Since the moment I got into the first instalment of the Pillow Thoughts Series, I have been completely ensnared by Peppernell’s work. I have read a few of her works and still have a couple more on my to be read pile but for today I wanted to share some thoughts about the works I have read so far.
Watering The Soul
This baby is probably one of my favourite works of hers. I found this book to be so incredibly comforting; it was simply so calming to read before bed. It was split into 9 sections titled: slow down, take a breath, embrace stillness, overcome your fear, forgive your mistakes, value solidarity, practise patience and gratitude, choose kindness, and find your light. There was an overall theme of healing and growth, along with self-care and self-love which was so soothing. I also love the whimsical woodland vibes of this book and her little woodland friend – I do so love a Peppernell mascot.
I Hope You Stay
This had really strong universal themes of heartbreak, dreaming of new love, finding peace, healing, hope and resilience. It was sectioned into five chapters, with titles such as you will ache, you will dream, you will love, you will heal, and you will rise. It was somewhat more short-form poetry than free verse, and some veered into inspirational quotes you would see all-to-often on instagram. It was also a bit too fast-paced for me. I do like to sit and pour over each page; let the words sit with me and work their magic. I didn’t really have that feeling with this. Having said this, I am a huge believer in connecting with poetry at the right time so maybe this body of work didn’t resonate with me at this point in my life.
The Road Between
A collection of prose and poetry, this book explores themes of losing and finding yourself along the path of love. I did like how each section related to nature, with the sections separated as: the cave, the closet, the woods, the sky, the road, the mountains, the fields, and the home. This book was warm and helpful, as most of Peppernell’s works are but it related to romantic love a bit too much for my own personal liking and at times was quite repetitive. I found the book itself quite a bit thicker than other works of poetry and prose collections so I was quite disheartened that I didn’t relate to the material as well as I had hoped. There were some good points but it didn’t seem as well-thought out as her other works.
The Space Between Us: Poetry and Prose, by Courtney Peppernell & Zack Grey
I read this book early last year (2021) and it felt such an apt book for recent events given its dedication to anyone in a long-distance relationship or friendship. It was published in October 2020, a time when so many hadn’t seen their loved ones in a long time and were going though so many heightened emotions. It’s those emotions that you can really feel in both the authors pieces; depicting all those feelings and emotions that come with physical distance so vividly.
This book is sectioned into 5 portions titled: at first glance, living for tomorrow, lonely nights, grow together/grow apart, and when I see you. It was a beautiful balance between both writers work; feeling so flawless in its curation of both longer and shorted pieces of poetry and prose, as well as the relevant topics and themes.
This is a great addition to my Peppernell collection and a wonderful introduction to Greys work – I can’t wait to read more of their stuff and I do really hope this duo consider writing more books together because I found this to be quite a special read.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
Cheerio for now!
withsomejam 