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July/August book! Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
Emma wrote: "Dear OSS Members,I am excited to announce that July/August's pick for Our Shared Shelf is our first poet, Rupi Kaur, and her book of poems Milk and Honey. Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born, Canadian-ra..."
Really looking forward to reading this! I haven't read much poetry outside of an academic context but this book could change that. Thank you :)
Thanks for the pick, I really look forward to reading this. I usually don't read poetry, but I'm ready for the challenge :) That's one of the things I love about this group, I get to read other books than I would normally choose on my own.
Yay! For those with a Scribd subscription, both Rupi Kaur's books are available there.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Emma!! Every one of your choices broadens my horizon even further, and I am always looking forward to every book we're reading. Can't wait to get my hands on this one:-)
Both of her books of poetry are amazing, heart-wrenching, and so so powerful. I’m excited to reread this book in the next couple months, as it’s been a while since I read it.
When I first read this book I wasn’t sure if I liked it because I’m the kind of person who both loves to read and write poetry at its utmost complexity, I like seeing so much meaning in such little space. But I’m going to re read it this month as it’s still on my shelf and see if I can connect with it on a level I hadn’t considered before. Thanks, Emma.
This is great because I already have a copy, now I look forward to reading this even more!
"By a route obscure and lonely, haunted by ill angels only..." That is the last poem i have learned. By myself. Maybe you know it Emma. :-)Is the book hard to read for a french ?
Sounds like a great choice. Ashamed to say I haven't read a lot of poetry but you encourage me challenge myself and to broaden my mind through reading. I look forward to reading Ms Kaur's book. Thank you Emma! Much love, Shana xx
A poem is a journey of deciphering. That is true. My only joy was to study the psychology behind poems and narratives on my Chinese test paper when I was in high school. Thanks for sharing and I may take the book when I make more progress on my English.
Ooh, time for a re-read! I’ve only read this once and have been wanting to re-read it for a while, after reading it for the first time a couple of years ago. I loved it back then as it was the first time I’d really experienced someone being that open and honest, unapologetic, and celebratory of being a woman. Thank you, Emma x
I am excited to finally read this with a group, thank you Emma for choosing “Milk and Honey” for our next read!
Thanks, Emma! I read this earlier this year, and look forward to a second perusal of its content. It's such a great read!
great choice, Emma! can't wait to start it already!
Few months ago I realized I have never read (or recited in school) poetry written by women... So I began to search every female poets I could read !! Since then Rupi Kaur is on my to read list (with so much more women !!) so now, I've got the perfect excuse^^
If you enjoyed Milk and Honey, you should check out The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace which is significantly better in my opinion :)
Yay poetry! I'm the president of my school's spoken word poetry club and I love written poetry. I've seen some things from Kaur on Instagram but I've been meaning to read this for a while now. I'm glad it's short, I can really get into it and I can't wait for the discussions!
Cool Emma! I can’t wait to read it! Thanks. :)
i was a little unsure about this book but reading your words about it really made me change my mind. Now i'm looking forward to read it!
This book and its author sound amazing,can’t wait to read it,Thanks Emma.
Wow, this looks great! I'm not much of a poetry reader, but I checked out the Kindle Excerpt for this book on Amazon and I loved the first few pages, so I'm sure it's going to be a great read!
So excited to read this! I've had this on my book shelf but I haven't yet started reading it. I definitely will now- you've given me the incentive to pick it up again :)
I put a hold on this at my local library.
I have already read this one, but really recommend it. ;)
I've had this from Prime Reading for months! Now I can get to it!
What a great coincidence! I just bought Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers for myself but haven't gotten around to reading them yet!
Love your review Emma and now I find I must open the pages of Rupi's poems again ...
Awesome! I just bought this book last week.
So happy about this pick! I read milk and honey, as well as the sun and her flowers, awhile back and I can honestly say that it was groundbreaking for me. Reading milk and honey was such a comfort to me at a time when all I saw around me was heartbreak. Her writing is inspiring and empowering towards women. Loved the choice! Will be re-reading it with you.
Excellent pick Emma. Both her books of poetry are raw and yet fully of humanity. I think everyone will like her poetry and her illustrations that accompany Milk and Honey. She is an inspiring voice for women today.
yes! I have wanted to read this for a while so have an extra reason to now! Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on it.
No way!! I've *just* come off the back of my first "Poetry Club" - just 2 friends on Skype really - but my friend read Rupi Kaur - the rock bottom one. Holy smokes.It's been an age since I read or wrote poetry - I'm glad I'm starting again and what INCREDIBLE timing that it also ties in with OSS.
Woop woop universe!
I’ve read both and loved them. I cried, laughed, and all the things in between. ❤️
I loved, loved, loved both of her books. But Milk and Honey has a special place in my heart 💕
I’ve read Milk & Honey and loved it with all my heart. I loved it so much that I gifted it to my grandma, who is 90 years old, and to my cousin, who is 20. They both loved it. It’s a book that every woman should keep by her bedside and read multiple times. I bought The sun and her flowers when it came out but still haven’t read it ‘cause I’m waiting for the right moment... Great pick Emma! ❤️
Milk and Honey is a wonderful heart-stabbing book!A poetic cut right through humanity.
To be completely honest, I haven’t been on this website for a few months but I saw that this was the new book and thought I would join the group again. Have fun reading everyone :)
You know it’s funny because when I first bought Milk and Honey I really didn’t like it. I thought it was too simple. But then I started watching her perform her poems and I fell in love. I hope she releases a third book :)
Hmmm... It seems like my entire Goodreads friend list has already read it. It seems like opinions are very divided over it, with some people giving it 5 stars and others giving it 1. I have to admit that I'm curious.
I have already read this book , and this is my review ❤️Read my ٣-star review of Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
Great, looking forward to this! Excited to see that this is also available on Audible, read by the author, for those of us who like to listen to writers in their own voices :-)
I have been wanting to read Milk and Honey, now have the perfect push to do so. Thanks, Emma!
Such a great selection 🙈 and I already own the book! It is just begging to have its spine cracked!!
Already read her 2 books. I love the OSS community will be reading her. Amazing.
I've heard so many different opinions about this book and I'm finally ready to form my own! I know it's not going to be an easy read, but I think if Rupi is strong enough to write about such difficult topics, then I think I can be strong enough to read about and learn from them.
This book has paved ways for a lot of authors. Has brought poetry on the plates of millennials. And inspired a lot of folks of across all genres of diversity.
I am excited to announce that July/August's pick for Our Shared Shelf is our first poet, Rupi Kaur, and her book of poems Milk and Honey. Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born, Canadian-raised poet and artist. She chooses not to use upper case letters or punctuation in her poems as an ode to her native language, Punjabi. She travels the world, including recently to her native country India, performing her poems and drawing crowds of hundreds. Both of her books, Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers, have made the New York Times bestseller list, which for a poet, is astonishing.
Over my lifetime, I have fallen in and out of love with poetry. Performing poems was what got me into acting (I had a primary school teacher that made everyone learn one a week, and eventually I won a poetry recital competition!) In secondary school and at university, I loved deciphering the codes of poems in class discussion, but I honestly wondered if poetry would continue to feature in my life outside of an academic context.
Enter poets like Hollie McNish, Sabrina Mahfouz and Rupi Kaur- I demolished whole books in single sittings. Unlike poems I have often spent weeks unraveling, Rupi’s poems are not designed to obscure meaning or entertain too much ambiguity - they hit you like punches to the stomach. They are immediate, visceral and not easily digested. I am loathe to say Rupi has made poetry “accessible” because while this is the truth (Rupi’s poems and illustrations fit well into those famously square shaped Instagram frames), there is nothing easy or accessible about what Rupi chooses to talk about. In fact, the topics she chooses, are audacious.
Here is a 25-year-old girl saying the unsayable… to hundreds of thousands of people:
that she has been raped, that at times she has been abused, that she bleeds. And sin of all sins… she actually likes the hair that grows on her body. Yes. She actually thinks it is beautiful. And that she is beautiful as God made her - what a transgression. That her body is her home and nobody else's.
The last chapter of Rupi’s book is called ‘The healing’. I am astounded to think what grew in the garden of her heartbreak. Her sharing, leadership and representation is so generous and brave. I will be forever grateful that she took subjects, that as a woman, I still carry shame about, and made them art. It took me an extra step forward and gave me new language.
All my love,
Emma