July 2025 Book Reviews #bookreview #books #amreading #readingcommunity @DLFinnAuthor @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I have been working on editing my WIP. I'm happy with the progress I've made and hope to release it before this year is over. I tried to separate time to read this month, but with all the home renovations, I haven't really had time to relax and read. Here is the one book I managed to finish this month, and it was a great one. All the reviews I share are for books I've rated with four or five stars.

Gratitude & No Fairy Tale (Just Her Poetry, Book Three)

by D.L. Finn

Genre: Motivational & Inspirational Poetry eBooks

Pages: 171

Book Blurb:

Explore D. L. Finn’s poetic journey, from her newest to earliest works. Part One immerses you in a combination of her photography and symbolic poems. Peaceful winter days, forests, and sunsets illuminate her search for the magic of life. Part Two retraces her journey from her first poems. Her life is revealed through free verse poems and photographs that were featured in her memoir, No Fairy Tale. She discovers gratitude on her path to happiness. Join her as she explores her reality through emotions and nature in this special collection.

My Review:

This was another wonderful collection of poetry. I have been blessed to own one of the calendars that this author creates from photos she has taken and poetry she has written. The first section of this book included many photos and haiku, each brilliantly combined. She also includes freestyle poetry on many different topics. Some of my favorites were "Beautiful," "Trees," "Ice Beauty," "Rain," "The Door," and "Fear." The imagery is beautiful and her words evoke so many emotions. If you love reading poetry, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Have you read any great books this month? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

A Gnome Donsy- #W3 #dVerse #Quadrille #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I saw a bit of progress on my kitchen today, just not as much as I was hoping for. The electrical outlets are complete, but the plumber didn't show. The cabinet guy came but only installed a few drawers. He'll be back on Saturday. I go back to work next Thursday, so I'm just hoping it's all done before then.

I've decided to combine two prompts today. The first is Wea've Written Weekly (W3). Dennis shares the photo below and invites us to write a poem in twenty lines or fewer about what we imagine is happening. We also must use the word donsy in our poem. It means group or gathering. It also must have some kind of pattern or structure, so I added a rhyming pattern.

The second prompt is from dVerse's Quadrille #228. Mish asks us to write a quadrille using a version of the word fish in it. For those who are unfamiliar, a quadrille must have exactly 44 words. 

(photo credit: Victoria Baker, Donnybrook Visitor Centre)

A Gnome Donsy

they gather every summer

eagerly awaiting their creator

children selfishly search for shade

newer gnomes make friends and play in the glade

the elderly happily reconnect with friends

to gossip about the new garden trends

and reunite with ale

under summer solstice's magical veil

Would you like to write a poem for either of these prompts? Click the link below:

Wea've Written Weekly (W3)

dVerse's Quadrille #228

Angry Mom - #TankaTuesday #seox #metaphor #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's #TankaTuesday, Robbie invites us to write an implied metaphor within our poem. She explains that an implied metaphor is when a word/phrase is connected to an object/action though it is not literally applicable. I've decided to write a seox, which is a poem with a syllabic pattern of 3-7-6-5-4-3. I've bolded and italicized my metaphors.

(courtesy of @JuliusH on Pixabay)

angry mom

child nothing but punching bag

her words cut to the bone

never a kind word

loveless childhood

bleak future

Would you like to write a poem for this theme? Join us here.

A #Haiga - #FFFC #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge, Melissa shares the photo below and asks us to use it for inspiration. I decided to create a haiga, which is a combination of visual art with a haiku.

(image courtesy of Peter Thomas)

Would you like to write something inspired by this photo? Join us here.

Generationally Defunct - #WDYS #tanka #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For today's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje shares two pictures with us and invites us to use them as inspiration. I chose the image below and wrote a tanka to go with it. My sister and I have been talking about generational wealth and the importance of setting up our children and their children for a stronger financial life. I guess my mind connected that with the picture...sort of. Lol!

(image credit; Christian Crocker @ Unsplash)

Generationally Defunct

seeking ancestors

mysterious heritage

new revelations

descendants of kings and queens

money, power died with them

Would you like to write a poem for this prompt? Join us here.

Melted Ice - #dVerse #WDYS #W3 #Etheree #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel in my renovations. It looks like my kitchen will finally get installed tomorrow or Friday. Fingers crossed! It's been a busy day and tomorrow is looking even busier, so I'm going to try to combine three different prompts into one poem today.

The first comes from dVerse's Poets Pub. Lillian invites us to use the name from the list of candies that she provides here within our poem. I'm not a big candy/bar person, though I do love dark chocolate. For my poem, I decided to use starburst as my word.

The second challenge is Sadje's What Do You See? prompt. The photo below is one of the two she provided to inspire us to write. And the third challenge is W3: Wea've Written Weekly. Lesley gives us the option of writing about a desert island or a fantasy castle. I've twisted this a bit to a deserted island of ice, rather than a desert of sand.

I decided to write an Etheree, which is a poem of ten lines with a syllabication pattern of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.

(image courtesy of Colin Watts @ Unsplash)

Melted Ice

you

left me

deserted

my heart broken

shattered pieces formed

protective icy shards

prevented new encounters

with time, the heart began to mend

starbursts of warmth, self-love melted walls

and I found a new love to call my own

Would you like to join any of these challenges? Click the links below:

dVerse's Poets Pub

What Do You See? prompt

W3: Wea've Written Weekly

Treehouse Camping - #TankaTuesday #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For today's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Selma invited us to explore the photography of Paul Szlosek. I encourage you to click on his name and check out his photos. They are fantastic! I chose the photo below and decided to write a tanka prose, which is a paragraph of prose and a tanka.

(image courtesy of Paul Szlosek)

Treehouse Camping

When I was little, my dad was stationed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for three years. We lived in a brick house on Melrose Road. Behind our house, our yard rapidly descended toward a creek that would rise every time a bad storm came through. On that incline was a huge tree, so my dad built my sister and me a treehouse across its several large trunks. As far as we were concerned, it was a mansion, and all our friends loved to visit. I miss those days where a simple treehouse was enough to satisfy the soul.

treehouse summer nights

sleeping bags up high in tree

crickets serenade

lantern glow illuminates

imagination set free

Would you like to write a poem based on one of Paul's photos? Join us here.

Beauty's Depth - #dVerse #FFFC #prosery #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I finally made it to the beach on Saturday. It's been hard to step away from the house because of the renovations. It was so nice to dig my feet into the sand, breathe in the salt air, and laugh with friends. There was over ten feet of seaweed on the shoreline, which wasn't pleasing. Luckily, some people created a path through it so we could still enjoy the water. We were able to find a patch of water with very little seaweed and stayed there for a bit. The temps are in the upper 90s, so it's very hot, and the water is warm. Still, every moment at the beach is a moment of enjoyment for me.

I haven't been as consistent in writing poetry as I used to be, but it hasn't been easy to think creatively with all that's happening. The bedrooms are finally done. I'm still putting things back in place, but we are getting closer to the end now. I miss writing poetry, and I'm hoping to write more this week. For today, I'm combining two prompts.

The first one is from dVerse- Poets Pub. Kim invites to write a prosery, a short piece of prose or flash fiction of up to 144 words (my piece has exactly 144 words, not including the title). In the prosery, we must include the following quote from Derek Walcott's poem, "Dark August". We can add punctuation, but the words must stay in this order without adding other words. I have bolded and italicized the phrase within my piece.

"I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones."

The second challenge is Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #330. She shared the picture below and asked us to let it inspire us. I thought it would go perfectly with the above quote, so I combined the two. I decided to write a haibun for my prosery.

(image courtesy of @JeffHardi on Unsplash)

Beauty's Depth

For years, I suffered from low self-esteem and depression. No matter what people told me, I couldn't find light, laughter, or self-love. I'd like to think I would have learnt to love. Black days, like bright ones, can be alluring and special. But my eyes were blinded from the beauty surrounding me, stuck in a darkness that drowned any positive thought trying to rise from my mind's black hole. Luckily, I was loved unconditionally by many who stood with me and lent their supportive hands to pull me out of my quicksand captivity. When I finally learned to love myself, both flowers and flaws, the blindfold fell away and the beauty surrounding me, and within me, shone brightly. It was then I learned to love all days, even the dark ones.

thorn bush pricks draw blood

life's mishaps create worry

focus on the rose

Would you like to write for either of these prompts? Click the links below:

dVerse- Poets Pub

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

Beware the Point of No Return - #dVerse #Quadrille #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today has been a bit stressful with renovation woes/current country chaos, so my poetry took a bit of a dark turn. For this week's dVerse Q227, Lisa invites us to write a quadrille using the word turn or any concept connected to it. For those of you new to quadrilles, they are a form of poetry with exactly 44 words (not including the title).

(courtesy of @icheinfach on Pixabay)

Beware the Point of No Return

cerulean skies observe

toxicity poisons mindless passageways

ignorant smog darkens clarity

incendiary attacks destroy peaceful neighborhoods

violent tornados abduct loved ones off streets

cumulous clouds crowd the sky

threatening to destroy cherished values

turbulent waters are rising

turn the tide before all is lost

Would you like to write a quadrille with us this week? Join us here.

Full Moon Craze - #WDYS #haiku #poem #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I have seen a small bit of progress in my renovation, but it feels like one step forward, two steps back. Hopefully, this week will bring me more progress. Fingers crossed!

For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje shares two images and encourages us to find inspiration from one (or both) to write a poem. I chose the image below and wrote a haiku.

(Image Credit; Nik @ Unsplash)

hiding behind smiles

full moon craze starts to fester

road to peace crumbles

Would you like to write a poem for this image? Join us here.

Futuristic Dreams #TankaTuesday #CreativePerspectiveChallenge #tanka #poem #poetry @poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Painting has begun in my house. It's one step closer to having this renovation over, but there is still so much that needs to be done. I am managing my anxiety fairly well, given the circumstances. I am grateful for these poetry challenges because they are helping me focus on something other than the chaos in my house. 

Today, I'm attempting to combine two challenges. The first comes from #TankaTuesday. Colleen introduced us to synesthesia, which is a literary device that intertwines sensory experiences. For example, you would describe a color by using a word that describes a smell or use an adjective for sound to describe a texture. I have bolded and italicized my synesthesia examples.

The other challenge is the Creative Perspective Challenge, where Denise provides us with the picture below and encourages us to let it inspire us. I've chosen to write a tanka poem for today.

futuristic dream

removes man's harm to planet

joyful, gentle winds

vast, fresh, blueberry oceans

reset provides a fresh start

Would you like to write a poem for either of these prompts? Click the links below:

#TankaTuesday

Creative Perspective Challenge

Chaffinch - #WDYS #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje shared two photos and asked us to use one (or both) photos to inspire our writing. I chose the photo below and decided to write a haiku.

(image courtesy of Nik @ Unsplash)

peach chaffinch in spring

shyly waits for seeds to fall

bird feeders bring joy

Would you like to write a poem for this photo? Join us here.

Pool Fun - #FFFC #seox #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Renovations are still happening over here, but there as been some small progress. Hopefully, I'll see a lot more done this week. Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge provided the photo below and invited us to write a poem or flash fiction inspired by it. 

I decided to write a seox, which is a form with six lines and a syllabication pattern of 3-7-6-5-4-3.

(image courtesy of Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels)

Pool Fun

summer heat

refreshing pool beckons me

rainbow-hued floating balls

peaceful, easy flow

calypso tunes

cannon ball!

Would you like to write a poem for this picture? Join us here.

Frolicking Bear - #FFFC #haiku @YvetteMCalleiro

 

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge, Melissa chose the hilarious picture below, so I decided to write a haiku and have a little fun with it.

(courtesy of Ryan Grewell on Unsplash)

a bear's dream reprieve

frolicking in spring water

with no shits to give

Want to write a poem or flash fiction for this picture? Join us here.

Nowhere Like Home - #TankaTuesday #nonet #home @YvetteMCalleiro

 

Hello, beautiful readers! It's been a while. I just got back from my cruise on Sunday. It was just the right mixture of relaxation and fun, especially since I'm still dealing with the renovations of my house. Our NCL cruise took us to Roatan (Honduras), Harvest Caye (Belize), Cozumel (Mexico), and Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas). We visited native animals, ziplined, and snorkeled in Roatan. We snorkeled and enjoyed the island in Harvest Caye. In Cozumel, we took the Atlantis submarine 108 feet under the sea to explore the marine life and then did some shopping. And in the Bahamas, we snorkeled (again) and relaxed at the beach. And, of course, I spent some time reading on our balcony. Here are a few pics:

For this week's Tanka Tuesday poetry challenge, Willow invites us to write a nonet using synonyms for: the state of the world/our lives. It was so wonderful to disconnect from everything that is happening in my country and the world (as well as the chaos in my own home...lol). Ignorance truly is bliss...until reality catches up to you. 

A nonet is a poem with nine lines with descending syllables (9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1). There are variations of the form, which you can find here. I've chosen to go with the classic nonet. The chosen phrase lends itself to so much negative energy because the state of the world right now is quite sad, but I'm desperately trying to hold on to the calm and peaceful vibes of my trip, so I decided to focus on the state of my life instead, still chaotic but not so harrowing.

(courtesy of Bing Image Creator)

Nowhere Like Home

a whirlwind of construction chaos

cutting, drilling invade my peace

thick dust infiltrates my nose

each room's a working mess

the end is in sight

finished product

well worth it

home sweet

home

Would you like to write a nonet? Join us here.