Beautiful & Breathtaking
Not a big fan of poetry usually. A fault all my own. Most often
I can’t follow it, or it seems pretentious. And oh the rhyming. But in the end I’m
just a lazy reader. I like to be told a story that flows from one moment to the
next without analyzing it. It reminds me too much of high school and college. But
I truly enjoyed the poems in this book, especially The Caliber of One’s
Character, by Nonnie Jules
Many of the stories in the book seem to do a lot of telling
rather than showing. Most aren’t dialogue driven, or character driven but dictated.
The narrators always seem to be looking back at their lives and telling the
reader a story. This might be why a lot of the stories gave me a feeling of nostalgia.
I could smell warm summer air and the fragrant scent of rhododendrons
throughout much of the book. I could feel grainy classroom chalk on my fingers,
feel the heavy stares of judgmental classmates, or a disapproving parent. The
shame of being taken by force, abused and overcoming that over time. The
authors took me back in time, and made me feel things I hadn’t felt for a while.
Of course, as a sci-fi and fantasy buff myself, I fully
enjoyed that section of short stories toward the end.
I love reading other writers reflecting back on themselves,
why they write, why they love it, can’t help but pursue it. Maybe it makes me
feel less alone. Either way, this is a book for writers and the people who love
them. Beautiful, breathtaking, well put.
