26 January, 2019

#GuestPost :: 7 Poetry Books I’ve Enjoyed Reading by Vinay Leo

I love reading poetry almost as much as I love writing it. A good poem is beautiful and conveys something. It needn’t rhyme or have “n” number of syllables or a set meter. It could, of course, but it is not necessary. It could talk of love in the most complex language, or observe a cat sitting on a mat (like the poem in Dead Poets’ Society). Over the years, I’ve read a fair few poetry books. Today, I share with you five books I’ve absolutely loved reading, in no particular order of ranking.




Dancing Earth, poetry anthology edited by Robin Ngangom and Kynpham Nongkynrih

I found this collection of poems at a second hand books sale many years ago. It was one of the first books I acquired. It was the title and the cover that caught my eye. This anthology of poems contains poetry from poets of North East India, translated from the original languages into English. The poems in this collection make me contemplate life. They encompass various themes too.

Read my review of this BOOK








The Essential Rumi 


Rumi, to me, brings both poetry and philosophy in one. From him, and this book came one of my favorite quotes: “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” Simple, yet beautiful, and so succinctly put. It still makes a difference to life. This collection appealed to me, and it is a collection I peruse once in a while. I have no doubt I’ll continue to do so.

Read my review of this BOOK








Pluto by Gulzar

If anyone asks me for a recommendation in the genre, this would be the first book that would come to mind. I have suggested it to a few friends already, and they have enjoyed reading it as well. I think Gulzar saab would be synonymous to poetry for many readers, and it’s no different to me. I read this book four years back, and even now a couplet remains close to my heart, that I can recollect it easily. That’s the power of poetry, and of saab’s words. 

Read my review of this BOOK







Silence and Sound by Namitha K

This is a book that came to me quite unexpectedly. A self published book. It was the yin-yang of the title that caught my attention. The cover makes sense too though not “wow” by any means. I loved a couple of the poems in it, and could relate to them personally. There were others I could understand. Some were simple, others intense. I remember feeling happy that it came my way, and it’s something I’m still thankful for.

Read my review of this BOOK










The Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray

I’m very sure that if someone hadn’t gifted this book to me on my birthday, this book would have not crossed paths with me. And that would have been my loss. It’s easy to write about sadness, I can vouch for that, but it’s a little harder to write a poem that brings joy and lifts a burden at the same time. This book has many poems that do that. Unpretentious, simple, rhyming, humorous… one might wonder how it is called nonsense and yet it feels so sensible. I loved this collection! 

Read my review of this BOOK





Ruskin Bond's Book of Verse. 

I never knew one of my favorite storytellers had a collection of poems. That was what made me buy this book. What I liked in this collection of verse is the simplicity in presentation, which leaves the reader still mesmerized after the read. The cover page design is also quite appealing as is the poem on the back cover.


Read my review of this BOOK








Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss


The book is quite fun, and with the images accompanying it, the story helps to teach children the value of perseverance, and also how we cannot know if we like something until we try it. The rhyme is very catchy and fun to read out loud, definitely enjoyable for children to do. For me, it was like a fifteen minute read perhaps, but I think children would love to see the pictures, read it slowly and savor it.


Read my review of this BOOK





Do you read poetry? Would these rank in your top 5 too? If not, let me know your absolute favorite. If it’s a regional book, I’d appreciate if you can direct me to an English translation too. 

2 comments:

  1. I actually LOL-ed when I saw Green Eggs and Ham here. But that was quite unintentional. I will check out the others though.

    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

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    1. Green Eggs and Ham was actually a very lovely poem. :) I couldn't not love it.

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