I was sent this book, Staring Into the Sun, by Joshua Fields, to review.
It is a book of poetry, described by the author as “a celebration of life’s greatest gift- LOVE”.
Guys, I’m sorry, but I really disliked this book. Like, a lot. I felt like I was trapped in some bad coffee shop poetry jam session….all smokey, with a very angry man, trying very hard and thinking he is very cool, shouting his strange words at me….I didn’t feel the love. I felt a little wierded out, like when you hear a little too much of someone else’s conversation? and not in a good way? Like that.
To me, this seemed like a creative writing assignment gone awry. Written with one line in male, one line in female dialogue alternatively, which was interesting. Written like casual dialogue, with focus on love. A poem-conversation. For me, this didn’t work. It just seemed like random thoughts scribbled. There was no “flow”.
After the first few poems, I didn’t want to read anymore. As I continued with the book, they got more tedious. They seemed just jumbled thoughts of everyday conversations, chopped from sentence form to fit into the author’s poetic verse. Perhaps the intent was to find amazement and grace in the little things, the daily grind and small conversations. That is laudable. I very much disliked the lack of flow and energy in the book.
It was a light, fast read.
reviewed for readersfavorite.com
