A beautiful collection of poetry from a singular, lyric voice. I thoroughly enjoyed these poems and am excited to read more from this poet in the future.

Beautiful collection! I had not previously read poetry by this poet so I was happy to discover that I enjoyed the collection. I would highly recommend this to customers who are looking for new poetry books to explore!

I could read this book a thousand times. Every time I will discover something new woven into the music of poetry. From the cover to the words, I was greeted with a sense of calm as I journeyed through the author's very soul poured out onto the pages of this collection.
I do not consider myself an avid poetry consumer, but this collection has peaked my interest and will be finding a home among my personal library.
In terms of adding it to a middle school library, I do not think I will. Simply because the complexity of the poetry would go over the reader's head.

Blueprint
By Julia David
Green Bottle Press
Poetry

The Blueprint is a short collection of poems. Themes such as family, relationships, childhood, and loss are explored.

Here are a few lines that really hit me:

From “Winter”- “I remember now how hungrily the sun refused to set.”

From “Blueprint”- “…when I want to shoot a bird in its wing, only to have something to take home and heal.”

From “Saints”- Where’s the wine to wash away the aftertaste of childhood.”

This is a nice collection, offering a comprehensive look at the human experience.

Thanks to NetGalley, Green Bottle Press, and Julia David.

Something in the way this was written felt so raw and natural I couldn't help but devour every page in the unbridled curiosity of what happened next. What strange but alluring use of words and prose would pop up and enthrall me. The feeling of being submerged yet revived makes you want more and more and more.

As a Romanian writer living abroad myself, I could recognize many of the motives and themes that Iulia explores in her poetry. It felt incredibly relatable, and also really well executed.

At first "Blueprint" seemed to be just another fragmented collection. Each poem made sense only unto itself, with nothing to do with the following one. Only at the end did I manage to see the full picture.

You'll be able to find smaller subjects scattered about, with an overall theme of yearning - but for what?
Personally, I think the answer to that question may be your childhood home - wheter it be because your family was still together then, or because you still lived in your first country, the mother land that cradled your first years, or because you tend to forget how past pains feel.

I don't know if I fully grasped what was in the mind of the author, but poetry is beautiful because its message can vary from person to person; and I'm quite satisfied to say that what I found resonates with me.

Why do we avoid poetry and books of poems?

Do we feel inadequate when we read a poem and feel left behind like a grounded boat at low tide. Or in a comedy venue where everyone is laughing and we fail to get “the joke” an see no humour to make us even smile.

Poetry can be frustrating and although its flow and texture appealing like music can be as incomprehensible as listening to a ‘foreign’ language.

Should they be easier to grasp their meaning or worth or are they just enigmas wrapped up in riddles?

I have no idea or answers. But the more I read the greater my appreciation is for language and a use of words. My comprehension might not always be clear but I am caught within their spell.

Blueprint was offered for me to read a new poetic voice. Having read Static I was hooked; it is the first poem in the collection and I found deeper qualities the more times I read it. It finally resonated with me. “a sliding of limbs into limbo”.

I cannot review this book with any greater clarity; I have no words to compete with the two reviews on the back cover. I can only say I was so enchanted by the first poem I ordered the book from the publisher, as a statement not so much that I know what is good or worth reading but as a reward to myself and a show of gratitude to this poetic author. Like an infant learning to walk I wanted these poems close to hand to grow and develop my appreciation for poetry. To take bolder steps and stand taller in a world that needs words, beautiful language and poetry within it and framing our consciousness.

Honestly, this was more of a collection of poems that only made sense to the author. Sadly, I did not have the pleasure of reading this one.

I so was not prepared for this book. The poetry caught me off guard because its so different from what I always read. Its different because it seems kind of morbid. Maybe I am reading it wrong but that is what it seems like. Its old and its "haunting". Not sure if it's the right word. All I can say its quite different. To understand it better for you to read it.

I received a free copy of the book and voluntarily writing a review.

A short poetry collection with beautiful prose. You can just tell how much thought, love and experience the author put into each line. I loved it, such a beautiful read.