Tag Archives: book reviews

A 5 Star Review Of My Book “Lost In The Labyrinth Of My Mind”

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I was delighted to receive the following review in respect of my recently published collection of poems, “Lost In The Labyrinth Of My Mind”,
“This is the third collection of poems I’ve read by this author. No matter how hard you try not to, you always come to expect a certain something from an
author you’ve read a couple of books by. This was the case with me when I agreed to read and review this book. And, you know what? I was not in the least
disappointed. The poems in this book are often thought provoking, and always a pleasure to read. The poems “Early Morning Walk” and “Hey Diddle Diddle
For Modern Times” were my favourites, with “Labyrinth” and “I Am” also being ones I thought were really great poems. I also thought “The Girl And The Oak”
and “The Path Through The Woods” were excellent. In short, there were a lot of wonderful poems in this collection, and I struggled to pick a favourite.

*Note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced my opinion of the poems in this book,
nor the contents of this review”.
For the above review please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RQ896A2R092YI/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01AF5EPVY. To purchase or read a free sample of “Lost In The Labyrinth Of My Mind please go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-labyrinth-my-mind-Morris-ebook/dp/B01AF5EPVY/ref=cm_rdp_product.

Thank you to the reviewer for taking the time to read and review my book.

Literary Merit

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Recently I purchased 2 books of poetry: “I Just Stepped Out” by the late Felix Dennis and “Essential Poems”, edited by Neil Astley. Both works have much to recommend them (Dennis is a wonderful poet and I am currently enjoying leafing through Astley’s anthology). I am, however irritated by the prominent endorsements by famous people carried by both works.
While I am pleased that the great and the good derived pleasure from the books in question this is, ultimately a matter of supreme indifference to me. I will make up my own mind as to the value of a given work and the endorsement (or lack thereof) by a celebrity will not influence my view of the merits(or otherwise) of the book in question. In this media obsessed age the danger is that readers will base their decisions regarding book purchases on the literary tastes of those in the public eye. To my mind the opinion of the lady working behind the counter in my local bookshop caries more weight than that of a celebrity who has been asked for his or her view. Even then I will, in the final analysis make up my own mind as regards whether to buy a particular book.
Both of the above works do (as stated above) contain much that is praiseworthy. However the mere fact that a given work is endorsed by a well known individual should not cause us to conclude that it does, in fact possess literary merit and is, on this basis worthy of our attention.
As a writer I am thrilled whenever someone likes my work, whether that person is a shop assistant in my local supermarket or a photogenic celebrity is of no concern to me. While I in no way blame writers for seeking endorsements, I do worry that it leads to a mindset whereby a segment of the reading public come to believe that just because Mr X says a book is worthy of their attention it is, in fact worthy of their attention. This is, quite patently not the case.
As always I would be interested in your views on this subject.

Kevin

A Review Of My Book “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”

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Many thanks to Rebeca for reading and reviewing my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”. For Rebeca’s unboxing video please visit https://booksandmessybuns.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/out-of-the-box-1/. For Rebeca’s review of “Dalliance” please see https://booksandmessybuns.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-dalliance-by-k-morris/.

Why I Started Bibliomad By Olivia Emily

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Many thanks to Olivia Emily of Bibliomad for the below guest post. Do please visit Olivia’s blog which can be found here (https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/).

 

 

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Little, fair-haired Olivia flicked through the pages of Narnia, wishing ever-so deeply that she could escape through the back of her wardrobe, just like Lucy did.

But, she couldn’t do that.

Narnia is a fantasy novel, after all, and though it exists in a truthful era, the essence of fantastical concepts is entriely fictitious, much to little Olivia’s dismay. However, instead of climbing through a wardrobe, little Olivia immersed herself in books, wriggling through the flimsy pages, laying herself snuggly between the sentences, and winding the words around her adolescent bones.

This metaphor I use in the most truthful manner possible. Fiction isn’t in my blood, nor is it in my bones, but wrapped tightly around them thanks to little Olivia many moons ago. I wasn’t born to be a writer; I fell in love with fiction so deeply, that it seems as though writing is a natural becomming of that. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

Reading is an escape mechanism for many, and – in the earlier moments of my childhood – that value included me. However, despite my love developing from lonliness, literature makes me feel anything but. Firstly, the characters I witness feel like old friends. Secondly, the characters I write about feel like little parts of myself, sprinkled over the page. Thirdly, the doors both my reading and writing have opened are the doors to every little thing I have ever wanted, and ever could want.

And that brings me to the true purpose of this guest post – my blog.

I started BiblioMad just over 3 months ago, and since then, I have (somehow) accumulated 187 followers, who all seem to care about what I have to say. That is a great feeling.

Primarily, I post book reviews, which is a beautiful way to combine my love of reading with my love of writing, and – frankly – it is my favourite thing to do.

Although BiblioMad could also be percieved as an escape mechanism, I argue only with this: I write not to hide, not to escape from my life, and not to gain praise, but to throw myself into the spotlight and express what I have to say. Whether that’s personal opinions, works of fiction, or breif messages from my whirlwind of a mind, I write not to dissapear, but to exist in my simplist form; the writer.

 

A Further 2 Reviews Of “The Girl Who Wasn’t There And Other Poems”

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I was thrilled to receive the following 2 5 star reviews of “The Girl Who Wasn’t There And Other Poems”:

 

“It is with great expectation that I started to read, “The Girl Who Wasn’t There And other Poems” by K. Morris. Even more enticing was the quote on the book’s

rear cover from Oscar Wilde, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”.

 

Each poem represents a picture or better even, a snapshot from an old Polaroid of life’s other side which makes Wilde quote seem apropos as he knew firsthand

the changes life could take given his troubles in his later years. But aside from that as I read these poems another voice spoke to me, that of Edgar Allan

Poe. The wit of Oscar Wilde crossed with the macabre of Poe. This is dark poetry and one might find themselves a little too familiar with the situations

our subjects find themselves in.

 

We are given a hearty portion of love lost turned to its sleazy side; disillusionment with love and the mask used to portray this illusion as it feast

upon our soul in waking hours. But we’re reminded that we all turn to dust no matter what our accomplishments as we ask the ‘London Rain’ to wash away

this London hell we find ourselves in.

 

In ‘The Hypocrite’ we see a fine upstanding man, quick to condemn, above reproach, but for the grace of God it would be he instead of them.

 

‘The Spider and the Fly’ displays how each is doomed, both sides of life are found at fault.

 

We do see some light at the end of these gray skies as in the ‘Wit of a Gentlemen Suitor to His Beloved’ and the metaphor of the wind, the breeze to bring

about the hopes of our better angels.

 

I read ‘Venus in Firs’ and thought this might be pointing to Wilde himself and the notoriety that beseeched him.

 

‘The Fox and the Bear’ brought me back to the conditions of life and how we could find ourselves at the opposing end.

 

‘Handbags and Shoes’ brings us to the material gain we long for and the things we do for their gain.

 

Death is exposed in ‘The Dying Year’ and ‘Waking Early’ and in the closing line of ‘Saturday Morning’.

 

In the poems ‘Dolls’, ‘Drowning in Nightmare’ and ‘Digging’, I’m reminded more than ever of the effect Edgar Allan Poe may have had on this book of poetry.

 

In ‘Young Lady, Older Man’ we see the passing of any real feelings for both sides, the banality of it all. In this we return to the shame and pain, an

endless path as the bed post are witness to all that has gone wrong in love.

 

And for me the saving grace of it all, defined in the poem ‘Dog’.

 

This is a fine collection of poetry sure to capture the reader and find them at the mercy of these written words”. (For the review please visit http://www.amazon.com/review/R3J0CCGHV37EQ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0155KSKOC).

 

“A lovely collection of poems about living in the gutter of life. I find the poems touching and thought provoking, some made me laugh others are more serious

and sad. My favourites were the poems: The Whispering Wind, Masks and Innocence Lost”. (For the review please visit http://www.amazon.com/review/R1Q1N4ER7HNH5O/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0155KSKOC).

 

Many thanks to both reviewers for taking the time to read and review “The Girl Who Wasn’t There And Other Poems”.

 

Kevin

A 5 Star Review Of My Book “Street Walker And Other Stories”

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On checking my reviews, I was please to discover the following review of “Street Walker And Other Stories”:

 

“This was a great little book containing a number of short but interesting and thought provoking stories from an as yet fairly unknown, but up and coming

author. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone to give this book a read!”

For the above review please visit, http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1QYZBZO8RZ6QC/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00HLRNDP4. For further reviews of “Street Walker And Other Stories” please go to the following link, http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00HLRNDP4/ref=cm_cr_dp_syn_footer?k=Street%20Walker%20and%20other%20stories&showViewpoints=1.

Many thanks to the reviewer for the above review.

 

Kevin

A 5 Star Review Of My Book “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”

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Many thanks to Olivia Emily for taking the time to read and review my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”. For Olivia’s 5 star review of “Dalliance” please visit the following link, (https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/dalliance-a-collection-of-poetry-and-prose-by-k-morris-book-review/).

 

Kevin

A Review Of My Book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”

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On checking the reviews of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” I was delighted to see that a new review has been posted, which reads as follows:

 

“Kevin Morris shares his serious inner life in “Dalliance” in simple but often powerful poems and short, gritty vignettes full of honest feeling and meaning.

He shares his acute sense of hearing and touch and his connectedness with Nature and the elements. He feels rain and wind on his face, either warm like

a lover, or piercing and chill. His communion with birdsong reminds us that we are trapped in an over-stimulated electronic world out of earshot of the

call of the wild. Kevin clearly hears these sounds through and above our babble even in the pub, and may transfer his feelings onto them, sometimes his

sense of isolation. The pearl of this collection is a poem about the “eternal” wind, which has no regard for our petty civilisation: it is the ultimate

renewable power. The wind is from everlasting to everlasting. He hears the hoot of the deadly swooping owl intent in its prey. He feels and describes the

touch of the acorn, something he has loved since gathering acorns with his grandfather. His short stories are deeply felt and based on newstories told

with compassion. In sharing his gift, he opens up our own senses to the music of nature, the wind and birdsong, which is balm to the bruised soul. Highly

enjoyable!”.

Thank you to the reviewer for the above review which can be found here, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R16IO99Q8EZCSG/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00QQVJC7E).

 

Kevin

Update to my ‘About’ and ‘Reviews of my books’ pages.

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I have, at long last, added images of my book covers to my ‘About’ page (http://newauthoronline.com/about/).

I have also updated the ‘Reviews of my books’ page to include the recent reviews of ‘Dalliance’ (http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/).

The Free Promotion Of “The Suspect And Other Tales” Ends On 8 June 2015

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The free promotion of my book, “The Suspect and Other Tales” ends on 8 June 2015. To read reviews or to download “The Suspect” free please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the USA and rest of the world).

 

Kevin