Poetry Books

What a great collection! This is a wonderful read. I've heard many aviation poems before - but, this compilation has them all. Enjoy!

At the end of a Naval Aviator-Commercial Pilot career, I wish I had this volume for my family (and myself) during all those years. It puts into lyrical words the thoughts and feelings of "being a bird" and why I am what I am. A good read and a bedside book. We owe Reda one at the bar.

Col Reda has done a truly impressive job in colecting and selecting poems for this marvelous anthology. All the classics are included but it the quality of the lesser known poems that sets this book apart. A must have book for every pilot, and for those who love them.

Everyone who has experienced flight (and those who long to) can relate to the sheer emotion that it evokes, sometimes from deep within ones soul, often pleasant, sometimes not. As you are experiencing the sensations you may frequently be too caught up in the moment to express yourself with words, well, here they are. Yes they are others experiences, but you will find very many which match yours close enough to be called your own. Flight as many other "Romantic" adventures has it's way of engraving itself on your heart. These are exceptional expressions of a wide variety of flight forms, there's something here for everyone. A must for the enthusiasts bookshelves.

An excellent collection of aviation poetry that contains something for everyone. I recommend keeping the book bedside for some enjoyable light reading every night. The variety and notoriety of the authors is impressive.

Un petit livre destiné à la jeunesse, "L'histoire qu'on lit au bord du lit" est écrite en vers et, en quelques pages, tourne autour du thème du lit : le lit tel qu'on l'aime, c'est-à-dire douillet, voyageur, pliant, casse-croûte, sous-marin ou tremplin. Chaque thème est travaillé de façon amusante, autour de paraboles et d'images hautes en couleur ! Les illustrations sont comiques, signées par Rotraut Susanne Berner, les vers sont traduits par Beatrice Vierne. Ce qui est particulièrement enrichissant, et s'adressant ainsi à un lectorat plus avisé, c'est que l'édition est bilingue : la page de gauche est en édition originale, celle de droite en français. Ainsi de lire les deux versions et de s'extasier sur la plume talentueuse de Sylvia Plath - auteur prometteuse trop tôt disparue !

Embark on a gentle, fantastic trip into a magical world that lies between reality and dream. Your child's imagination (and your own) will drift into sleep with images of acrobats, submarines, elephant beds, and so much more!

That this book should be out of print is a complete mystery to me, not enough violence in it, I imagine. As for the used price above, I can just imagine snuggling in bed with my child and an antique book... Books like this are meant to be read again and again, not placed in a gilded cage on a pedestal.

After years of searching for a copy (new or used) of Plath's "The Bed Book", which I used to read to my son when he was a toddler, I discovered that a publisher in the U.K. is going to re-release the book in September, 1999. I hope Amazon.com will make it available. . . this is a smashingly creative book, with page after page of beautiful watercolor illustrations.

My son and I read this book for years at bed-time - It was our absolutle favorite. Somehow we have lost the book and I have been searching for another copy for ages. Can the DC reviewer provide me with the name of the British publisher that is going to re-release this book - or any other details that might lead me to a copy? I would be very appreciative!

"Not just a white little, tucked in tight little, nighty night little, turn out the light little, Bed."

And this is not just an ordinary book. I came accross it one day and decided to give it a go, having read other Plath works. This book is incredible, te utter childishness of it, every time I think of it, it brings a smile to my face. This book is a must-read.

The poem "panthermometer" is a great intro into measuring temperature. My kids at home love them all. Great post modern looking collage artwork as well.

I enjoy Jack Prelutsky--he's clever and entertaining for children and adults alike. This is a whimsical collection of ani-jects or ob-imals (take your pick!), very inventive and enjoyable.

I love this book. I like the poetry, the illustrations and the play with words and language. I find that I like most of his books and have bought several others. Children like the word play when hearing it read out loud and to them selves.

My kids, girl age 8 and boy age 11 both enjoy this cd. Its has the right amount of absurdity and humor to appeal to both of them. It has 56 tracks, three total books. Behold the Bold Umrellapant, What a Day it was at School and Scranimals for an hour long cd. Your kids will want to look at the books while they listen, at least the first time. If your kids like Shel Silverstein, they will like this cd as well.

I only recently discovered Jack Prelutsky and would just like to say, "where have you been all my life?" His books are a delight to read, especially aloud, because of the spectacular words he chooses. It's like the verbal equivalent of the best dessert you've ever had.

I read this book aftr my husband and found it to be one of the best books I've read in a long time. I know of many fathers who are seperared from their children too. I'm going to suggest it to many of them. I really enjoyed the poems in the story, they really brought me both to tears and cheers! How encouraging that one man can continue on to want and desire to be a great dad no matter what has happened to him in his life. I wish all dads were as dedicated. Thanks!!!

In this memoir, the author tells a creatively written and humorous story of his life as his parents divorce and then he finds divorce in his life. The presence of his wanting desire to be a dad is touching while he eludes to the life and memories of his own father's effect on his life. It's a journey of reflection to further understand his roles and example to his children. This author is certainly a man of his passion, character and effort to be involved as a father. I've known many other fathers who are just as concerned and wanting to be a good father after a divorce. This memoir provides the reader with an emotional tale of a father's love and difficulties with this divorce arena we all have been touched by in some way. I certainly suggest this for everyone to read on a cold winter day, because when your through you'll want to get out and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

I found this book by sheer luck just exploring and I am so glad I did. The poems were an enlighting and fulfilling reward in this story of a man's recovery through divorce. It was really difficult for me when I got divorced, and this book brought me back but inspired me with hope. I recommend it for all single fathers as a moment to reflect, refill you coffers, and restore your energies about being a good father, even after a divorce.

I'm a single Mom, not a single Dad, but I found the book
both touching and inspiring. I was moved by the journey and
the poetry of this insightful and eloquent man. The book
is not for men only.

I recommend single fathers from all walks of life to read this book in it's entirety, your not alone !! I say "BRAVO" to the author for his courage to put his personal life story... an open, honest , no sugar coated memoir of a real life story of one mans love for his children and the sacrifices fathers make to protect the well being of their loved ones. Take the journey with the author and find inspriation for your own situation. I encourage the Author to write another book......I was left wanting to know and understand more!!! Who am I??? just someone who cares about what Divorces are doing to our society and the victims...our children!!!

There may not be a greater master of the English short story. Saki (H.H. Munro) writes from a period that is recent enough to be somewhat familiar, but remote enough to provide a bit of an exotic feel to the settings. These short short stories (typically 5 or 6 pages) are an uninterrupted series of gems. In a storytelling style full of grace, charm, and wit, Saki is unstinting in his criticism of the selfish, the self-centered, and the self-absorbed. About the only humans who are spared his sharp utensil are children, who frequently consort with Saki in piercing his victims. Delicious fun.

I read this entire collection over about two weeks. I would not recommend reading Saki's short stories this way. Before reaching the midpoint, one is so familiar with his style, approach, and aim that the element of surprise is somewhat dulled. These should be dipped into perhaps two or three at a time and then set aside for a month or two. Don't worry...they'll keep.

This is one of my favorite and most admired books, ever. An ideal collection of ideal short stories - witty, brief yet complete, and not a word wasted in creating tone and point. Funny and satisfying. Unsettling and creepy. Deliberate use of language and vocabulary that cuts and exposes. All of the above. Unforgettable: The charging stag. The baby playing with buttercups. Schartz-Metterklume.

Recommended without reservation, for a single sitting or a one-a-night from the bedside table.

Probably the only sane response, as a writer, to Edwardian England was to skewer it mercilessly. And nobody serves up a finer kebab than Saki. These stories are clever and hilariously funny. I think part of their appeal is that, although Munro can be merciless, one always senses an underlying affection for his targets. It's also pretty clear that Saki's sympathies are with those who lack clout in the established power structure of Edwardian society (children, for example), which makes me like him all the more.

A very funny book.

Saki's writing style is unique. His stories are mostly bleak and tragic. Some of his writing seems to have been influenced by his background and childhood experiences. However, they are amusing, interesting and tinged with humour.

Picador edition has wonderful, nicely written introduction that gives marvelous details of Saki's remarkable and short life, explaining well why his stories are usually so dark, and why he liked to take aim at stuffy old bats.

Nearly all of Saki's short stories are about some character exacting revenge upon cruel or shallow members of the British upper class. His writing sometimes feels labored and overwrought, with overlong sentences or ungainly descriptions. But his consistant style, sense of justice, and biting wit are the gems to be discovered within.

The earliest stories seemed to have a lack of balance between darkness and wit, but he did find his equilibrium and most of the later tales are deliciously satisfying.

Absolutely delightful reading if you liked Robert Altman's recent film Gosford Park, or if you are fed up with stuffy, mean upper class types.

I truly love this book. It beautifully captures memories, heart and soul. There are touching photos, and a genuinely great collection of poetry best loved by Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, one of the few women I have admired my entire life.
Some of my favorite poems in this book are:
"Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes
"Sonnet XVIII" by William Shakespeare
"Sea Joy" by Jacqueline Bouvier - 1939
"Thoughts" by Jacqueline Bouvier - 1943
"Meanwhile in Massachusetts" by Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy - October 1953 (Inspired by "John Brown's Body" by Stephen Vincent Benet.)

Caroline Kennedy did an outstanding job in creating this collection. This is really a book to treasure, and would make a beautiful gift for anyone who loved one of our greatest First Ladies, as well as the fantastic contributors to this collection. Highly recommended!

I bought this book @ Amazon as an impulse purchase. So glad I did.
What a lovely, beautiful book! The comments and introductions by Caroline are so informative and personal. Gives glimpses into her mother's true self.......and lives up to the woman I so admire.
Thank you, Caroline, for sharing her love of poetry with us.
Barbara Kerr Thompson
Springfield , MO

A quality selection of poetry and includes notes and poetry by Ms. Kennedy as well. A nice addition to any library.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope, Concepts to Ponder and South State Street Journal, Secrets of The Heart.

I was given this book by a dear friend for my 50th birthday. Imagine my surprise when it turned out Jackie was reading Caroline a lot of the same poems that my Dad used to read to my sister and me at bedtime. I lost this book, along with many others, in the flood following Katrina. There are books that I decided I could live without, but this one I had to replace.

Finding the assortment of poems to be so well chosen was not a surprise. We would expect that in a book about Jacqueline by her daughter.What was a surprise was the particular assortment of poems presented. Her past, her youth, people in her life, scriptures, and then her own poems. I especially loved finding Jacqueline's own poems that she had written.

C.S. Lewis suggested about poetry that it is less like literature today. Not so with Jacqueline's poems. The collection of poems was a story itself.

Caroline said that one of the greatest gifts she and her brother received from her mother was her love of literature and language. This book demonstrates that claim. You can sense the way she felt and who she was.

A special find was finding the page "Books I read when I was young." I loved her poems, "Sea Joy" and "Thoughts". This is a book that is indeed a treasure.

If you want to be the person who really "discovers" something, this is it. Everyone would love to say they knew a big star as a kid and knew that they were going to make it big. This is your chance to say I was reading Melanie Williams back in 2007. There is something in the book to touch your soul no matter what you feel deep inside... you will find some poems that make you feel that she is talking about just you.

I had the pleasure of reading much of this book before it was every published. This author will make you feel your soul, reflect and most of all make you proud to be a woman. Enjoy the journey!

What I am most impressed by Mrs.Williams poems, is the truthfulness and the straightforward invitation into her sincerity. The deeply thoughtful maturity of
her poems is instantly apparent.

Reminiscent of Jill Scott but on a whole nother level. This author has poured her soul onto the pages of this book and gotten so deep I felt like I was drowning in the cool blue waters off the shores of an unknown paridise. I could dive into the depths time and again and feel the sense of this woman's life, her sadness and pain, her joy's and triumphs. Ms. Melanie Williams must bleed ink for the poetry she has compiled for us in this treasure of a book. If you like deep feelings and truly heartfelt poems you've come to the right place.

I really enjoyed this compilation of poetry because it allowed me the opportunity to reflect on my on life in so many ways. The author did a wonderful job sharing heartfelt experiences that we all can relate to. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will inspire you on so many levels. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

an electric dazzle of color light all infuse these poems, a terrific joy to read. it's on my nighht stand right now... a true talent!

This volume contains poems and prose-poems that are autobiographical (I assume), biographic and mythical. In the biographical series of interned Japanese, the poets' confidence that the story itself is sufficient creates very effective poems - simple language, well chosen details - and a person is drawn. In the mythic poems she uses more "poetic" language and imagery while retaining a highly effective simplicity. In the biographic poems, the segment that includes prose poems, there is a different sensibility, one drawn from hunting, from social isolation as the child of a war bride - a bride who married the enemy.

The most impressive feature of this volume is the confidence of the poet - the trusting of her skill, the power of story, the power of words. While much of the message of the poetry regards the policy of internment, the destruction of Hiroshima/Nagasaki, racial prejudice, childhood embarrassment of parents that are "other" etc., there is no trace of the diadactic in the poems. The poems simply sing.

Beyond Heart Mountain is a wonderful book. The poems are beautifully written, the voices are quite distinctive, and many of the poems are very moving. I highly recommend this volume of poetry!

A large passion guides these poems from the first line to the last. From tragedy to simple pleasures, an entire range of human emotions is chronicled in this unique collection of poems. Beyond Heart Mountain is a moving experience; a great addition to your library and life.

There is much to be said about poetry with language so finely chiseled it cuts through the page. Roripaugh's words are a feast for the senses. Myth, history, culture, and memory are but a few of the rich ingredients in this dazzling book of poems. Definitely one of the best books of poetry I've read this year.

My father loved me enough to expose me to this book when I was younger. I didn't truly appreciate it until I got older and experienced more in life. This book has a variety of poetry. It is all beautiful. I highly recommend this book.

I first encountered "The Black Poets" as a college student back in the 1970's. It features a wide selection of poems by many well known Black Poets. Many are humorous, such as "I sing of Shine" others romantic, others revolutionary, but all thought provoking. I couldn't find my old copy so I repurchased another recently. This book is definitely worth owning. It will bring you pleasure whenever you pick it up.

I remember reading this book while in middle school. And, I am a 2002 high school graduate. I found this book in the library, and its very impowering - real. The poetry resonates with Mildred D. Taylors, Roll of Thunder poem. I was fascinated by the Run n*****- run master comin get you poem. Its a good book!
Lots of old great African American written poetry.

I am an author and a poet and will state that this is an excellent job by Dudley Randall. The poems in this anthology flow very well. The section on the Harlem Renaissance is very pleasing; know the struggles encountered and the determination of will to succeed, the poets during that era showed strength and courage and are well documented. The book is a history lesson in itself regarding poets of the past and present. There is a distinct contrasting of poets who are classified as folk and literary poets. The additional distinction between pre-renaissance and post-renaissance poets is also made in the book. Overall, the poems from poets in the anthology are outstanding and give a great blending of African-American History.

This book was required reading for a graduate class that I had, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was simply great. I was introduced to many poets whom I'd never heard of and that was the best part, because I feel that many Blacks don't know about poets who were not mainstream, this leaves a lot of important writers to dangle in the wind without every being recognized by the very people for whom they wrote. This book was great in particular I liked the seculars they were hilarious, they reminded me of the epitaths we used to read in American Lit in high school. Great little book!!!!

Blown Sideways Through chronicles Claudia Shear's search for the true job, and the 64 jobs she had to enjoy/endure so far) before she she found the job (or career) that was right for her. Brunch chef at Fire Island, nude model,proofreader, receptionist at an brothel; Shear always spins a good story, and amuses us with life's wierdness. This is also a truthful look at the life many of us live. We have jobs, not careers, working where we can to make the money we need to live our lives. Shear makes no apology for the meandering work path she has chosen. There is dignity and humor in her retelling of seemingly menial jobs (some of them were pretty horrid). I think her rant of the observed rudeness of a donut store patron, and the pevelent attitude of "looking down" on service industry people is a must read for every person. Funny, insightful and honest, this is a book that deserves a reprint.

Claudia takes us on her journey... and in doing so makes a name for herself. This is a well written and thoughtful book. A one woman show! A standup and take notice comedy!

I had imagined that every working adult would like a copy of this book. I've so-far owned two copies, both of which were lent out and never returned. I imagine that somebody out there (well, two actually) must have liked it as much as I do and I'm not mad at them, as the third time I went for a copy I found the book on tape, read by the author.

I realise that it is now hard to find with no new printing in sight, but if you ever do spot a copy somewhere, you need it. If you went to university and ended up flipping burgers, buy it. If you've ever found yourself in a strange place after having lied your way into employment and about to do something you're having second thoughts about, buy it. If you're just entering the work force for the first or sixty fourth time, buy it!

When I look back at the multitude of menial jobs I've worked in my life, I see that I could easily write a book about them, but Ms. Shear has beaten me to the punch! If I didn't know better, I would think I had written this book!She, like me, has worked a variety of jobs that run the gamut. If you've just up and quit your job, read this book. If you're shlepping away at a menial ball-and-chain, read this book. If you're floating from one occupation to another in the hope of finding the perfect career, read this book. If you've been working at the same company for 20 years and have no intention of ever leaving, read this book. If you're a CEO pulling in a six-digit salary, read this book. If you're independently wealthy and don't have to work, read this book.Regardless of which of the above statements applies to you, you will come away a more enriched person for having read BSTL.

As Ms. Shear says, "Everyone has a story that would stop... your... heart." I caught her show late late one evening on NPR as I was getting ready to do another speech to hopefully inspire some young people to leave Job Corps and do good with their life - I was burnt out and uninspired myself and just listening to what she had to say - nevermind watching her magnificent presence on the small screen - brought me back up. It took me years to find this book in a library; and I'm glad to be able to buy another copy - maybe another 10 copies to give to people I know need it. Anyone who has ever felt beat down by their work and their lives melded into an amazing wash of effort to keep one nostril above the waves; anyone who has ever felt walked on by the world will be inspired by this wonderful woman's story.