The Shift

I had the audio so I did not see the sketches but they sound like they fit perfectly. I loved that the poems were done in pairs. It is also nice to have the author do the narration. She has so much emotion behind each poem. I was really pulled in. Thank you to Netgalley for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Audio and the author, for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Shift is a beautiful collection of poems that shows the growth and shift in perception. The illustrations in the book adds to the words and brings magic to the pages. The poems are in pairs where the poet notes how she felt about certain aspects of life before the pandemic and now in the after.

As a reader the one thing that delights me is seeing development of character and this poetry collection is exactly that the before and after, the then and now. The poignant low flow ideas touched my heart and that is the beauty of poetry.

I had read this as an ARC, and chose to also listen to this because of two things, one it was read by the author herself, two, the ASMR reading. The poetry was read again with ASMR added to it, that made it even more of an experience with the soothing sounds of nature fitting to the poems added to the reading. The audiobook also had commentary about how and when Melody got inspired to write certain parts of the poetry. This was different experience as you get to see how and when the thoughts flowed through her.

The Shift: Poetry for a New Perspective by Melody Godfred is the poet's second poetry collection, focusing on how we see the world and ourselves since the pandemic. I'm the kind of reader who has avoided reading about anything related to the pandemic but I wanted to pick this up immediately because of how much I adored Melody Godfred's previous poetry collection. I tried going into it with an open mind because I didn't think I could love anything as much as the previous book. While I didn't love it as much, I still really enjoyed it.

It's divided into two parts - one poem about the world before the pandemic and the other after. The poems focus more on the world and our perspective on it than individual emotions, though there are still a few themes around self-love. I definitely prefer the latter, which is why I think I didn't love this as much. Something about it kept me from entirely connecting with it the way I did before.
That being said, the writing in this is still beautiful and impactful, and there is a lot of powerful meaning in a lot of the poems. While some of them didn't resonate with me, many of them did, and I enjoyed the overall experience a lot.

When it comes to the audiobook itself, it is narrated by Melody Godfred herself, and I loved it. Her voice is perfect for this kind of narration, and it definitely enhances the experience. There is a regular audiobook, which is just a normal narration, and then an ASMR version which has sound effects and music. I liked the music but there were some sounds that were a bit jarring, and I got startled by them, which disrupted the overall flow of the poems. If you like music and sound effects, I think you'd enjoy it, but if you're sensitive to specific sounds, it would be better to pick up the regular version.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I recommend it if you'd like to read a poetry collection about the world, how it's changed, what is still the same, and how we can be as happy as possible in it.

I can not say enough about the author. Her way with words touches my heart everytime.

It takes courage to pour your soul into a book then share that book with the world.

Thank you for your beautiful poetry.

With Godfred pairing poems and anecdotes from before and after pandemic lockdowns in 'The Shift,' she poignantly illustrates hard truths we were all forced to examine and the beauty of the change that can come from uncomfortable reflection. Pandemic or no, this collection will speak to anyone going through a metamorphosis in their life. Be that a transition from high school to college, leaving your hometown, removing yourself from toxic relationships and environments, or even self-guided personal growth.

Once again an audiobook poetry collection narrated by the author herself, each poem is delivered exactly as it was meant to be heard.