The April Showers Book Tag

We're well into April, and even though it's a hot and dry day over in southern Thailand, I thought this would be fun to do! I got the inspiration for this from my friend Molly McTernan's blog. A book tag is a list of book-related questions that writers and readers can answer on their blog or social media platforms.

Since this is a classical poetry-themed blog, the books are all, of course, poetry books.

Can you think of....?

• A book with water on the cover

The Word in the Wilderness by Malcolm Guite

This is a Lenten-journey poetry collection, with poems gathered from various Christian poets, old and new. Each day in Lent has an assigned poem, and each week has a different soul-searching theme as we journey from Shrove Tuesday to Easter itself.

• A scary book you would read during a rainstorm

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Coleridge

This one gave me pause--but then I remembered I have indeed read an unsettling, eerie poem. Water is nearly omniscient in the story, so there's a bonus! Samuel Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner contains haunting descriptions, a few horrific scenes, and ultimately, a message of hope.

• A good book recommendation for rainy days

The Dreamkeeper by Langston Hughes

Next time it rains, I should curl up with The Dreamkeeper and read the collection through. It sounds very appealing. Langston Hughes poems are bite-sized, with delicately chosen words and imagery that seems both obvious and profound. He could be considered a children's poet because of the length and simplicity of his poems, but I find it hard to imagine myself ever ceasing to wonder at his skill.

• A book that has blue on the cover

You Come Too by Robert Frost

Turns out, many of my family's poetry books do. But I'll go with our Robert Frost collection. Thinking about rain and water and simple beauty, Robert Frost seems an excellent fit. The title is an invitation, and the book is a gentle exploration of nature.

Molly had one more question in her post, but it doesn't fit with this theme, so I'll leave it out. If you're curious, click the link at the beginning of the post to see Molly's full list! ;)

Photo credit to Susan Q Yin on Unsplash