Wednesday 17 August 2016

From The Blue by James Cole + Giveaway

Scroll down for the new Giveaway!


From The Blue by James Cole 
Published by Oversteps Books in 2002

I registered my copy of this book at Bookcrossing

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the book from Amazon.co.uk

How I got this book:
Purchased from OXFAM

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

'James Cole was born in Torquay and has lived in the west country for all his life. He has been writing for some years and is a member of The Company Of Poets, a group of Devon-based writers and has had some of his poems published in their anthologies. He gets much of his inspiration from walking Dartmoor and from the sea and coastline of the south west. He has attended courses run by The Arvon Foundation at Totleigh Barton, north Devon. Other interests include painting. He currently lives in Totnes. This is his first collection of poetry.'

Having now lived in Torquay for a few weeks, I am interested to discover the local arts and culture scene so was very pleased to spot this slim volume of poetry in the OXFAM bookshop. James Cole's inspiration by the seasons and natural landscapes of Devon shines through many of his poems and I can completely understand his love for this area. Poems such as Caliburn and Out To Sea seem to demonstrate a real yearning and I loved the simple yet vivid imagery of Horses and The End Of The Day. Other poems I found a little heavy-handed and I wasn't sure about the order in which they appear. I struggled to maintain a sense of atmosphere as we jumped around in time. From The Blue does have a strong sense of location and I also felt a loneliness to the work. Poems do say 'we' for their narrator, but human influence is absent from the natural spaces leaving me easily imagining the poet in these wild places alone.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by James Cole / Poetry / Books from England


And now for the Giveaway!

I have my paperback copy of From The Blue to giveaway simply for answering the following question on this blog post. How easy is that?!

The Question:
Name another poetry book you have enjoyed?

Comment your answer on this post before midnight (UK time) on the 24th of August to be in with a chance of winning.

This paperback book is my copy so not new, but still in very good condition. The book has been registered on Bookcrossing and you are welcome to add your stage of its journey or ignore the label as you prefer.

The Giveaway is open worldwide. Answers must be commented by midnight (UK time) on the 24th August and I will randomly pick a winner on the 25th. The winner will be notified by replying to their Comment so if you think you might miss this response please also include other contact info such as your blog URL, twitter name or FB page. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, they will forfeit the prize.

Good luck!

This giveaway is listed on:

Beck Valley Books 

2 comments:

  1. This Giveaway has now closed.

    There's a new giveaway for a trio of handmade bookmarks at http://litflits.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/an-amsterdam-affair-by-amanda-addison.html

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My copy of From The Blue has been left for Bookcrossing on the Rowcroft Hospice table at Torquay Indoor Market

    ReplyDelete