Like A Box Of Chocolates

by Justin Bienvenue

Take every notion, feeling, experience and expectation you have on poetry and throw it up in the air, just take everything you've ever known about it and toss it aside. Not because the boundaries of what makes it so are being broken and not because the simple fundamentals and poetic structure are being altered, no that's not it at all. Simply take a deep breath, relax and remember that nothing is off limits, nothing is too right or too wrong or completely outside the box(pun totally intended). So untie that metaphorical bow, put your hand on the corner and open the book and take in that fresh page aroma and all the splendid ''flavors'' that is poetry.

Genres: Poetry

50 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2014

About the author

Justin Bienvenue is a horror author and poet of 13 books. He has 26 short stories and poems in over 18 anthologies and magazines. His first book, The Macabre Masterpiece: Poems of Horror and Gore, is a 5x #1 most downloaded book for contemporary poetry, 2x #1 most downloaded book for American Poetry, and 1x most downloaded book for Poetry Anthologies. Aside from horror and poetry, he's also written two crime thrillers and a steampunk novel. He has two other books in the Macabre Masterpiece series and a three-part horror series called The Wax Factory series. His latest novel, Nightshade Station, is now available.
His next novel, High Stakes at the Bonesaw Saloon, will be his third western horror.

He has three YouTube series: Mystery Unsolved, which discusses some of the world's most bizarre unsolved mysteries; Mystery Ghost Stories, which discusses some of the most haunting ghost stories; and Mystery Blue Book, which discusses famous UFO and alien abduction cases.

When he's not doing anything book-related, his interests include spending too much time on Twitter, watching films and sports (Football and Baseball), playing video games and board games, and learning about history and Egyptology. He’s a total football nut and knows a lot of useless knowledge. He is certified in UFO Studies and is currently taking a course to become certified in Cryptozoology.

Want some free books and to be updated on his latest projects? Join his mailing list

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Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bienvenue certainly possesses an abundance of creativity. The preface explains the titles of poems were determined by votes from family and friends, not all titles reflect direct content. By disclosing this bit of information Bienvenue establishes his innovativeness.

I enjoy poetry I can relate to, a poem inciting reflection, or provoking thought, heck blatant creativity and an artsy edge is appreciated too. Bienvenue provides poems both transparent and opaque, all filled with originality and sleight. His poems are contemporary with a majority rhyming in structure. A few poems are incredibly deep, some minutely detailed, a handful will make you chuckle. An esoteric vibe is present which I immensely enjoyed. A great way to wet your feet in the poetry genre or for those looking to expand your horizon with a talented variety of well penned poems.

A handful of my favorites I'm you'll enjoy as well -
Razorblades and Revolutions
The Chemist
Skeleton Sex
The Strawberry Room
The Prophet

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like A Box Of Chocolates is a collection of poetry written by Justin Bienvenue. I love the idea that this collection is actually like a box of chocolates (hence the name). Just by looking at the title of each poem, the reader really has no idea what is in store. Why? Because Mr. Bienvenue came up with a random list of titles and then presented his family and friends with a voting process that resulted in the titles featured in this book. But then he had to actually write the poems! A little bit like improv huh? In the preface of this book, Mr. Bienvenue himself admitted that he had no idea what some of the poems would be about until he actually sat down to write them. Some of the poems represent their title well, and some are a bit of a surprise. But all of them are great. I have a thing for dark poetry and this collection features a couple darker poems which were my favorite. Mr. Bienvenue offers a fairly diverse collection though, so if you are a fan of all different types of poetry, check him out!

Thank you to goodreads group: The Book Was Better for hosting a giveaway for Justin Bienvenue's book: Like A Box Of Chocolates, and THANK YOU to Justin Bienvenue for generously mailing me a free copy.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, let me clarify by saying I'm really not a big poetry fan. However, I do write song lyrics from time to time so I can appreciate it.

This truly is like a box of chocolates as he covers several themes in the collection. I was impressed with the depth of the poems. He didn't just toss out rhyming words, he spent time with structure and fleshed them out. I think I enjoyed the horror poems the most (Ghost Train was a favorite) but the others were interesting too.

The only minor complaints I had was some of the verses were a little "silly". One that comes to mind said "if the Human Torch and Ice Man had a baby." Another mentioned a "Lifetime Movie", and in one of the better poems, "Arcangels", he used the line "you can take that to the bank" which didn't seem to fit the lyrical style of the poem. However, these are minor points.

Overall if you enjoy poetry, I can't recommend this one enough. There are several poems in the collection and I'm sure you'll find at least a few you'll really enjoy.

Mr. Bienvenue is a true poet and I wish him well with future poetic endeavors. I hope he manages to help "bring poetry back!"

[Liselott · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the author kindly sent me his collection of poems, I didn't know what to expect.
The title 'Like a Box of Chocolates' kind of gave it away, I thought. How wrong I was!
These poems are definitely not sickly sweet, so Im curious, what kind of chocolates Bienvenue is indulging on.
The author has managed to convert me to start reading more poetry now.
I have read his collection more than twice now and I'm far from sick of them. That says something.
As a matter of fact, I want more of his so called chocolates. I love them.

[Kelly Smith Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's poetry you should read academically, there's poetry you should read to spark emotions, and there's poetry you should read for the music that will speak to your soul. Then, like with Edgar Allan Poe for example, there's poetry that you need to read for all of those things. Poetry that inspires beautiful imagery, emotions, music and has deeper meaning to dissect. That's what's in Like A Box Of Chocolates.
While reading these fifty poems, you'll catch snatches of inspiration from Poe, Cummings, Dickinson and even a little Brontë if you were to modernize the sisters' work. But each poem is wholly original, each one bringing about different feelings and situations. There's death, life, love and everything that falls between. None of the poems are long, and all of them have a good beat to read aloud.
If you're new to poetry and don't want to start with classics because you're intimidated, this is definitely the book to begin your love affair with poetry. It has everything you need to familiarize yourself with the genre, and it is definitely enjoyable!

[Michael Benavidez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to review.
It's a fast read, and for the most part it's a good read. Like anything that contains multiple stories (in this case, stories in the form of poems), there are some better than others. But that isn't to say that the lesser poems hurt the book overall.
I love the ideas that Justin gives, he creates some really elegant ideas, and throws about some abstract and straight forward things that really are inventive. However, sometimes it seems like he's stretching so far, and for the sake of the poem forces some kinda cheesy sort of rhyme schemes in order to complete the story. Other than that, they really are good poems.
The one part in which he does excel is the horror aspects. He seems to have complete control of the horror thoughts and just disturbing imagery in these poems, more so than the others. This really makes me excited to dive into his other poems book which seems to primarily on horror.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry is not something that I make a regular habit of reading, but I figured I would give this collection a try. As with all poetry, there were some poems I related to better than others. My favorite was “At the Stroke of Midnight”, which had an interesting twist on “The Raven”. The poems have a slightly interesting, disjointed affect to them because the titles were chosen via Facebook and then the poems were written reactively. This gives them a twist of improvisation, sometimes to the benefit, sometimes (in my opinion) to the detriment. It certainly keeps them interesting.

Overall, my only complaint was that they generally were quite dark! As my interests don’t generally tend towards that, I think other readers would enjoy the book as a collection more.

Who should read it? Fans of poetry and a dark twist.

See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @REad2Distract

[A.J. Locke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a box of chocolates was an interesting collection of poetry. One word to describe it would be eclectic. The author writes about various topics, some dark, some lighter, and the poems themselves varied from more literal to a bit more metaphoric.

As a poet myself, I read this collection with a more critical eye, looking for depth and nuances and things that made me stop and think. This collection was more on the simpler side, which is not a bad thing. The differences between the pieces showcases the author's range of creativity. I have read a lot of poetry that I just could find no meaning to, but with this collection I was able to see where the author was going with his words, what picture he was trying to build for the reader, or what emotion he was trying to invoke.

It's a good start towards a serious path as a poet if that is what the author wishes to pursue. Go on and give this a read.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a different kind of poetry than probably what you've read before, rest assured you've arrived at the correct destination. Bienvenue has created an assortment of poems where some tantalize the mind with rhyme schemes that perk the senses. Every poem is a new story, some easy to figure out their direction from start to end with others taking a turn and their final destination becoming clear as you read the last line. I found myself intrigued with the works from beginning to end finishing in no time flat, only to go back and reread several of the ones that caught my attention the most. A great read for anyone looking for a new kind of poetry read.

[Greg Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the end notes, Mr. Bienvenue writes he "likes to be unique and original." This collection of poetry is certainly that!
Justin takes us along for a thrill ride in a car at 100 miles an hour and to a clinic for the Teddy bears of war. Each poem has a creative twist that makes you blink and rethink. It is wonderful to share the journey from idea to denouement with him.
My favorites were The Immortal and Ghost Train. The first because I often feel that way and the latter simply because it so well done.
Highly recommended!

[Candace Blattner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from the Goodreads Giveaways. I enjoyed the poems, and loved how he created the titles for the poems by soliciting feedback and opinions from others. Like most poetry, some of the poems speak loudly to me, while others I had a hard time relating to. Definitely worth a read if you are into poetry.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed how Justin went about writing the poetry. A delight for all.

[Christine Herb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The creativity that Justin poses is amazingly witty, charming, emotional, inspiring and fascinating. I loved this collection of his own thoughts and imagination. This book was something everyone should have on their shelves at home. Awesome job Justin. Thanks for sharing!

[Sarabh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really like a box of chocolates ! When I received this ebook from Justin I was curious, then impressed with the deepness through the word game ... I m looking forward new treasure like this one

[Sophia Tallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Coming Soon

[Donald Armfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's just say you are reading the openings to a weekly television series. The opening narrator comes onto the screen and tells the synopsis of tonight's short tale, you're about to watch.

Bienvenue's work reads a lot like that. For my poetry liking it steps out of my zone. His mood setting is a little on the eerie side, sometimes moving to a quick laugh.
If this is your type of poetry then climb under the covers with the folks on the cover and make sure to check your chocolate before you eat it.

The two pieces I really dig i'll list below.

-"Corroded Filth" this is a nice style...
-"The Prophet" the opening is a great prediction...