This review will be different then my reviews in two ways: 1) I know and talk to Adrianna Rangel. I wouldn’t say we are friends, but she’s not a stranger and she probably knows my problems better than my co-workers. 2) I received an advanced review copy. I did pre-order Book of Thoughts: Volume I, but this is a special…
How I used to review poetry books was a score system, where you could get up to 25 points for showing a story progression (sequencing and overarching story), you could get up to 25 points for the actual individual writing (how well poems read from the book and its written form), you could get up to 25 points for how…
I’ve always struggled knowing where to put my poetry reviews. I had them over on my personal website http://jessedictor.com/ as well as here in the past. While I mostly wanted to keep the poetry side of myself separate from the art side because they don’t sell well enough, the truth is even when paying people its been so hard to…
I wanted to open this with saying “This is the best Amazon printed poetry book I have read”- but it would seem this was actually printed by A.B.Baird Publishing. The aesthetic of the exterior reminds me of a print to order books with a slightly better binding. There in fact even seems to be a typo on the back cover,…
All Day Long I Dream About Sirens Domenica Martello Reading the back of the book, I take note that it is described as a retelling of epics involving sirens and mermaids. There is no introduction, and it jumps right into the poetry- discussing a commute in Seattle. I am left feeling a little disjointed with the wording on the back…
This is the second book of LindaAnn LoSchiavo I’ve read- the first one reminded me of Anne Rice in its imagery and flair- and this one returns with an actual supernatural element including vampires. It was a thrill to see some Poe in the book- and even Eidolon written in print. This author speaks to me with her knowledge of…
The cover art of Concupiscent Consumption reminds me of all the vampire books I would read when I was younger. Even the name Concupiscent Consumption evokes an early 90’s vampire book feel. The single graphic inside depicting an apple, a snake, and an outline of two people continue to match this aesthetic. Artistically, this book is for me. Reading through…
This book stood out for how different the layout was. I viewed some of its formatting online from previews, and I actually had really high hopes for this book. Instead of naming poems, he sets a date to them, like someone troubleshooting a complicated machine and you are taking notes of the trouble shooting process. It’s aesthetic and format matched…
Mongrel Tongue has the presentation and format of a professional author- reminding me of when I would first read poetry books outside of what I knew I already liked. The sections of the book are clearly marked and there is a flow to the progression that reminds me of old poetry formats, where a book could be divided into 12…
So She Speaks by Madison Brandt is a short read that is more like a self help book for the author than it is as a poetry book. The author also manages a podcast where she has local people she knows over to talk about different subjects. I had a paramour look at the book and she took some time…
