It’s Christmas, and we thought of five perfect poetry books you can present to family and friends this Yuletide season.
Friends by Jane McMorland Hunter
Christmas is a season of love and friendship. So what better gift to give to friends this holiday season than Jane McMorland Hunter’s Friends: A Poem for Everyday of the Year. As the title suggests, the book consists of 365 poems that celebrate the joy of love, friendship, family, and constancy. In this 400-page book, Jane McMorland Hunters take readers on a journey from classical poems to recently celebrated ones. Friend features great poets, including Emily Bronte, Stevie Smith, Keats, Norman MacCaig, Waldo Emerson, and Amy Lowell. It is a well-selected collection of works that provide us an insight into the essential things in life.
The Complete Poems by Anna Akhmatova
First published in 1990 with the New York Times Book Review naming it one of fourteen “Best Books of the Year,” Judith Hemschemeyer’s translation of The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova is a classic read. The said anthology has sold over 13,000 copies and is among the most successful published poetry collection in recent history. However, the 2000 edition, which features a revised printing, includes a new biographical essay and expanded text to the poems by Roberta Reeder, project editor and author of Anna Akhmatova: Poet and Prophet. The latest edition of the Complete Poems offers more than 800 poems, 100 photographs, a historical chronology, an index of first lines, and a bibliography. It has been the first definitive English language collection of Akhmatova for many years.
The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum
Another perfect gift this Christmas is Raymond Quattlebaum’s The Color of Love. Christmas is a time for appreciating life and the grace of God through His son Jesus. The Color of Love, along with Quattlebaum’s other poetry book, Poetry in Motion, both celebrate life, faith, devotion, and humanity. Raymond Quattlebaum, an African-American poet, writes with passion, honesty, and sincerity. The poems featured in the Color of Love will make you want to reflect on the beauty and wonder of life. Christmas is the season of love, and Raymond Quattlebaum’s The Color of Love is an excellent present to family and friends this Christmas. You can also include Poetry in Motion and make it the perfect combo gift to give this holiday season.
Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky
Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West (Compass) is the complete title of the collection of sacred poetry from mystics and saints, rendered by Daniel Ladinsky. Ladinsky’s best-known work before this is his interpretations of the great Sufi poet Hafiz. This time, the famous American poet and interpreter gathered six finest spiritual writers from the East and six from the West to put together a collection of poems from the various spiritual faiths from all the corners of the world. Love Poems from God features Rumi, St. Francis, St. Teresa, Hafiz, Rabia, Meister Eckhart, St. Thomas Aquinas, Mira, Kabir, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and Tukaram.
Christmas Poems by Gaby Morgan
Readersmagnet recommends Gaby Morgan’s selection of poetry for the holiday seasons for children. Aptly titled Christmas Poems, it is a collection of poems packed with the Christmas spirit. Morgan takes children on a journey back in time when Christmas was not yet a marketing tool. This fantastic anthology of gorgeous poems—both classic and brand new—carols and hymns for Christmas captures the spirit of the Yuletide season in its purest emotion. With colorful illustrations by Axel Scheffler, children will definitely enjoy reading the book this Christmas. A classic in the making, Gaby Morgan’s Christmas Poems is destined to be a part of every children’s book collection.