I have a degree in English Lit, I have been named Poet Laureate for Poetic Asides, and I've taught poetry, so I feel fairly well qualified to give a review on poetry. In addition, I've given some time to study and have read and written a lot of haiku. So when I say that this collection of haiku is really lackluster, I do not do it lightly.

A good poem should take you to someplace you did not expect, or show you the ordinary in a new light. It should reveal and help you see things anew.

These poems did none of that.

I'm not sure if it was a translation issue (doesn't appear to be a translated work), or just that the poet is not yet good at the craft. The sad thing is that I know many poets that write far better poetry that have not been picked up for publication, and yet these poems are getting published. And worse, readers who are not familiar with poetry might stumble upon these and either be turned off, or think these are what poetry should be.

Overall, I cannot recommend this collection to anyone. It gets 2 stars because the form is pretty much accurate (for western style haiku) and the writer made an attempt. Sadly, Kenih just really missed the boat.

Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read it in advance

This was my first introduction to Haiku and I'm still not sure what to think, other than, is it really so simple?
I was not blown away as I am with other poetry and I did not feel a sense of connection with the words as I usually have. So I am not sure if it's fair to rate this book poorly due to my lack of connection or if this is my rating for Haiku in general!

Haiku poetry is traditionally in the form of 5-7-5 syllables, and often deals with things in nature. Poetry tends to evoke or express feelings, memories, or thoughts.
This book of haiku’s is something you can sit down and read quickly or take the time to think about and relate to.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having been curious about the haiku since it was first a category on tv show Pointless I was interested to read a collection of them over a variety of topics. Although this book doesn't give any instruction into the art of writing haiku it was an enjoyable read and I gained a better understanding of the form and flow required to write these successfully. Not all of them worked for me but that was a good thing as it also gave insight into what I found was successful in this particular narrative form.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to poetry lovers, especially those of this deceptively simple form of writing, which in this instance concentrates on the five senses that guide our very existence.

I wasn't impressed by this book at all. I don't know who wrote it. Net Galley lists the author as "Vanessa" whereas clearly on the book cover, where the author's name is to be expected, there was 'Kuo Kenih'. I have no idea what that means. Worse than this, there was nothing to it. Naturally with poetry, the tendency is to go into it expecting less, but hoping for more. This was less and less.

There was no actual copyright notice, just this phrase: Posting of any material from this book with appropriate credit is forbidden. I guess that means a long as it's posted without credit, you're fine? That's why I did not credit the quote I just listed in this paragraph. I don't know if this was translated from Japanese. Perhaps it was, but there is no translator credit, unless it was written by Kuo Kenih and translated by Vanessa. or vice-versa.

I wondered about the translation because the triplets here aren't even haiku in the traditional sense. They're based on syllables whereas haiku are not, which tends to negate the translation hypothesis. Haiku are based on sounds, which people equate to syllables in other languages, but that's not strictly accurate. Haiku are also supposed to be about nature, which some of these actually are. Traditions change though, and modern haiku have strayed from the original style. This is to be expected, but if there is one thing from which it ought not to stray, it's elegance and meaning.

For me that's where the problem lay in this book, and in very nearly every haiku I read. I gave up about fifty percent in. They felt flat and meaningless. There was nothing deep about them and very little of elegance. There was nothing offered up; nothing sacrificed. There was no 'cut' between the overture and the finale, to perk up the mind. I was almost universally disappointed, and I can't quote to you the one which I did like, because it's forbidden now that I've attributed this work to its author. Or its other author. Sorry! I cannot commend this as a worthy read.

There is nothing to dislike about this book if you love poetry and want to explore haikus. Of course, expect brevity since the form itself is a short one. Lovely words.