Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Christmas Book Fair – #PoetryCollections – Geoff Le Pard, Denise O’Hagan, Balroop Singh

Welcome to the Christmas Book Fair where I will be featuring all the authors currently on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore.

There are some wonderful poetry books in the Cafe and Bookstore and I would like to share some gift ideas with you today… with more to come later in the Book Fair.

The first collection today is the recent release from Geoff Le Pard – The Sincerest Form of Poetry

About the collection

An anthology of poems, inspired by the top 100 British poems and a love of sonnets

One of the recent reviews on Goodreads

Nov 14, 2020 Darlene Foster rated it Five Stars

A great collection of poems inspired by poets of the past. Mr. Le Pard uses his clever use of words and wit to create poems most readers can relate to. I don´t read much poetry but enjoyed this collection. The writer´s love of his family, dog and garden comes through. While many of the poems are humorous, there are some more serious ones as well. My favourite is Hand-Me-Down, written for his daughter, which left a lump in my throat. Serious environmental issues are also addressed in a couple of poems. Well worth a read.

A great collection of poems inspired by poets of the past. Mr. Le Pard uses his clever use of words and wit to create poems most readers can relate to. I don´t read much poetry but enjoyed this collection. The writer´s love of his family, dog and garden comes through. While many of the poems are humorous, there are some more serious ones as well. My favourite is Hand-Me-Down, written for his daughter, which left a lump in my throat. Serious environmental issues are also addressed in a couple of poems. Well worth a read.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

Also by Geoff Le Pard

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Website: Geoff Le Pard – Goodreads: Geoff on Goodreads – Twitter: @geofflepard

The next poetry collection is from Denise O’Hagan – The Beating Heart

About the collection

The Beating Heart is an allusion to the continuous pulsing of feelings that lie beneath the surface reality of our lives. This collection ‘slips into the lining’ of various experiences from a childhood in the ancient city of Rome, whose ‘famous walls bulged with sanctioned corruption’ to the loneliness of a London bedsit, ‘narrow as a capsule, a chilly low-cost limbo’, to the lure of a Sydney bushwalk, where ‘mist lies over the grass, the trees, the everything, as lightly as a suggestion’. The elegant assurance of these meditative and melodic lines remind us that poetry can be, as the author believes, ‘a form of music’.

One of the recent reviews for the collection

AVF –5.0 out of 5 stars A life’s story in poems  Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2020

A wonderful book of poems, looking back to the poet’s upbringing in Rome, through bedsit life in a different city (we’re not told where), to marriage and motherhood in Sydney, Australia. These phases of life are finely observed and the poet travels effortlessly between recollection and present day experiences.

I read the whole book in one sitting and loved this journey of exploration.

I often think about my parents and how my life was shaped by their values. This book carries this theme at its heart; the parents’ love of writing – mother at the kitchen table and father in his office – and how they opened the mind of their child to the creative life.
What a first book – fabulous!

Also by Denise O’Hagan

Read the reviews and buy the books:  Amazon UK  – And: Amazon US  Follow Denise:Goodreads –  website: Black Quill Press –  Twitter: @DeniseOHagan3

The final collection today is from Balroop Singh and is her most recent release Magical Whispers

About the collection

I wait for whispers; they regale my muse. Whispers that can be heard by our heart, whispers that ride on the breeze to dispel darkness and ignite hope. I’m sure you would hear them through these poems if you read slowly.

‘Magical Whispers’ would transport you to an island of serenity; beseech you to tread softly on the velvety carpet of nature to feel the ethereal beauty around you. The jigsaw of life would melt and merge as you dive into the warmth of words.

In this book, my poems focus on the whispers of Mother Nature, whispers that are subtle but speak louder than words and breathe a quiet message.

Each day reminds us
It’s the symphony of surroundings
That whispers life into us.

One of the recent reviews for the collection

Lauren Scott 5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely and Moving Poetry Collection  Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2020

I have been a fan of Balroop Singh’s poetry for many years now. She has a magical way of weaving words together that mesmerize and inspire, which explains the spot-on title for her new poetry collection, Magical Whispers. This beautiful edition is divided into two segments: Magical Whispers and Whispers of Life.

The first segment effortlessly captivates as we read verses that truly convey Singh’s love and connection to Mother Nature. Since I am an avid hiker and backpacker, I resonate fully with each line and image the author paints with her enchanting poetic style. The poems that stand out for me are Stream Whispers, Celestial Lake, Love is Love, and Whispers of Soul.

The second segment touches on various components of life such as: love, dreams, sorrow, fear, and perseverance. Singh’s character holds a strong conviction that although life may be full of shadows, light always seeps through even if in tiny dewdrops. Her poetry expresses the epitome of strength and hope of which life cannot be lived to the fullest without. My favorites are Remember Me, Betrayers, Sentinels, The Magic of Love, and Sublime Sky. And yet, although I list only a few poems that move me, Singh’s collection in its totality transports me into tranquility and reflection. Her book graces my home library so that I can sink into the magic of her verses over and over again. I highly recommend adding this lovely poetry book to your home library, as well!

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Also by Balroop Singh

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – and : Amazon UK – Follow Balroop : Goodreads – blog:Balroop Singh on WordPress – Twitter: @BalroopShado

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you have enjoyed this selection of poetry collections in the Christmas Book Fair.. Sally.