Beautiful, relatable poems about life and love. Beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Found some of the poems to be very relatable.

"Joy" is a beautiful poetry collection about everything we feel, about our emotions, our thoughts and everything we are capable of if we just dream high enough and work as hard. It was one of my favorite poetry books of all time.

Mike Bond's "Joy" is a collection of poems that will have something for everyone. While I found the shorter poems to be the most effective, I truly loved how every poem had something to relate to. I was, however, expecting it to be a little different based on the cover art, but alas "don't judge a book by it's cover". I believe any poetry lover will find this book blissful.

The poet's words resonate with a timeless quality, capturing the essence of our everyday lives while exploring the vast landscapes of infinite and eternal universes. Each verse is a masterful brushstroke, painting vivid images that linger in the mind long after the last page is turned. This collection is a journey through the heart and soul, a poetic odyssey that invites readers to contemplate the profound beauty and complexity of existence.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and Mike Bond.

Beautiful imagery danced through my head as I read this book of poetry. I was inspired and felt the magic that is a well written poem. Excellent collection, wonderfully curated, joyous for sure.

I enjoyed reading Mike Bond's book of poetry. The prose was lovely and some reminded me of other literary works but as a poem. I enjoyed Sacred which made me think of the Velveteen Rabbit. This is a short but wonderful work I'm glad to add to my shelf. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Poetry is so much more of a matter of individual personalized taste even than prose writing is, and I also find it more difficult to articulate a review and adequately describe what worked for me and what didn't. This particular collection never grabbed me and pulled me in, but I think that may be a simple mismatch between reader and poetry. I really wish I could be more helpful, but as I floundered to describe the gut feeling response I typically have (or don't) to poetry, I've decided my abilities as a reviewer are definitely best matched with prose and won't be requesting any more poetry unless I already read the poet.

My first read from Mike Bond. I’m not sure that I’d be interested in his fiction due to the genre, but I really enjoyed this collection of poems. They were heartfelt, with topics ranging from love to war and all with heavy themes of nature woven into the words.

Joy
Mike Bond
2023
4 Stars


Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Big City Press for my copy of Joy by Mike Bond. I have not received any rewards or compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: Poetry

This is my first book by Mike Bond.
I found the subject matter interesting, but felt the layout of the book let it down. Having three or four poems made it harder to read in that format.
I liked that the author covers many different life issues throughout the book without overdoing it. Felt like poetic observations of life. Overall I did enjoy the works in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Big City Press for the eGalley to review!

Unfortunately, this collection of poems was largely a miss for me. There were too many poems that tried to be deep and philosophical and profound, but they were just contradictory, nonsensical, and sometimes a bit cringe-y. Some were just downright cynical and depressing. I'm glad that many of the poems were a single verse or sentence because I found myself pretty bored trying to read as many as I could in one sitting.

That said, about half a dozen poems did catch me by surprise because they did hit the mark for me. I would say my favorites are "To See Your Face" and "Miracles" because I'm a romantic sap. Sadly that small amount was all that I got out of the entire collection.

Truly lovely poetry about love, life, and destiny, written by a great poet. You will love this! Get it!

Thank you to Big City Press, AuthorBuzz, Mike Bond, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this book of poetry by Mike Bond - I had never read anything by him before this, and I did enjoy the prose. I enjoyed some of the poems more than others, but I think that is the case with all artistic work like poetry where there isn't always a true form/rules to how to write. This is a pretty short collection of work, so it is easy to get through all of the works, but I don't think that it is too short. I will probably go back and look at some of these poems again in the future, possibly checking out more of Mike's work. This reminded me how much I enjoy reading poetry and how different ways of writing can strike new emotional cords.

I really enjoyed Mike's writing here in this poetry book. I feel like there is something inside here for everyone!

This was a nice compact collection of poetry. I found the super short poems to be the most effective within the collection. I will say that I was expecting something different based on the title and blub, I think I was looking for more of a connection to what it is that brings us joy less general life observations as well as more references to nature. Overall, it was a solid poetry collection.
Thank you NetGalley and Big City Press for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

“once you know war, you’ll never know peace”

i’m honestly not a huge fan of poetry but i did find myself really enjoying this! the author has such beautiful prose and i found myself resonating with the majority of the poems.
thank you netgalley review for the arc!
-3.5 stars!

The poet is very sentimental in his writing and this book contains very nice poetry.There are a lot that are stand outs.

Thank you @netgallery for allowing me to read this book.

Joy: Poems of Love, Life, and Fate by Mike Bond is a collection of poetry that highlights the struggle of living life while knowing we are going to die. The rhythm of the collection creates a sort of dizziness that won't allow you to keep your equilibrium. One minute you are in the depths of ecstatic love, and the next you are facing the evils of war, the harrowing reality of death, and the cruelties of fate: in other words, you are living this amazing thing called life. I hadn't read Bond's fiction before this but I plan to now. This is a lovely little volume of poetry that features beautiful nature imagery, palpable grief, and ultimately, the power of love.

Thank you to NetGalley and AuthorBuzz for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This collection had some nice imagery. However, while the blurb really drew me in, I did not ending up feeling much connection to the works contained. I know that poetry can be a very personal thing, but this was just not a collection that resonated with me.

I believe there are works that other people would connect with, and there were interesting phrasings. It is short and quick, so if poetry is your thing, give it a go.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a nice collection of poems about joy, nature, and everyday things. Some of the poems were only a few words or one line, while others were a little longer. The poetry was straight forward, which I enjoy. I didn't have to decipher what the author was getting at, I knew what he was trying to say without having to think deeply.

If you enjoy more complex and deep poetry, this may not be the collection for you. Sometimes you need something easy to read that you can enjoy in one sitting.

Thank you AuthorBuzz and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

When you google Mike Bond you get a wikipedia page on the author and the list of his works you get kinda hopeful that this book will be good. It's incredibly basis and I had higher hopes.