I like the concept but nothing hit close to home at all. All the poems kinda sucked. Nothing about any of them stuck with me nor did I truly enjoy any of them. I like that there are discussions and writing/meditation prompts. I cannot personally recommend this collection.

I enjoyed many of the poems in The Path to Kindness. I like collections of poetry that feature multiple poets as I find the book stays incredibly fresh throughout. The main reason I liked these poems is that many of them had to do with nature (which is my favourite subject in poetry.) Lots of beautiful writing as well.

I found the title of the collection a little misleading given the poems I read. That was the only thing that was off to me.

I received an eARC from Storey Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

This is not the first collection by James Crews that I’ve read, and it won’t be the last! This is not to say I loved every poem, I did not, or I appreciate the exercises, I skip those. I love the warmth that Crews is able to embed in his curations; he clearly loves each poem and doesn’t reserve that love for the more well-known pieces, but for all of them.

That being said, I did love every other poem so I shouldn’t complain too much!

“We lay together under the stars.
We know ourselves to be part of mystery.
It is unspeakable.
It is everlasting.
It is for keeps.”

Genre: Poetry, Essays and Collections
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Trigger Warnings: None that I can think of.

I’ve read poetry collections before, and have always had mixed feelings about them. Sometimes I hate them, sometimes I love them. Sometimes they’re right in between. I think the latter is how I feel about “The Path to Kindness.”

Some poems were good, while some felt slightly forced into the narrative. It’s not I didn’t enjoy reading this collection, it’s just I didn’t feel inclined to keep reading at times.

I think my favorite parts of this collection were the reflective pauses. They included an invitation to write down your thoughts, and I liked the prompts.

I would recommend this book to people who have been lonely through this pandemic and who like poetry and journaling.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This looks like it has a number of editing errors and it just wasn't particularly interesting. I honestly was kind of disappointed by this

Regards to NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. This opinion is mine

Sincere messages and beautiful ideas are still nothing without a good execution

Look, I really wanted to at least like this book, but it was not it. I assure you, the ideas and messages are beautiful, the writing is gorgeous, but the execution makes me speechless, and not in a good way. Talking about generosity is nice, very nice, but you can't write it in an 8-lines-poem about folding laundry.
I feel like the main problem that I have with most of the poems, that they're not actually poems, but sentence fragments juxtaposed with each other to make "poems." To be honest, it would be good if these authors had decided to write a self-help/motivational book (like The Comfort Book) instead. Their writing works much better in prose.

I did not like this book, which was quite the disappointment, because the cover art on it was gorgeous. Hopefully one day, I'll be able to get into it.

Overall I enjoyed this book - I love books that have multiple authors, because that means you get multiple emotions, experiences, and adventures to enjoy! Each addition to this book was thoughtful and thought-provoking, emotional and beautiful. These are the types of words you read when you need something to kick you into a contemplative zen. Sometimes, I had a hard time connecting with the words I was reading, but other times I had to take a break because the words were hitting very close to home. With books like this, that’s to be expected, however I do wish I would’ve been able to connect a little bit more than I did. Overall, beautifully written and assembled - definitely give it a try!

The Path to Kindness is a beautiful book of poetry. Lovingly edited by James Crews, each section includes reflection and writing exercises for those inspired to write their own. There are discussion questions at the end to further study these works. I enjoyed taking a break from my day to sit with a poem or two. I know I’ll enjoy returning to this book in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This collection is truly something special.
The poems in this collection come to life, and it touches your heart.
I enjoyed the diversity of the well established and the new voices in poetry.
A lot of these really resonated with me and I think they might also resonate with a lot of people.
A must buy!

This is a beautiful book.
With lovely poems and statements that I could really resonate with. A wonderful book that is so emotive that some of these words will stay with me for a long time.

It has a wonderful collection of new and well established poets with varying length so an ideal read to duo in and out of.

** A copy of The Path to Kindness was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Last year, I read and loved an ARC of How to Love the World. The Path to Kindness is a perfect companion to Crews' previous edited collection. This collection is like a hug - something we all need now. I also particularly appreciated the choice to include some lesser known poets, whose work I am excited to now follow.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful collection! There's a variety of poems centering around themes of connection, joy, and being. All of the poems are fairly short. It makes for a quick and thoughtful read.

Overall a great find and thought-provoking collection.