The best poetry books for understanding the world around you

Why am I passionate about this?

For as long as I can remember, it has been of the utmost importance to find meaning in life—both for myself and for everyone else. I have spent much of my time in the past few years pushing for continued discourse in the fields of philosophy and psychology. I have studied at various educational institutions in these fields, and have thus used that knowledge to discuss topics relating to such on my podcast, Think More, which can be found on Spotify. I founded an online journal titled Modern Rebellion in the hopes of assisting contemporary artists and intellectuals with getting their work out there into the public eye.

I wrote...

Perspectives

By Zachary Austin Behlok,

Book cover of Perspectives

What is my book about?

This text seeks to give my own poetic take on various philosophical and psychological topics ranging from rebellion to depression, and so much more, while doing so in a way that is easy to grasp. I find that it can be very difficult for us, as individuals, to fully realize and understand that the world we reside within is not necessarily perfect—I seek to tackle that by means of relaying my own perspectives regarding such in a way that is unbiased yet emotional. Perception of the world around us differs vastly per the individual, and by learning of another’s perspective, maybe it will become easier to understand your own. This book hopes to assist in self-realization and understanding in ways previously deemed impossible.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense

Zachary Austin Behlok Why did I love this book?

Bukowski had a unique perspective on the world, and anyone who has read his work would most definitely agree. This book, which is a collection of some of Bukowski’s greatest pieces in my opinion, has a way of resonating with you on a personal level. Whether it be gaining a newfound perspective on the animals that scurry around our yards, or of a gambler wasting away in a casino on a Monday afternoon, Bukowski has a knack for bringing up the world’s problems in a way that is both depressing and humorous at the same time, while also giving peeks at his wit and charm as well.

By Charles Bukowski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Charles Bukowski examines cats and his childhood in You Get So Alone at Times, a book of poetry that reveals his tender side. He delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions.


Book cover of Poetics

Zachary Austin Behlok Why did I love this book?

Aristotle is but one of the greatest thinkers to ever have lived within our realms of existence—having defined basically everything natural that we run into on a daily basis thousands of years prior to our lives, he definitely made sure to such in regard to poetry. Among scientific and political discoveries, as well as many others, Aristotle also chose to give his perspective and input regarding literature, specifically poetry and prose, in this text, which proves to be a pivotal key to any reader and/or writer.

By Aristotle, Joe Sachs (translator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Poetics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most powerful, perceptive and influential works of criticism in Western literary history

In his near-contemporary account of classical Greek tragedy, Aristotle examines the dramatic elements of plot, character, language and spectacle that combine to produce pity and fear in the audience, and asks why we derive pleasure from this apparently painful process. Taking examples from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the Poetics introduced into literary criticism such central concepts as mimesis ('imitation'), hamartia ('error') and katharsis ('purification'). Aristotle explains how the most effective tragedies rely on complication and resolution, recognition and reversals. The Poetics has…


Book cover of The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings

Zachary Austin Behlok Why did I love this book?

Edgar Allen Poe was, and still proves to be, one of the most influential American writers of all time, having influenced many writers throughout history ranging from Fyodor Dostoevsky to Stephen King, among others. The main poem of this text, The Tell-Tale Heart, may be but one of Poe’s most famous works, next to The Raven, and my personal favorite, Alone. This piece accurately describes the feelings and emotions that one may experience when knowingly in the wrong, which can have a direct effect on both how we act and how we treat those around us.

By Edgar Allan Poe,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

A masquerade ball in a secluded abbey; a vendetta settled in the wine cellars of an Italian palazzo; a gloomy castle in a desolated landscape; the beating of a heart beneath the floorboards: the plots and settings of Poe's dark, mysterious tales continue to haunt the popular imagination. This new selection introduces the greatest Gothic fiction from one of the most deranged and deliciously weird writers of the nineteenth century. The tales are accompanied by the classic illustrations of Harry Clarke, an artist fully alive to the deep darkness at the heart of Poe's writing.


Book cover of The Prophet

Zachary Austin Behlok Why did I love this book?

As an Lebanese-American individual myself, the writings of Gibran, a Lebanese writer, seemed to naturally resonate with me. Although born and raised in America, I felt a pull towards Gibran’s work, and in a sense, an emotional connection— a sense of understanding. The Prophet, which may be but one of the most influential and popular works of poetic literature ever to exist, consists of numerous differing poems all mashed together to portray human life, and the varying aspects that both relate and contribute to it, including the good aspects and the bad. 

By Kahlil Gibran,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Prophet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First published in the 1920s, this book attempts to provide the reader with a guide to living. Gibran lets his protagonist, called simply the prophet, deliver homilies on a variety of topics central to daily life: love marriage and children, work and play, possessions, beauty, truth, joy and sorrow and death.


Book cover of Dante's Inferno

Zachary Austin Behlok Why did I love this book?

Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, by many accounts, is the most accurate and true portrayal of Hell. It has been long speculated whether or not Dante, by means of dreaming or some other metaphysical affair, was truly able to visit Hell—the ways in which he describes the deadly sins of human life proves to be both very emotional and very comprehendible, in a way that can push one to both care more for the way that they choose to live, care more for the ways that they treat others, as well as understand the burdens of life and thus realize that it could, in some way, be worse off than it presently seems. 

By Dante Alighieri, Charles Eliot Norton (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dante's Inferno as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Part one of Dante's masterpiece The Divine Comedy, designed with a smaller format for easy portability.


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Tiny Tales: A Year of Daily Prompted Stories

By Beth C. Greenberg,

Book cover of Tiny Tales: A Year of Daily Prompted Stories

Beth C. Greenberg Author Of First Quiver

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Perpetual Student Encourager Frustrated Golfer Puzzler

Beth's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Tiny Tales is a collection of 365 bite-sized stories and poems, written each day of 2023 to a one-word prompt created by one of the official #vss365 (very short story, 365 days a year) ambassadors on Twitter ("X").

Tweet-sized (280 characters or fewer) storytelling (aka "Twitterature") inspires experimentation and variety, and that is exactly what you'll find in this collection of compositions ranging from true stories to playful limericks, romantic fiction to war-inspired tales, wistful observations from a long-ago childhood to fantastical imaginings of a distant future.

Whether you want to read a story a day or use the prompts (included in their original order at the end of the book) as a springboard to jumpstart your own writing, Tiny Tales will keep you entertained and inspired throughout the year. It is a perfect gift to yourself or for any aspiring or avid writer in your life.

Tiny Tales: A Year of Daily Prompted Stories

By Beth C. Greenberg,

What is this book about?

Tiny Tales is a collection of 365 bite-sized stories and poems, written each day of 2023 to a one-word prompt created by one of the official #vss365 (very short story, 365 days a year) ambassadors on Twitter ("X"). Tweet-sized (280 characters or fewer) storytelling (aka "Twitterature") inspires experimentation and variety, and that is exactly what you'll find in this collection of compositions ranging from true stories to playful limericks, romantic fiction to war-inspired tales, wistful observations from a long-ago childhood to fantastical imaginings of a distant future.

Whether you want to read a story a day or use the prompts…


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