Jeremy Mifsud's Blog, page 7
January 1, 2019
Book Review: The Poet X
The Poet Xby Elizabeth Acevedo
Book Review
The Poet X is an
incredible book. It’s a novel told through the poems of the main character,
Xiomara, a Latin-American teen living in a Harlem neighbourhood. We’re taken on
a journey of coming of age. Xiomara is questioning her Catholic faith, which is
very dear to her mother. She’s starting to catch feelings for a guy. Even
though she’s tough on the outside, she’s mellow inside and her beautiful poetry
is a testament to this, even though she doesn’t let anyone read or listen.
I have only good things
to say about this book. First of all, the format is quite fresh. It’s not the
first time we’re told a story through diary or journal entries, but this book
takes it on a new level. The poems are given attention, they’re polished, they
have form and they vary appropriately to show story and character.
Reading the poems, I’ve
cried several times. The poems that touched me the most were her relationship
with her mother, and how the change of faith in her religion has affected the
relationship drastically. It’s as if Xiomara is actually the author and I’m
reading a non-fiction poetry collection about her life. Too real, too touching.
Authentic in a way I could relate to. And the way she finds a voice in her
poems—it teaches us the true power of poetry and its necessity to our psyche.
There’s not enough high-praise I can do for this book. It just might be the best book I’ve read yet. I strongly recommend this; it’s quite empowering and can only imagine the strength of the impact it will have on younger people. Writers, especially poets, should not skip on reading this either. It’s the kind of book I’d reread and want to have permanently (as I do) on my shelf.
Sources & Links
Book: The Poet X
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Advertisements
December 13, 2018
Tethered Strings: A Fifty-Word Story
Tethered Strings
My skin is a cocoon of smooth silk, a coffin of tethered strings burying the child I used to be.
Burn us. My ashes are his ashes. When we become dust, you can hold him in your hands again.
The winds will try to scatter us once more. Protect us.
Prompt: Child
Photo: Francesco Gallarotti
My Publications: Jeremy Mifsud
Advertisements
December 11, 2018
Poetry Book Review: Love Looks Pretty on You
Love Looks Pretty on You
by Lang Leav
To be released on 29th January 2019
I have received a free Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a mixed-review, and so I thought I’d start out with the positive. Lang Leav is a successful writer, and I can see why. The poems (& prose) are simplistic, generic & occasionally relatable.
A few poems really struck me and are works of genius. I realised that most of these only worked out as one or two-liners, and I’ve rarely liked her longer pieces. My favourite would have to be two lines, untitled (p. 43):
“I am in a tug-of-war with my past self. We’re fighting over who gets to keep you.”
However, I did not feel as strongly about the prose. It was like reading a generic twitter account attempting to empower a wide range of audience without saying anything new. This is the last line from the piece Looking for Love
“Love is one of those things that will happen to you when you are not looking.”
It’s such a cliché saying, and yet it’s presented as original artwork without adding any substance to its language.
Overall, the book is plagued with generic lines and vague writing. Many pieces were written in second-person, directed at a someone, and unfortunately, plenty of my times I could not figure what the emotions are towards the person—not even if they were positive or negative. It didn’t work for me; but I suppose it works enough for Lang Leav to sell her work [so perhaps if you’ve liked her previous books, this might be something you’ll enjoy].
The next issue has not affected my writing, but bothered me nonetheless. 95% of the written pieces fit into one page and the page before them was left blank. Thus, a 200-page book has around 100-empty pages that you’ll be paying for.
To conclude, I would only recommend Love Looks Pretty on You to those who enjoy Lang Leav’s writing. Personally, I failed to find anything refreshing about the writing. My original expectations were to read vivid and candid poetry, and this book has definitely missed that mark. No doubt the author is talented, but I’m not going to be a regular consumer. As the overuse of abstractions and simplicity has left me unsatisfied, my final [harsh] words are: I’m grateful that I didn’t have to pay for this book.
Sources and Links:
Book: Love Looks Pretty on You
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Book Review: Love Looks Pretty on You
Love Looks Pretty on You
by Lang Leav
To be released on 29th January 2019
I have received a free Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a mixed-review, and so I thought I’d start out with the positive. Lang Leav is a successful writer, and I can see why. The poems (& prose) are simplistic, generic & occasionally relatable.
A few poems really struck me and are works of genius. I realised that most of these only worked out as one or two-liners, and I’ve rarely liked her longer pieces. My favourite would have to be two lines, untitled (p. 43):
“I am in a tug-of-war with my past self. We’re fighting over who gets to keep you.”
However, I did not feel as strongly about the prose. It was like reading a generic twitter account attempting to empower a wide range of audience without saying anything new. This is the last line from the piece Looking for Love
“Love is one of those things that will happen to you when you are not looking.”
It’s such a cliché saying, and yet it’s presented as original artwork without adding any substance to its language.
Overall, the book is plagued with generic lines and vague writing. Many pieces were written in second-person, directed at a someone, and unfortunately, plenty of my times I could not figure what the emotions are towards the person—not even if they were positive or negative. It didn’t work for me; but I suppose it works enough for Lang Leav to sell her work [so perhaps if you’ve liked her previous books, this might be something you’ll enjoy].
The next issue has not affected my writing, but bothered me nonetheless. 95% of the written pieces fit into one page and the page before them was left blank. Thus, a 200-page book has around 100-empty pages that you’ll be paying for.
To conclude, I would only recommend Love Looks Pretty on You to those who enjoy Lang Leav’s writing. Personally, I failed to find anything refreshing about the writing. My original expectations were to read vivid and candid poetry, and this book has definitely missed that mark. No doubt the author is talented, but I’m not going to be a regular consumer. As the overuse of abstractions and simplicity has left me unsatisfied, my final [harsh] words are: I’m grateful that I didn’t have to pay for this book.
Sources and Links:
Book: Love Looks Pretty on You
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Advertisements
December 6, 2018
Favourite Poems – November 2018
In November, I linked to three poems I enjoyed reading in October (might have been published before) as a way to support other poets. Throughout November, I kept bookmarking the poems that really struck me, and here are three of those.
First in the list is Wanda Deglane’s Interstate, appearing in Rhythm N Bone’s second issue. The poem is simply beautiful, effectively describing imagery along with emotions and family relations. You can read the poem here: Interstate.
The next set includes three poems from Darren C. Demaree, published in Pidgeon Holes. Each poem is a part of a larger set titled with an empathy so fatal, appearing in multiple journals. In reading the set, I found a unique pleasure that I cannot accurately portray in words, but cute and sweet would probably be close. You can read three of the poems here: with an empathy so fatal #58-60.
Glass Poetry’s November special feature included Ally Ang’s poem,
The Universe Drinks Me in like It’s Dying of Thirst. I found their poem inspiring and empowering, and perhaps I should not say much but link to it so you can read it yourselves: The Universe Drinks Me in like It’s Dying of Thirst.
Gentle reminder. Be kind and supportive of one another. If you like someone’s work, be sure to share it as well as support the author in any other way you like. I hope you’ve enjoyed these poems as much as I did.
Follow the poets on Social Media:
Wanda Deglane
Darren C. Demaree
Ally Ang
Other Links:
Links to my publications: Jeremy Mifsud’s Publications
Header Image: Rawpixel on Unsplash
Advertisements
November 26, 2018
Poetry Book Review: The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
by Lisa M. McDougald
I received an Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchanged for an honest review. The book is expected to be published in March 2019.
After reading this collection, I let it sit in my brain for a couple of days before writing this review, as I was unsure of how I felt about it. I had to revisit the poetry because it’s not memorable.
There’s on overarching theme of bleakness. However, I was inundated with repetitive imagery; most poems seemed to be rewrites of another (similar content, similar language). As a reader, I failed to connect with the McDougald emotionally, and felt the very vague poetry pass over my head.
Having said that, linguistically, I can see the author having potential. In the poem I Forgot My Wallet, I was low-key impressed, and wished more of McDougald’s poetry to be of this quality. In a number of poems, the forced rhymes were an unnecessary layer of distraction and weakened the writing in many levels: language, form & content. As it boils down to a subjective judgement, I rate this collection as 3 out of 5 stars (on the lower side of 3), in that it was better than bad. Perhaps other readers may connect more, although I have my doubts.
In summary, I’d say this poetry is mediocre at best. McDougald has some good ideas and directions, but I don’t feel like they are truly committed to what they’d like to say, and this barrier is risking alienating the readers to a state of boredom and non-interest. I wouldn’t recommend The Driver, The Journey, The Fall to anyone, but by all means, I’m interested in McDougald’s progress and future work, considering this is only a debut collection with hidden promise.
Book: The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Advanced Book Review: The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
by Lisa M. McDougald
I received an Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchanged for an honest review. The book is expected to be published in March 2019.
After reading this collection, I let it sit in my brain for a couple of days before writing this review, as I was unsure of how I felt about it. I had to revisit the poetry because it’s not memorable.
There’s on overarching theme of bleakness. However, I was inundated with repetitive imagery; most poems seemed to be rewrites of another (similar content, similar language). As a reader, I failed to connect with the McDougald emotionally, and felt the very vague poetry pass over my head.
Having said that, linguistically, I can see the author having potential. In the poem I Forgot My Wallet, I was low-key impressed, and wished more of McDougald’s poetry to be of this quality. In a number of poems, the forced rhymes were an unnecessary layer of distraction and weakened the writing in many levels: language, form & content. As it boils down to a subjective judgement, I rate this collection as 3 out of 5 stars (on the lower side of 3), in that it was better than bad. Perhaps other readers may connect more, although I have my doubts.
In summary, I’d say this poetry is mediocre at best. McDougald has some good ideas and directions, but I don’t feel like they are truly committed to what they’d like to say, and this barrier is risking alienating the readers to a state of boredom and non-interest. I wouldn’t recommend The Driver, The Journey, The Fall to anyone, but by all means, I’m interested in McDougald’s progress and future work, considering this is only a debut collection with hidden promise.
Book: The Driver, The Journey, The Fall
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Advertisements
November 16, 2018
Book Review: Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson
[image error]Lord of the Butterflies (Book Cover) by Andrea Gibson
I’ve received an Advanced Review Copy from Net Galley in exchange for honest review. I had an immediate connection with both the title and the cover.
Andrea Gibson is a spoken-word poet and I was sceptical that text could capture the magic of epic performances—it does. Reflecting the nature of spoken-word poetry, most poems were longer than to what I’m used to reading in journals. It’s harder work to have a five-page poem (on Kindle) that is continuously, word by word, attention grabbing. In addition, Andrea has mastered the art of indentation and line-breaks, each placed intentionally and adding meaning. (Side note: such indentation is even harder to pull off on e-books, but the copy sent to my Kindle was precisely formatted.)
The poetry included several works on queer identity, personal relationships and mass shootings. From the first poem, I found myself highlighting verses because they’re the kind I’d want to read over and over again. In Orlando, which is a poem about queer safe spaces and the Pulse nightclub shooting, Andrea writes:
“even life is like funeral practice:
half of us already dead
to our families before we die,
half of us still on our knees
trying to crawl
into the family photo.”
I could write a whole essay inspired by this verse, but still, the verse speaks best for itself.
One thing I tend to do in reviews of poetry collections is mentioning my preferred piece. With Lord of the Butterflies, I realised this was going to be an impossible task. By the first third of the collection, I had marked the following: Photoshopping My Sister’s Mugshot, Ode to the Public Panic Attack, Gender in the Key of Lyme Disease. After that, I stopped noting down, for it felt pointless to provide an index list to all the poems.
The raw honesty and vulnerability in the poetry made this collection an incredible experience. I was most touched by those pieces talking about her sister. I’m somewhat speechless, not having words in the English vocabulary that could explain; and perhaps the best way for me to convey this experience is to tell you: read Lord of the Butterflies.
P.S. I’m listening to Andrea’s spoken-word album Hey Galaxy on Spotify while writing this review, and I’m beyond wowed—astonished of how well the poems are brought to life. If you haven’t heard of Andrea Gibson, do yourself a favour and look them up.
Sources and Links:
Book: Lord of the Butterflies
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: Cristina Gottardi
Advertisements
November 10, 2018
Shackled: A Fifty-Word Story
Shackled
Frankie and Vince strode by the sea with their hands held.
A stranger hissed. “Poor creatures. They sold their souls to Satan.”
Frankie glanced. Her ankles and wrists were shackled to a prison wall. He chuckled. “Seems you’ve sold yourself to God. Hun, I’ll be the one praying for you.”
Prompt: Soul
Publications: Jeremy Mifsud
Photo: Kaley Dykstra on Unsplash
Advertisements
November 6, 2018
Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars
Hazel is a sixteen-year-old with a terminal cancer, undergoing treatment that prolongs her life. She’s tired of going to support group whose leader is all about “living our best life, today”. In one of the sessions Augustus Waters, a teenage boy who had lost a leg but was free from cancer, joins the group. As Augustus comes closer to Hazel, she pushes him away, not wanting to scar him when she inevitably passes away.
The overall plot is decent. The author did show me well enough everyone’s conditions, their limitations in every day activities, like Augustus not being the best driver because of his leg. However, something felt quite artificial while reading. The dialogues were unusual. In a way, the dialogues converged into nihilism so often, it felt like it was a monotone author rather than the characters having their own voice.
Hazel and Augustus are sixteen-years-old, but it feels as if their minds are decades older. Their way-of-speaking and articulation is a barrier to me immersing myself in the story. And that’s a shame—I’m unable to empathise with them or their love because they are simply puzzle pieces that the author plays around to fit inside the book.
Not wanting to sound too harsh, I should be clearer. It’s not a bad novel. I managed to read through it with mild curiosity. It’s enjoyable, but at the same time, there is a lot of untapped potential. In fact, I’ve rated this 3/5 stars on Goodreads. Since this book is a best-selling novel, I’m really eager to hear feedback/opinions from my own readers, and whether you guys think differently about this.
Sources and Links:
Book: The Fault in Our Stars
Book Cover: Goodreads
Book Review: Jeremy Mifsud
Header Photograph: [image error]Cristina Gottardi
Advertisements
