Stellar By Kevin Hollingsworth A Book Of Poetry Review
Published by: Southern Owl Publications LLC
Publication Date: January 16, 2018
Genres: Poetry
Formats: Ebook, Paperback
Pages: 140 with 107 Poems
My Ranking:
This is a book of poetry, and therefore the way my ranking system usually works will be different for this book, as well as other poems that may appear on the blog. I will always have a two factor ranking system, however for poetry in addition to the overall Page Turner Ranking, I will add in a poetry feel. For a book of poetry, this will show the main theme that I felt the poems had. For this reason it will not be given a number but a name like mix, sorrow, love, grief, ect.
The main feel of the poems: love and beauty mixed with personality exploration.
The main feel of the poems: love and beauty mixed with personality exploration.
My Review:
Warning, though I try my best to avoid this, all reviews can contain spoilers of some kind. If you would like to know just my overall opinion of the book, and otherwise go into reading it blind, please scroll down to my overall and would I recommend it section.
I Voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am going to be up front and honest with you all, I am not an expert in poetry in the least. However I do know what I like and I enjoy good poetry enough that I read it often. I feel poetry is closer to art in word format than any other kind of writing. There are even some poems that create visual pictures through the placement of the words on the page. That being said the actual beauty of each poem is in the eye of the beholder. With that in mind, let’s take a look at my thoughts on this book of poetry.
Right off the bat I will say a really nice aspect to this is the pictures that are mixed in with the poetry itself, and no I don’t mean mental pictures, but actual images your eyes can feast on. Each image is remarkable in its own way, but beyond the colors on the screen is an idea about the individual poems around them. Each one tells a story about the artists view on the poems and what they were feeling at the time. Weather that be sharp colors that pop out and give the poem a bold feeling, beautiful images that add to the intimacy of the poem, or burly soft colors that add to the mysterious almost with in reach feeling, they simply add to the overall feel or present a whole new idea. I really think one of the best things about a poem is seeing and hearing all the different interpretations and feelings gained from them and this way of expressing that was just a wonderful addition to the book.
The other thing I really liked about this book of poetry is that it didn’t have an overwhelming sense of doom and gloom. I don’t like closing a book of any kind with an strong need to rush into my husbands arms for him to just hold me for awhile and make the ugliness in the world disappear. Now, I love being in my husbands arms, but the whole “I need a hug, make it go away” thing is not a look I enjoy wearing and sadly, books of poetry have a high possibility of making that happen. Instead of all that, by the time I closed this book I more felt the good sides of the world, life, and love. While I can enjoy the emotions of all the sad face, shaking in fear and feeling like your heart got torn out poetry, I more enjoy the beauty they can bring out in the world and I was overjoyed that this book more touched those warm fuzzy feels.
There are a lot of poems out there that force the reader to either scratch their head with a funny distorted expression plastered all over their face, or send them on a fascinating adventure that turns them into Jr. detectives, while they ferociously scour for clues as to the poets life, their history, and their beliefs using the powerful magnifying glass of the World Wide Web. While I can enjoy feeling like a member of Mystery Writers Inc, it can also be exhausting at times and not always what I am in the mood for. But, this is not the case with this book. The poems themselves in this story are simple and give the reader an almost instant sense of the intended or interpreted meaning. While I liked this, it is not a fact that is a bad, or good mark for this book. For some the thrill of the hunt is necessary to enjoy a book of poetry and for others a nice easy read is perfectly fine. It is, however, ideal for those just starting to read poetry.
Have you ever heard someone who can actually say a tongue twister ten times fast and get each word perfectly? You know how after the first two times the words start to blend together and you’re brain kind starts to tune them out and you need a little break to be able to hear it clearly? Yeah that whole repetitive nature is something no one really enjoys in long bursts. I think that’s why so many books of poetry wind up needing to be read in a time span of days no matter how easy of a read they are. Either the word choice in each is the exact same, or the rhyme patterns are identical. That is not a problem here, which for me was a really refreshing aspect. There were several poems that were very short, some were long, and they all had a slightly different layout to them. It kept things interesting for me and allows for the reader to get through them at a good pace.
For days after I finished this book, I felt a little like a cat with one of those ball in a track toys, just hitting it back and forth, back and forth. Honestly, if you could see inside my mind while I debated the ranking for this book, you’d probably dangle some sting in front of my face just to see if I’d react. I really had to reread and think long and hard on this book of poetry’s overall book review ranking. I debated weather to give it a three star review and a three and a half for several days. Taking a lot of different facts and elements into consideration I had to give it the three star ranking. The main thing that kept this review from getting the three and a half star ranking was not typos or any other writing mechanic flaw but rather a lack of deep emotion. To me there is a whole large picture for each emotion and the closer you get in description to little details, the more in-depth you are getting into that feeling. However, this book really felt like it was just looking at the big picture for each feeling it pulled forth. This is fine, and there is nothing wrong with it but it does keep it from ranking higher.
There were a lot of really good poems in this book that I really did enjoy, I think one of my favorites was Wild Filly. You and Beautiful was one of the most touching was really one of the most simple. There are also some that I was not so fond of such as Cold as Ice but that is part of the world of poetry and only adds to the beauty of how each poem can touch a person differently.
Overall:
This was a very simple read that only really deals with surface and just below the surface emotions, however it is still full of beauty. This is a perfect book for anyone just starting their journey into poetry or for anyone who is looking for a relaxing read.
One of the best aspects about this book of poetry is that is it not filled with doom and gloom. You will not need a tight hug from a loved one or a overly happy romance movie to recover from depression after reading it. For some this might be a bad thing, but for me I would much rather a book leave me as I was or happier about the world around me. This book is great for letting you see some of the beauty in the word around you.
Would I Recommend It:
For any book of poetry, it is so hard to accurately say “yes, yes go buy this book right now before you life explodes from not seeing the majesty in each and every page.” Poetry is so an eye of the beholder kind of thing that it is really hard for me to confidently tell anyone to go spend money on it. Therefore, I will leave you with an it’s up to you. To me the poems are beautiful in their own way, they are not god awful, nor are they riddled with typos and in desperate need for an editors touch, so if you enjoyed what you read above than give it a go. If your hesitant about it give the sample a try and see if it’s your cup of tea. The words on the page may be simple and surface level but they are beautiful all the same.
About The Author In His Own Words:
I have been a dreamer since I was born in New York City. My
dreams started September 20th, 1968. I moved to Los
Angeles, California when I was very young. I received my
education in Los Angeles, and joined the workforce a couple
of years after graduating from college…
I did not start writing poetry until later in life. Friends and
family really enjoyed the beautiful words I shared with them.
So, I continued to write, and published my first prose poetry
book, “Wonders”, in 2009. I published my second book of
prose “Romance with a Touch of Love” in 2011.
The dreams kept coming; and I continued to be inspired to
write beautiful words. I am honored to share these beautiful
words with the world in “Stellar”.
Start A Conversation:
Let me know what you thought about this book, or let me know what you’re most excited to read about in it. Better yet, discuss what you think the message behind some of the poems are and see how many other agree or what others thought.
As always, happy reading.
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