Hey Guys!

Poetry is something I have always loved, but for some reason I didn’t seem to have ANY poetry books on my shelves! Over the past few months, I have made a serious effort to research and find the best of the best in modern poetry.

I would highly recommend starting your search for any and all types of books, on YouTube & Instagram. Using the hash-tag “#bookstagram”, you can find thousands and thousands of wonderful bookish related things. Scrolling through that hash-tag is one of my favorite things in the world to do, but I always end up with a mile long list of books that I NEED to own immediately…. so beware, it’s dangerous for the wallet!

Here are five of the most recent poetry books I have purchased. They are all so uniquely fantastic, and there is really something for everyone in these pages. From the classic works of Charles Bukowski, to the “Instagram Famous” R.M Drake.. I think all of you guys would really love these ones. I will attach some information about each one, along with the Good-Reads blurb & a few of my personal favorite poems from each one.

xoxo, Love Carly.

See you all soon for my “March Wrap Up: Part Two”, at the end of the month!

1.) “Essential Bukowski Poetry”

Selected and Edited by Abel Debritto 

10/10

“your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.”

I am so in love with anything and everything Charles Bukowski. My boyfriend got me this book of his poems for Christmas, and I’ve kept it beside my bed ever since. I read a poem or two before bed, and it completely blows my mind every time. Such a creative genius. He writes with such a raw and intensely real voice. I loved this one so much.

GoodReads Blurb

(Edited by Abel Debritto, the definitive collection of poems from an influential writer whose transgressive legacy and raw, funny, and acutely observant writing has left an enduring mark on modern culture.

Few writers have so brilliantly and poignantly conjured the desperation and absurdity of ordinary life as Charles Bukowski. Resonant with his powerful, perceptive voice, his visceral, hilarious, and transcendent poetry speaks to us as forcefully today as when it was written. Encompassing a wide range of subjects—from love to death and sex to writing—Bukowski’s unvarnished and self-deprecating verse illuminates the deepest and most enduring concerns of the human condition while remaining sharply aware of the day to day.

With his acute eye for the ridiculous and the troubled, Bukowski speaks to the deepest longings and strangest predilections of the human experience. Gloomy yet hopeful, this is tough, unrelenting poetry touched by grace.)

2.) “Whiskey Words & a Shovel Volume 2”

by, R.H Sin

8/10

“you kill your future by mourning the past”
― R.H. Sin, Whiskey Words & a Shovel II

I just picked this one up last week, and I flew through it in one night. The poems are all quite short, and they are all to do with relationships, love, loss, heartbreak and hope. I found this very inspiring and quote-worthy.. the only criticism I could possibly have was that it tended to get a bit repetitive in parts, but that could also be because I read the entire thing at once. I really liked this a lot though, and I will be looking out for more work from this talented poet.

GoodReads Blurb

(Real and raw, the voice of R. H. Sin delivers gritty, impassioned truths on matters of loving, living, and leaving in his second book of poetry.  Sin’s first book is a bestseller and continues to delight his one million followers.

R.H. Sin’s second volume continues the passion and vigor of his previous publication. His stanzas inspire strength through the pure emotional energy and the vulnerability of his poems. Relationships, love, pain, and fortitude are powerfully rendered in his poetry, and his message of perseverance in the face of emotional turmoil cuts to the heart of modern-day life.

R.H. Sin’s poems are often only a few lines long, and yet the emotional punch of his language gives these words an enduring power beyond the short page. He doesn’t back away from the pains and struggles of life and love, and yet his determined, unapologetic voice provides a measure of comfort and a message of perseverance that is at once realistic and indomitable. This blend of determination and painful vulnerability gives his poetry a distinctive, engaging flavor.)

3.) “Milk and Honey”

by Rupi Kaur

10/10

I’ve done a full review on this one already, a few months back on my Blog in case you want a more in-depth look at my thoughts on this one. This book of poetry is absolutely fucking incredible, and it’s been a HUGE seller this past year. Every time I’m at Chapters, I see this all over the place. She writes about life and loss in such a heartbreaking vivid way, that you couldn’t forget this book if you tried to. So so so good.

“i do not want to have you
to fill the empty parts of me
i want to be full on my own
i want to be so complete
i could light a whole city
and then
i want to have you
cause the two of us combined
could set it on fire”
― Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey

GoodReads Blurb

(milk and honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. It is about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose, deals with a different pain, heals a different heartache. milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.)

“most importantly love
like it’s the only thing you know how
at the end of the day all this
means nothing
this page
where you’re sitting
your degree
your job
the money
nothing even matters
except love and human connection
who you loved
and how deeply you loved them
how you touched the people around you
and how much you gave them”
― Rupi Kaur, Milk and Honey

4.) “Lullabies”

by, Lang Leav

9/10

“I still search
for you in crowds,
in empty fields
and soaring clouds.
In city lights
and passing cars,
on winding roads
and wishing stars.

I wonder where
you could be now,
for years I’ve not said
your name out loud.

And longer since
I called you mine—
time has passed
for you and I.

But I have learnt
to live without,
I do not mind—
I still love you anyhow.”
― Lang Leav, Lullabies

I love everything about Lang Leav’s work. First off the book itself is absolutely adorable, with the most wonderful artwork scattered throughout. Very quirky and cute. Her work is mostly about falling in and out of love. This has a very young vibe however, and I would suggest this to more of the younger crowd. I love reading all of her poems, and it makes me feel like I’m 16 all over again. It’s almost like reading her diary or something, it feels very personal and unique to her experience.. yet also very relatable for the reader as well.

5.) “Beautiful Chaos”

by, Robert M. Drake

10/10

“We are 93 million miles from the sun. 238 thousand miles from the moon. A moment from finding magic and one kiss away from reaching our dreams.”
― Robert M. Drake, Beautiful Chaos

Ohmygod this guy! Every word of this is so brilliant…. seriously all of his poems really make you reflect and feel something. He has such a creative mind, and seems to never run out of ways to nail your EXACT thoughts. I first discovered R.M Drake on Instagram, where he has really gained a huge following, with almost 2 Million followers! I am so glad I bought this collection of his work, I will be completing my collection with his other’s for sure.

GoodReads Blurb

(This book employs the comparative method to understand societal collapses to which environmental problems contribute to the common youth and society as a whole. We all are broken and broken is its own kind of beautiful.)

“Every night I was going back to the strands of our memories and some nights, no every night, I would surrender to the fabric of you, because one night was not enough. I always found myself wanting more.”
― Robert M. Drake, Beautiful Chaos

“Look deeper through the telescope and do not be afraid when the stars collide towards the darkness, because sometimes the most beautiful things begin in chaos.”
― Robert M. Drake, Beautiful Chaos

Thanks for Reading Guys,