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Book Reviews

Watery Through the Gaps by Emma Blas

About the book

My review

In Emma Blas’ ‘Watery Through the Gaps,’ raw emotions intertwine with the crashes and lulls of the natural world, bringing the human experience back in tune with the earth. Sensual and atmospheric, the poems are vivid, intricate miniatures of emotion and nature melding. They skip across the page with the unpredictability of the ocean but are crafted with intent and skill. I read this collection three times, uncovering fresh depths with each read and enjoying Blas’ honest exploration of our world within and without.

Thank you so much to Emma Blas and Random Things Tours for having me on the blog tour!

My three favourite poems from the collection

Author bio:

‘emma blas lives near gijón in spain. her poetry explores transitions, shifts of phase and form in the natural world. you will find her at the beach, walking through the dramatic landscape of asturias, or with her hands in the soil, trying to learn from the earth. it is these crossing points between the physical, psychological and imagined states of life that are painted in her poetry.’

Purchase links:

Waterstones

Amazon:

Follow Emma Blas

Website: www.emmablaspoetry.com

Instagram: @emmablaspoetry

Follow Random Things Tours:

Twitter: @RandomTTours

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Book Reviews

Selected Poems by Kamala Das

Kamala Das is one of my favourite poets of all time. Her writing dives deep into themes of female sexuality and pain, into the haunting Indian landscape, and her identity as an Indian woman. Born in Kerala in 1934, Das was a trailblazer and one of the first Indian women to write with such boldness and honesty about sex.

Her poems on love and sex slide back and forth between the hazy line separating love and lust. They are sensual and evocative but pulse at the core with pain. Her vivid descriptions of India invite the reader to sip from the glass of Calcutta’s April sun and stand under Bombay’s yellow moon.

Reading a Kamala Das poem evokes more than empathy; she makes you climb through each searing word she writes and truly absorb her emotion and experience. Her style is brazen, clear, and uncluttered. If the emotional weight of each poem hadn’t forced me to sit back and allow the intensity to bleed out before I moved on to the next, I would have inhaled the lot in a sitting.

The introduction by Devindra Kohli takes up a good third of the book, and is a fascinating exploration of Kamala Das’ life. I especially recommend the poems Glass, In Love, and Summer in Calcutta.

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Book Reviews

Cat Poems by Various Writers

Cats and poetry, the perfect combination!

I love poetry books because you can pick them up anytime and have a whole reading experience compacted into a minute. I like having them scattered around the house so I can pick up a poem while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil, or the microwave to beep, or any excuse whatsoever!

This book has the cutest cover, and is a lovely little collection of poems about cats by a bunch of incredible poets. Personal highlights include The Cat and the Moon by W.B Yeats, Frail Manuscripts by Ryszard Kyrnicki, Black Cat by Rainer Maria Rilke, The Cat as Cat by Denise Levertov, and – of course – The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear.

This would make a great Christmas gift for any cat lovers in your life!