Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Catching up with reviews that have caught up with me.
Overall a lovely selection of poems, I would suggest not reading it in one go and rather reading one and savouring it, giving it some thought.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a free copy to review.

This book just wasn't for me. I ended up not giving feedback a while back when I read it. However, I just wanted to say that, even though I didn't like this book, I'm sure many people will truly appreciate it. :)

This was a lovely compilation of poetry. Each poem included in this edition has some connection to mysticism, and are grouped into themes like love, devotion, nature and more. I love this anthology because it was full of famous poems from poets that I already know and love, but presented in a new and interesting way. I would recommend this to anyone who loves poetry!

This anthology of poetry is to give ‘a flavour of certain poets in literature’ and consists of ‘musical poetry for those in search of life’s meaning’. The book is broken down into seven sections and each begins with early poetry, finishing on poetry written in more recent years. The sections: divinity, transcendence, love, devotion, peace, nature and spirt include poems from both well know poets, eg Shelley, Walt Whitman, to unknown writers and includes translations of works written in other languages. The vast array of poems is a very good way of introducing the reader to poets from different times and cultures.
It is not a book to read from start to finish, but one to pick up and peruse or in fact to discuss. In fact the complier states ‘the reader is encouraged to delve deeper in a direction which speaks to his own particular taste and inclination’. It is defiantly a thinking persons book.

There are some nice poems in here but it was all a bit too much for me. Unfortunately like other reviewers I didn’t realise this was quite so religion based. However, I think for someone looking for mystical religious poetry, this would be a great place to start.

While I consider myself religious, I still couldn’t get behind the poems in this collection and to be honest I felt a little misled I really wasn’t expecting this collection to be solely based on god and around him so that threw me off and was the reason I ended up DNF’ing this collection. I tried to pick this up a few times and couldn’t get past the first 10 percent. While there is nothing again the author, this just wasn’t my book and I should have done my research a little better before requesting this book.

This copy was provided by Netgalley all opinions are solely mine.

From the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas and the Song of Solomon to Rumi and Rilke, all the great mystical writers are here, In our fast-spinning world where noise and busyness we can often feel disconnected from our spirit, this collection provides true nourishment for the soul.
I loved working my way through this book. Some of the pieces /poems are better than others but all are beautiful. Whether you have Faith or not, this is a book that everyone can find something in it for them.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

This collection of poems would be a great tool if you're looking for verses on one of the specific topics included in its pages: divinity, transcendence, devotion, peace, nature, and spirit. These topics make an effort to be more inclusive than what traditional American education would include, including among the poems verses written from other religious sects than only Christianity, but I would say that Christianity is certainly still represented most heavily. I mention this to say encourage that, if you are seeking poems of non-Christian theology, this is possibly not the book for you. Additionally, these poems are not new publications, but are mostly poems that Jacobs wanted to make available to those who have not before. Now, I did find it a nice volume of topical poems, and if all these caveats didn't scare you off, I would still promote the book!
POEMS TO MAKE YOUR SOUL SING will be published on September 29th, 2020!
Many thanks to Alan Jacobs and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my truthful opinion!

Like many of the other reviewers I missed that this poetry anthology would be focused mostly on religious poetry. I was somehow expecting a more secular collection (or a mix of secular and religious). In addition, I had hoped to see a wider variety of poets, including more women and BIPOC, as well as more recent poems. I do appreciate the opportunity to preview this title, even though it turns out that I wasn't the right reader for it.

I gave this story a good shot, however discovered pretty quickly the poetry was not for me. A lot of the words and phrasing went over my head, likely due to the fact that its central focus is on divinity. From the synopsis I did not gather how focussed on Theology the story was.

As for the poems and content themselves, I can see other people who are not me enjoying it. Those interested in religion and those who find comfort in it will surely enjoy it more than I did.

I will add - in the introduction there is a phrase along the lines of ‘Is this footnote okay here’. I’m going to assume this is not meant to be here as it did not align with any poetry. Please edit carefully.

I enjoyed a few poems in this book. But, overall I could not relate to the religious content. I found the description misleading, as there is a difference between mysticism and poems noting God, eternity and life and death. I was looking for an esoteric book which quoted from Rumi and Rilke, rather than a dogmatic approach, which asks such questions as, "what is the nature of God or the one?" "How should we affirm and explore our faith?"

Unfortunately i did not like this collection lf poems. This title was misleading and really not what I was expecting. I Think I was just not the target even though some poems where beautiful

This book was not for me and I think that is solely because I am not a religious individual. Many of the poems surrounded the ideals of God, love and the Earth and whilst I was not the target audience, I can't deny the beauty of each word within this book. For our current climate and everything corrupt in the world right now, these poems definitely brought me a sense of peace and allowed me to relax throughout the entire experience reading it.

This is a book of classic poems. This book is a great collection of poems related to God, peace and love. Many of the poems are written in "old English" which made it a slower read than usual for me.

I couldn't finish this book. The title was misleading. It should be called Religious Poems or something like that. I was expecting meditations on the soul, life, etc.; not snippets of religious texts and poems.

This book was okay. I did enjoy the poems, but I guess I was expecting something different. Overall the poems were enjoyable. They were different from most poetry I'm used to, but I found them uplifting. They gave me something to ponder.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased review of it.

In all honesty, I love poetry but I did not enjoy this book. I didn't realize that it would consist of such arcane poetry for the most part and that the focus would be on religion. From the title, I mistakenly thought that it was a collection of poems to uplift the soul and give hope and happiness. The reference to the soul is more along religious lines, such as growing closer to God and finding insights in Creation. Many poems are translated from their original languages and most are quite old. This will be a wonderful collection for those who are looking for that sort of poetry but it wasn't a great fit for me.

These poems had more of a liturgical tone than I expected. I think it would be a wonderful resource for clergy of any faith, but it is not very soul-satisfying for a layman.

This collection has found at the right moment. With everything happening in the world right now, finding a wave of peace and a little reassurance in poetry has been great. ‘Poems to Make the Soul Sing’ is a beautiful collection of poems. Focusing on the mysticism and the soul’s journey, the collection is divided into specific themes, each containing a short introduction, which I found informative and useful.

I’m not a religious person, and at moments the religious undertone present in nearly all poems have been too much, but I have enjoyed this collection. The spiritual aspect of the included poems can speak to everyone, even when, same as me, they are not religious, as the collection focuses on many life truths and human experiences. I loved the fact that collection included pieces from many different cultures, often focusing on less known poems and poets. However, I was happy to see poems like those by William Blake, included as well. My favourite from ‘Poems to Make the Soul Sing’ has been probably ‘Renewal’ by Michael Field, with beautiful imagery and the metaphor including the phoenix.

I enjoyed this collection of poems very much, with so many beautiful personal expressions of faith, hope and human experience. I have only wished I read in the physical form, poetry has often can be more enjoyable on paper. ‘Poems to Make Soul Sing’ also has a lovely cover, making the collection beautiful on all accounts.