unfortunately though i am a fan of the author, I could not get too into this. It is now archived and unable to read as well.

3,5 Stars

This is my second time reading a poetry collection by Iain S. Thomas and like the previous one, I enjoyed this one even if it won’t become a favorite. I like the poems even though I do think that there was too much poems in this collection and that, therefore, some of them were repetitive.

The addition of pictures took by the author was interesting and it was really nice that some of them were there to illustrate some of the poems.

Beautiful writing, but not quite my cup of tea. Poems were relatable and definitely inspired emotions in the reader.

Lovely collection of poems that made me feel multiple things. I would recommend this to anyone.

A truly beautifully written collection of poems combined with photographs that hit exactly where the author aimed them. These poems will leave you breathless.

...................................................

I call this "confirmation bias" poetry and I am generally not a fan. This book was not an exception to the rule. The only thing I liked was the photos.

THIS IS WONDERFUL. The process behind it is fascinating and I love it so much. It's interesting to see how the picture inspires the writer and what writing comes out of it. The pictures at first I thought would either be knocking you over the head obvious or really obscure. And I think it landed somewhere in between. I found that while reading the poem that suddenly the meaning of the picture would start to appear and it happened in such a natural way that I think that if one was there without the other, something would be missing. I loooooved the writing style. I'm no poetry expert so I can't critique the writing too much, but I did think it was really good. I also liked how the poems were assembled, it had a really nice flow. The reason it's not a perfect read for me was because I did find myself getting a tad bored at times. I don't really why this was. Maybe I just couldn't relate to certain pieces? I do find that some poetry is hard to read/care about if you can't relate or don't understand what the point they're trying to get across is. But other than some mild boredom, I really did love this. Can't wait to see more books from this project!

My Disclaimer:

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.

~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

What it’s about…

This is the collected poems by Iain S. Thomas over a decade. They deal with the sense of loneliness and the attempt to connect with another, to reach out and touch another soul, another being. To not be empty.

There are approximately 400 poems in this collection. Each has a date. Some go for several pages and some barely cover several lines. Only the ones written for you will speak to you.

There are also images incorporated into the collection. Some of them relate directly to the poem they are with, others do not.

Technical Tidbits…

The cover of handwritten text on an abstract background is quite appropriate for this book. It’s not exactly eye-catching, but it is appropriate. Something bright and cheery or terribly formatted would have been very incongruent to the subject and presentation of the work within the book.

Writing Quality of poetry is difficult to evaluate unless you are going to look at the technical aspect of it. Freeform does not lend itself to that approach. And this is certainly freeform.

The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰⭒

I sat and read this whole book in one sitting, from the first page all the way to the last. I read every poem and looked at every photo. So poems I read more than once, and there are some I highlighted for future reference.

There are about 400 poems in this collection. It’s hard to count them accurately with the way they are written in parts of the ARC I have. Less than 10%, about 1/12, actually only 36 of the poems had meaning for me out of those 400-ish poems. No, that’s not a majority, but it is a lot of poems. It’s a whole lot of words. And I found a lot of meaning in those words. Some of the poems sounded like what my friends and I used to write when we were younger and traded our journals to share our work. The angst of youth. The work seemed fairly youthful to me with a good flow of thought. There was good imagery in a lot of it. There was also a lot of insight into the human condition of pain at parting and the pain generally found in relationships. The pain of loneliness when alone is empty.

I want to share a poem from this collection with you:

The First Day On Earth

Monday, July 30, 2012

Firstly, you need to relax. I know it’s not as warm as it once was but you get used

to the cold and warmth can be found in the people around you.

Secondly, do not

Get used to crying to get things. Some people never grow out of

it. Avoid them.

Spend time around people who smile in the face of despair.

Learn from them all

you can. Everyone is a lesson. A story. A unique and wondrous

perspective on

the chaos that is human existence. The more people you talk to,

the more you

understand it. But never speak if you have the opportunity to

listen. Especially

if you want someone to like you. There’s nothing you can say

that’ll endear

someone to you as much as really and truly listening to them.

You are on day

one of a sometimes remarkable, sometimes terrible, sometimes

beautiful, strange

and always completely unknown journey. Be ok with this.

Worrying about what

happens next will ruin the surprise. You will meet strange

people along the way,

some good, some bad. This is a pattern that will more than likely

repeat constantly as you grow up. Some things will be good,

some things will be bad. Neither

will ever last forever. Nothing will stay the same. Appreciate

every moment of

happiness and remember it when you despair. Hold them close.

And when you are happy, remember the moments of despair

and think to yourself, “I told you so.”

Never let someone else define you. You are your own creation

and only you decide how you feel, who you are and what you

want. This can be scary at first but it is

liberating to truly and utterly embrace your own identity. People

who hate you for

not being like them are not worth hating back. Please, let go of

hate whenever you can. Accept love whenever it is given and

give it out freely. It is the most powerful

force on Earth.

Enjoy your stay.

While writing this review I was torn. This is, without question a collection of beautiful words and ideas. Some of these made my heart want to burst, others I read and felt like someone understood me. It is a wonderful collection, however, I would recommend reading this as a physical copy as the ebook version simply doesn't do it justice!

That said, it was hard to understand what was going on, who was writing. This is my first experience with this particular author and I found myself quite confused by the project with little structure to the pieces. For some there were simply sentences in bold, while other pieces were pages long! It was enjoyable but I spent the first half of the book completely confused as to what was going on!

Overall I gave this 3 stars. There is true beauty in this book, I would have just liked to have understood it more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this opportunity to review.

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Sometimes, poetry is the only thing that speaks to certain parts of our souls or minds or hearts. It can scrape past the superficial lines of who we are and touch on something deeply. I Wrote This For You is one of those collections that touches on something so raw and vulnerable, you often squirm from the way it makes you feel. This is my first experience in Iain S. Thomas' work but I can see what compels his fans to reach out and hope to touch the words he pens.

Life is full of so many complexities and like so many of his counterparts, he exposes parts of these traits in a way that makes readers feel attached to the very words he writes. It also lends a hand in exploring who we are as people--connecting our thoughts to his and then back again. When reading I Wrote This For You, you find yourself in the lines of a poem and suddenly, you're no longer completely alone. This is not something to be taken lightly; you will find yourself highlighting and tabbing many sections of the prose. It is the very type of collection you pick up and by the time you're finished, you are itching to submerge yourself in the pages once more.



You may be wondering why I didn't give the collection five stars--there were many moments in it that felt... oh, let's say, less powerful than others. This isn't a bad thing. Or uncommon. I had a section of I Wrote This For You stuck on loop in my mind for days after reading it--but there were some parts that were tedious in tone, too familiar and weak in comparison to the rest, that made a few parts slower to me. At the end of the day, this means nothing. For the work speaks to me on different levels than it will to the author or readers. And that's perfect.

I've said it before and I'll say it again--modern poetry has really taken a hit from the literary world in a way that makes me flinch in annoyance. They've forgotten what it means to be a poet. They've just decided what makes poetry appealing to them. I Wrote This For You is modern poetry at its rawest and there's nothing anyone can say that makes me feel differently about it. Something about it is so undeniably special and full of spark that you can't help but to be drawn by it. For writers, you pick it up and suddenly remember this is why you read and write to begin with. To feel something. I Wrote This For You does all of that and more. It reminds you to feel and to live all at once and that is the truest form of beauty.

There are parts of me that feel tingly just from reading it. Like a buzz spreading from the tips of my fingers throughout the rest of my body. What I loved most about it was the intimate connection we receive from the words to us, the way photography plays a part in the way everything is expressed in such a small amount of pages and of course the lasting impression it leaves upon us.

I also appreciated the timeline and dates included to every poem. Prose can be told in real time or no time at all, but the way that this is set up--told through the time of a decade--is just beautifully done. I adored it. I'm almost a little glad that I hadn't read any of this before because seeing it told in this manner, in one collection, feels right for me. It's the perfect collection to wrap up a stellar year of releases. I loved it!

You know the words are good when you feel like they were, indeed, written for you.

I Wrote This For You: 2007 - 2017 is a pretty awesome book. Throughout it, I felt like the person writing this really meant for this to be read by me and no one else, only me. I also liked the pictures in it, and trying to connect them was a good thing! However, I didn’t like the writing style of it. I thought it was okay, and it could’ve been better in some ways, but the topics were pretty good.

The dated entries feel like you're reading a diary. The photos help set the scene. It's a great book of poetry.

Beautiful, there is a poem in here for everyone and I definitely related to many. Some I even reread before turning the page, but certain poems I liked more than others. The visualizations of the photography really brought the words to life. You can absolutely tell that this book was written for you. Recommended to all poetry fans!

Thank you to the publisher & netgalley! Definitely enjoyed this book!

This was beautifully written and I highlighted many passages that I thought were quotable, however, this collection of poetry wasn't particularly impactful to me. I feel like I need to feel an impact from poetry to really love it. It was enjoyable and I would read more from this author but I didn't love this.

This is a collection of poetry with new work and also a bit of previously published poems. There is also some beautiful photography. If you loved his past work I think you will enjoy this as well.

I adored it. I had to pace myself so that it wasn't over too quickly!

Stunning and heartbreakingly beautiful. These poems hit me hard. This collection had photographs weaved within the poems and it was a nice touch to an already stellar bind-up. The poems within the collection ranged from short and poignant to a bit longer and powerful as well. I particularly liked the poem "The Children of Time." There is just something about this collection that hits you hard and makes you ache for more. Half of this book has been highlighted and bookmarked. I Wrote This For You: 2007-2017, will forever hold a piece of me and its words will haunt and stay by me for years to come. Definitely pick this up, if you are a fan of poetry. This will not disappoint.

I don't mind poetry, or poetry in the form of super short stories, but this didn't do it for me. I really liked a few of the entries, but I felt like it was a little angsty for my taste. I will definitely give it another try sometime, but I have too many unread books to get through at the moment. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book.

"I Wrote This For You: 2007 - 2017" is a wonderful collections of photographs from all over the world coupled with prose. Iain S. Thomas starts off the book saying "I wrote this for you... I wrote this for you and only you...You were meant to read these words. Thank you for finding this."

I found his prose to be beautiful, honest, and he often seems so on the mark with my own thoughts and feelings that it does seem as if this book were written for/to me. I don't know how he does it, but he speaks in few words for himself, for me, for all of humanity.

I LOVE THIS BOOK and will keep it and read it again and again and again. I hope you find it and read it too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing.

My love for <i>I Wrote This For You </i> is endless. This is a collection of poetry and photography with new work, and old stuff. If you loved the previous one, you'll love this too.