lou's library

This is probably going to be a bit of a shorter post because until rather recently, I hardly ever read poetry. The poems I had to interpret in school and university rarely left me wanting more, and for the longest time I thought poetry just wasn’t for me. Turns out, I’ve been reading the wrong stuff all that time. Poems don’t have to be full of difficult words that I don’t know the meaning of, they don’t need to have been written three hundred years ago by some white dude and they also don’t have to rhyme. For me, a poem is good when I feel something when reading it. That can be any emotion other than boredom, really. So here is some poetry that didn’t make me sleepy or left me feeling stupid. If you’re also struggling with poetry, I highly recommend you give these a go!

Slug by Hollie McNish

Hollie McNish is quickly becoming my favourite poet. Okay, so far she doesn’t have much competition, but I have a feeling I’ll struggle to find someone else whose poets connect with me as much as hers. This particular collection is about living in our world, with all its absurdities and hardships. It’s about hope, and being a woman. There are also some short stories in this one, and in the beginning the author suggests there are seven different ways to read this book. I read it cover to cover because I didn’t want to put it down, which was a first in a poetry collection for me. The author’s way with words is so moving, I kept thinking how I couldn’t believe she managed to take an emotion and put it into words so eloquently. I now need to read everything she’s ever written, because I am obsessed.

Friend – Poems by Young People, edited by Kate Clanchy

I stumbled upon this treat in The Edinburgh Bookshop, a place I very quickly fell in love with for its amazing selection of books. I’d vowed not to buy any books that day (because I’d bought a dozen over the previous two weeks), but then I found this, read the first poem and knew there was no way I was going to walk out of that shop without this book. It’s a collection of poems written by a group of students. Their age at the time they wrote the poem is included and I’m still SHOOKETH when I think about what some of these students wrote when they were just eleven. I’m pretty sure all I was writing back then was ‘I ❤ Zac Efron’ on every single one of my text books. Honestly, if you only read one book from this list of recommendations, make it this one. It’s about growing up and the different struggles the students are facing. It’s so sad at times, but also hopeful and it made me tear up several times. I’m not a crier, okay? This never happens!! READ THIS BOOK PLEASE!!

The Sonnets by William Shakespeare

I know I blabbered on earlier about how I didn’t like any of the poetry I was made to read in university, but my boy William is the one big exception to the rule. Obviously, he’s pretty good with words (understatement of the century lol) and I don’t need to tell you how much of a genius he was because you know that already. But even if you’ve never liked his plays, or have never read a single word of Shakespeare, I urge you to give his sonnets a try. They’re witty and funnier than you’d expect, and I find learning them by heart to be a very fun pastime (although that might just be me). My favourite of his sonnets is number 130, there’s a YouTube video of Alan Rickman reading it that is pure perfection. There’s also one of Daniel Radcliffe but that just can’t compete with Alan Rickman’s version, if you ask me (sorry, Potter).

We British by Andrew Marr

Okay, this is a bit of an unusual one, but hear me out. Andrew Marr basically tells the story of Britain through the ages by choosing a handful of poems from every epoch. He doesn’t always goes for the most famous ones, though. Sometimes he chooses obscure or long forgotten poets, which makes for great reading. It’s quite a hefty book and there’s lots of prose between the poems, explaining what was happening in Britain at the time and what the poetry that was written then can tell us about it. But if you have any interest in Britain at all, or are looking for a different way of learning about its past and its poetry, then I think this is the perfect book for you!

These are all my favourites! As I said, it’s a small list because I’m a beginner, but I can’t wait to hopefully find more poetry that I love as I keep diving deeper into the genre. Just a heads up: Poetry is deeply personal, and even in the collections I’ve recommended there have probably been poems I didn’t enjoy all that much. I think that’s normal and completely fine. I wholeheartedly recommend these nonetheless, as I enjoyed the vast majority of the poems and I hope you will too! Also, please do leave poetry recommendations down below!!