Category Archives: Poetry

Queen Mab, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Amanda

Preface: I really, really suck at reading poetry. And I mean REALLY. As in, 90% of the time, I can’t understand a word I read. Several years ago, I started a project to try to improve my poetry-reading skills, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Protected: Conditions, by Greg Schroeder

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Amanda

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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Don Juan, by Lord Byron

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Amanda

This epic poem is a retelling of the legend of Don Juan. Don Juan is normally seen as a scoundrel and womanizer, but in Byron’s retelling, he is instead just a beautiful young man easily seduced by women. The poem … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Collected Children’s Stories, by Sylvia Plath

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Amanda

I took a quick break from reading Maugham’s short stories (since there are about 90 of them!) to read this quick collection. It only consists of three stories, one of which I read last year. It’s a cute collection, with … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Children's, Poetry, Prose | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Amanda

The Inferno is the first in a trio of epic poems where Dante is led through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Virgil, the classical Roman poet, leads him through Hell, where Dante sees all the different ways that sinners are punished … Continue reading →

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Aurora Leigh, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Amanda

Note: This review will contain spoilers both for this book and for Jane Eyre. This epic poem tells the life of Aurora Leigh, whose parents died in her childhood and who was raised by her aunt. She is romantically pursued … Continue reading →

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If Not, Winter, by Sappho

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Amanda

If Not, Winter is a collection of all the fragments of poetry that remain from Sappho’s great body of work. Sappho was a singer and songwriter on the island of Lesbos, a woman who explored love with both men and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran (audio)

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Amanda

The Prophet is Lebanese classic poetry. You guys all know how difficult poetry is for me! However, I decided to try it out anyway. My first surprise was realizing that this was originally written in English and not in Arabic … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Sonnets from the Portuguese, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Amanda

Hurrah! I have found poetry that spoke to me, poetry that I understood, poetry that I enjoyed! Loved, in fact. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, you wonderful poet! You have proved that my search for poetry that I can connect with was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

19 Varieties of Gazelle, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Amanda

This small book of poetry is subtitled “Poems of the Middle East.” I first got interested in reading some of Nye’s poetry when I saw her at a poetry reading last year. I finally got this book around Christmas. Once … Continue reading →

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