturally powerful, inscrutably independent, and now—indestructible. These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and marginalize her, but the witch doesn’t burn in this one. From Goodreads.

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Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features child abuse, intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, trauma, death, murder, violence, fire, menstruation, and transphobia.

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Review: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

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Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

Published: Trapeze | Publisher: 11th September 2018 | Cover Designer: TomásAlmeifa | Source: Bought
Nikita Gill on Twitter and Instagram

Poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill returns with a collection of fairytales poetically retold for a new generation of women.

Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.

But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.

Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation. From Goodreads.

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Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features discussion of racism, abuse, alcoholism, sexism, trolling, eating disorders, trauma, rape culture.

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Review: nejma by Nayyirah Waheed

nejma by Nayyirah Waheed (Bought) - all
of the
unsleeping. gold sweeping. poems.
i have in my hands. From Goodreads.

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Review: salt. by Nayyirah Waheed

salt. by Nayyirah Waheed (Bought) - Salt is a journey through warmth and sharpness. This collection of poetry explores the realities of multiple identities, language, diasporic life & pain, the self, community, healing, celebration, and love. From Goodreads.

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Review: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot & Axel Scheffler

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot & Axel Scheffler (review copy) - Cats! Some are sane, some are mad and some are good and some are bad.

Meet magical Mr Mistoffelees, sleepy Old Deuteronomy and curious Rum Tum Tugger. But you'll be lucky to meet Macavity because Macavity's not there!

This charming new edition contains original colour illustrations by the award-winning illustrator of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler. From Goodreads.

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Review: Lullabies by Lang Leav

Lullabies by Lang Leav - 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. From Goodreads

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Review: Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav

Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav - 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. From Goodreads

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LGBT+ April Poetry Challenge

Week Three of LGBT+ April, hosted by Fighting Dreamer and Laura Plus Books! This week's challenge is to create - in some way, shape or form - LGBTQ inspired poetry. I very recently used book titles to tell the story of my friendship with my best mate for our friendiversary, so I just knew I had to do something similar for this, and here is what I came up with!

This is the story of a relationship between two guys, using the titles of LGBTQ YA.

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Review: Haiku for the Single Girl by Beth Griffenhagen and Illustrated by Cynthia Vehslage Meyers

Haiku for the Single Girl by Beth Griffenhagen and Illustrated by Cynthia Vehslage Meyers (review copy) - An uproarious, uplifting and brazenly honest gift book that celebrates the single girl's life in 72 haikus

I feel its approach,
Inevitable as death:
Internet dating.

Unsolicited relationship advice from relatives, disastrous dates, men who wear thumb rings, and the moments of deep satisfaction when a single girl realizes that (unlike her smug married friends) she can do whatever she wants with her time - it's all here in this brilliantly incisive and witty collection of haikus. Every woman - whether single or not - will laugh until she cries, and then start laughing all over again. From Canongate.tv

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Review: Broetry by Brian McGackin

Broetry by Brian McGackin - Why don't more guys read poetry? Because it doesn't speak to them. As contemporary poets tackle subjects like incest, menstruation, and pine cones, regular guys are left scratching their heads. Who can speak for Everyman? Who will give voice to his passions, his fears, his dreams? Who can articulate his love for Xbox 360, for Mama Celeste's Frozen Pizzas, for virtually any movie starring Bruce Willis?

Enter "Broetry" - a stunning debut from a dazzling new literary voice. Broet Laureate Brian McGackin gives voice to the trials and tribulations of today's man. He goes where no poet has gone before - to Star Wars conventions, to frat parties, to video game tournaments and more. His poems include: "Reflections on Taylor Swift"; "Ode to That Girl I Dated for, Like, Two Month Sophomore Year"; "My Friends Who Don't Have Student Loans"; "Song of Mama Celeste"; "Haikougar"; and, many more. As the poems progress, we follow our Bro from high school graduation and college through a quarter life crisis and beyond. Packaged in a small gifty hardcover and illustrated with tasteful black and white illustrations, "Broetry" is a funny and sly study of modern masculinity. From Amazon UK

I don't normally review poetry on this blog, and I try to keep it strictly YA, but when I heard about this book, I knew I had to review it. Poetry for the modern guy? It sounded hilarious! And as it starts through the teen years, I figured I could review it here. So I read it. And I loved it!

There are certain types of poetry that I really enjoy, but I'm the type of person who normally needs a translation to understand what is going on, which is half the reason Broetry appeals to me - poetry I can actually understand! The other reason, it's for the modern day guy, and sometimes I swear I shoul have been born a boy, because guy humour is my humour! So not only could I understand the poetry, it really made me laugh too!

I'm not a poetry buff - as I've said, I have trouble understanding poetry - so I can't really comment on how well most of these poems are written. They could be really good, they could be really bad. This actually doesn't matter to me; I really enjoyed what I was reading, so does it really matter if it was brilliantly written? To some, maybe, but this isn't something I can really comment on. Sorry.

However, there are two poems I absolutely need to mention. The first is Haikougar, which is what it says; a series of haiku poems - poems that are three lines long, where the first line is a total of five syllable, the second line a total of seven, and the third a total of five again - about cougars. As a teenager, I dabbled in writing some really awful poetry, and the one thing I hated - yet thought was a brilliant in other poems - was structure. I couldn't do it. I've never been able to. Writing about something with rules on how it has to be written just never worked for me. Haiku poetry is one I find awesome, and Haikougar is just so funny! Getting poem to work, make sense, and also be really funny within those rules is just awesome!

The other poem is Not Another Teen Movie. It tells the story of a teen relationship - using just movie titles. It is complete genius! I absolutely loved it! It's just so clever! So good, that I have to share the beginngin with you.

Never
Been
Kissed.

Waiting....
Les Misérables.
The Opposite of Sex.

Thirteen. Chain Reaction.
One Fine Day. The Arrival. Savior.
The Girl Next Door. She's All That.
Lovely & Amazing. The Object of My Affection.
Mission: Impossible. Fools Rush In. Whatever It Takes.

Brilliant, huh? To find out if he actually gets anywhere with the girl, you'll just have to read the book!

There were some problems though. It's written by an American author, so there are some things in referred to that, as a Brit, I just didn't get. I'll Take "Crazy Bitches" for $200, Alex. That poem went right over my head. There are other things mentioned that I think are guy things I just didn't get. So sometimes I was a little lost, but most of the time, I was smiling and laughing.

Broetry is a really awesome book! I absolutely loved it, and I look forward to reading what McGacking releases next. The only thing I would say is I'd probably recommend it for older teens and adults. Some topics may not appeal to the younger teen.

Thanks to Quirk Books for sending me a review copy.

Published: 5th July 2011
Publisher: Quirk Books
Buy from Amazon UK
Buy from Amazon US
Brian McGackin's Website

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Once Upon a Week: Fairy Tale References in Poetry and Music

Today is the last day of Once Upon a Week! Unfortunately, because life has been a bit hectic and got in the way, I have been unable to sort out a second fairy tale review for you. However, I'm not just a book fan; I am also a music and poetry fan. So, in place of a review, I have some poetic and musical treats inspired by fairy tales for you all.

First of all, the poem. People who know the original stories of Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzle should get the references in this poem, as well as references of other fairy tales. I studied it during GCSE English several years ago, and it's one that stuck with me. I find it amusing because of it's conversational, modern tone, and subject matter. I haven't missed anything out, this is actually how it starts.


Rapunzstiltskin by Liz Lochhead

& just when our maiden had got
good & used to her isolation,
stopped daily expecting to be rescued,
had come to almost love her tower,
along comes This Prince
with absolutely
all the wrong answers.
Of course she had not been brought up to look for
originality or gingerbread
so at first she was quite undaunted
by his tendency to talk in strung-together cliche.
'Just hang on and we'll get you out of there'
he hollered like a fireman in some sopa opera
when she confided her plight (the old
hag inside etc. & how trapped she was);
well, it was corny but
he did look sort of gorgeous
axe and all.
So there she was, humming & pulling
all the pins out of her chignon,
throwing him all the usual lifelines
till, soon, he was shimmying in & out
every other day as though
he owned the place, bringing her
the sex manuals & skeins of silk
from which she was meant, eventually,
to weave the means of her own escape.
'All very well & good,' she prompted,
'but when exactly?'
She gave him till
well past the bell on the timeclock
She mouthed at him, hinted,
she was keener than a TV quizmaster
that he should get it right.
'I'll do everthing in my power' he intoned, 'but
the impossible (she groaned) might
take a little longer.' He grinned.
She pulled her glasses off.
'All the better
to see you with my dear?' he hazarded.
She screamed, cut of her hair.
'why you're beautiful?' he guessed tentatively.
'No, No, No!' she
shrieked & stamped her foot so
hard it sank six cubits through the floorboards.
'I love you?' he came up with
as finally she tore herself in two.

I really like that poem! It's years since I studied, but if I remember rightly, it's supposed to be a micky take of modern relationships. However, you can google the poem, and various analysis' crop up, so you can get a proper understanding from them if you're interested.

On to the music. Here are two songs that I just LOVE that have been partly inspired by fairy tales in them. The first doesn't have specific references, but you can find them - there are a few. The second, however, has specific references for just a few lines, which you won't be able to miss. Enjoy!

A Walk Through Hell by Say Anything - Unfortunately, I can't find an official video for this song, but click the link and you can listen to the song using the widget at the top and read the lyrics. I LOVE this song!

This Kiss by Faith Hill - Similar situation here. Use the widget on the left. There's a ring tone pop-up, just so you're aware. Close it, and you can continue.

Do you know of any other poems or songs with fairy tale references?

Also, I noticed on a few blogs a few weeks back a few photos that were relevant to Fairy Tale Week. Dina Goldstein has a Fallen Princesses Photographic Project, in which she portrays fairy tale princesses in real life situations, where "The '...happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues". Check them out, they are pretty damn awesome. Not showing the images as I'm adding this to my already created post last minute, and don't have permission. But they are amazing, go take a look!

Sorry for the lack of videos. And a review today. Hope you enjoyed the fairy tale posts here on Once Upon a Bookcase, and on all the other blogs too!

Hope you live happily ever after! ;)

Continue reading Once Upon a Week: Fairy Tale References in Poetry and Music