Best Poetry Books

1

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4.28 avg rating — 105,989 ratings
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2

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4.11 avg rating — 115,198 ratings
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3

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4.25 avg rating — 111,056 ratings
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4

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4.19 avg rating — 87,553 ratings
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5

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4.22 avg rating — 73,050 ratings
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6

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4.30 avg rating — 46,442 ratings
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7

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4.13 avg rating — 117,893 ratings
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8

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4.20 avg rating — 80,301 ratings
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9

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4.25 avg rating — 24,294 ratings
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10

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4.09 avg rating — 51,215 ratings
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11

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4.23 avg rating — 39,845 ratings
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12

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3.85 avg rating — 178,994 ratings
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13

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4.20 avg rating — 78,466 ratings
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14

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4.24 avg rating — 49,082 ratings
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15

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4.08 avg rating — 168,562 ratings
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16

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4.35 avg rating — 1,489,394 ratings
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17

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4.28 avg rating — 29,294 ratings
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18

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4.37 avg rating — 19,523 ratings
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19

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3.97 avg rating — 62,033 ratings
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20

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4.25 avg rating — 50,088 ratings
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21

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4.39 avg rating — 50,184 ratings
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22

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4.39 avg rating — 9,888 ratings
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23

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4.23 avg rating — 323,164 ratings
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24

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4.20 avg rating — 17,423 ratings
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25

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3.52 avg rating — 235,467 ratings
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26

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4.32 avg rating — 13,744 ratings
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27

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3.50 avg rating — 339,999 ratings
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28

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4.36 avg rating — 18,192 ratings
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29

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4.29 avg rating — 16,711 ratings
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30

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4.27 avg rating — 11,556 ratings
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31

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4.15 avg rating — 9,900 ratings
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32

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4.34 avg rating — 41,465 ratings
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33

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4.11 avg rating — 58,160 ratings
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34

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4.34 avg rating — 18,367 ratings
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35

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4.36 avg rating — 17,085 ratings
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36

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4.15 avg rating — 13,222 ratings
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37

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4.32 avg rating — 22,507 ratings
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38

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4.10 avg rating — 76,872 ratings
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39

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3.93 avg rating — 498,616 ratings
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40

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4.16 avg rating — 15,755 ratings
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41

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4.20 avg rating — 12,990 ratings
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42

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4.32 avg rating — 6,265 ratings
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43

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3.83 avg rating — 1,165,418 ratings
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44

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4.07 avg rating — 29,450 ratings
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45

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4.26 avg rating — 16,841 ratings
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46

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4.42 avg rating — 3,556 ratings
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47

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4.06 avg rating — 14,691 ratings
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48

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4.34 avg rating — 11,900 ratings
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49

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4.21 avg rating — 8,961 ratings
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50

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4.20 avg rating — 6,189 ratings
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51

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4.29 avg rating — 1,841 ratings
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52

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4.57 avg rating — 96 ratings
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53

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4.24 avg rating — 8,582 ratings
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54

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3.87 avg rating — 140,800 ratings
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55

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4.43 avg rating — 21,031 ratings
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56

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4.07 avg rating — 82,551 ratings
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57

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4.11 avg rating — 7,313 ratings
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58

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4.54 avg rating — 14,407 ratings
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59

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4.16 avg rating — 12,216 ratings
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60

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4.43 avg rating — 20,313 ratings
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61

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4.11 avg rating — 12,736 ratings
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62

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4.44 avg rating — 13,910 ratings
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63

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4.19 avg rating — 7,413 ratings
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64

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4.20 avg rating — 6,817 ratings
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65

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4.17 avg rating — 15,046 ratings
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66

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4.04 avg rating — 7,039 ratings
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67

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4.43 avg rating — 5,321 ratings
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68

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4.40 avg rating — 292,628 ratings
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69

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3.76 avg rating — 75,660 ratings
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70

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4.32 avg rating — 9,168 ratings
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71

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4.24 avg rating — 9,562 ratings
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72

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4.52 avg rating — 462 ratings
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73

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4.24 avg rating — 3,145 ratings
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74

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4.12 avg rating — 3,211 ratings
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75

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4.14 avg rating — 5,073 ratings
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76

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4.42 avg rating — 7,521 ratings
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77

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4.26 avg rating — 4,373 ratings
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78

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4.27 avg rating — 4,487 ratings
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79

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4.33 avg rating — 3,856 ratings
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80

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4.33 avg rating — 1,834 ratings
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81

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4.08 avg rating — 366,925 ratings
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82

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4.33 avg rating — 1,056 ratings
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83

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4.15 avg rating — 3,166 ratings
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84

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4.07 avg rating — 4,664 ratings
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85

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4.19 avg rating — 19,710 ratings
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86

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4.01 avg rating — 2,629 ratings
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87

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3.96 avg rating — 38,171 ratings
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88

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4.16 avg rating — 13,875 ratings
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89

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4.18 avg rating — 2,929 ratings
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90

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4.13 avg rating — 3,016 ratings
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91

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4.38 avg rating — 2,840 ratings
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92

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4.34 avg rating — 6,999 ratings
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93

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4.24 avg rating — 4,088 ratings
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94

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4.24 avg rating — 1,994 ratings
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95

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3.96 avg rating — 784,550 ratings
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96

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4.40 avg rating — 9,387 ratings
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97

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4.10 avg rating — 4,559 ratings
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98

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4.73 avg rating — 182 ratings
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99

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3.92 avg rating — 5,382 ratings
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100

by
4.07 avg rating — 8,011 ratings
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2,964 books · 2,410 voters · list created June 21st, 2008 by Jordan (votes) .
Tags: best, poem, poems, poetry
960 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Jordan 123 books
50 friends
Tom 1902 books
260 friends
Miriam 268 books
22 friends
Wealhtheow 4761 books
693 friends
Kelly 2413 books
330 friends
Dave 1221 books
223 friends
Carl 828 books
36 friends
Islane 133 books
30 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-44 of 44 (44 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Lea (new)

Lea I HAD to stop at fifteen. There were so many favorites, so little time!


message 3: by [deleted user] (new)

I have tried over 5 times to add Cracked by Alice Shapiro and it won't take here. If you are able to get it work please add this book for me. thanks


message 4: by Steven (last edited Sep 14, 2009 01:02AM) (new)

Steven Harbin Alice, Cracked - Timeless Topics of Nature, Courage and Endurance, by Alice Shapiro is on the list now, at 297 last time I checked. I was able to add it from my list of books...wouldn't come up at first though...see if you can vote on it now.Alice Shapiro


message 5: by [deleted user] (new)

Steven wrote: "Alice, Cracked - Timeless Topics of Nature, Courage and Endurance, by Alice Shapiro is on the list now, at 297 last time I checked. I was able to add it from my list of books...wouldn't come up a..."

Thanks Steve, I finally got back here to vote for her. I found this link again via book lady.




message 6: by Xenophon (new)

Xenophon Hendrix I'm surprised that some of the classic anthologies aren't ranked higher.


message 7: by John (new)

John Howard A Salute to Spanish Poetry: 100 Masterpieces from Spain and Latin America rendered into English verse by John Howard Reid


message 8: by Nicole (new)

Nicole yum


message 9: by Christine (new)

Christine Korda Being that Valentine's Day is just around the corner - now is the time to put together the list of poetry books you want...send them to your someone special so they know what to get you.

Check-out Kobo's"Share your Love" promotion - both parties win :) Send the gift of a free eReading app to loved
ones for Valentine's Day and get a chance to
win a $500 Kobo eGift Card http://bit.ly/gDWaOC


message 10: by Matthew (new)

Matthew Luethje To Kill a Mockingbird

Since when was #138, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a book of poetry?

It's prose fiction, and nothing but prose fiction.


message 11: by M. (new)

M. Sarki Interesting to me how Jack Gilbert and Eugenio Montale are still not known as well as they should be, at least among people who supposedly read poetry. Both of them great poets, and Jack is still alive. Also interesting that I only have one collection even rated of the so-called top 100 books so far listed. Probably why I hate poetry.


message 12: by Mick (new)

Mick I've added Langston Hughes and May Swenson because they need to be here.


message 13: by Tiffany (new)

Tiffany Tolbert "Lucky Charms" poetry by Poetess Tiffany Tolbert


message 14: by Beth A. (new)

Beth A. Just too many to go through...if your interested in a smallish group for sharing your own please join...
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...


message 15: by Kitten Reads (new)

Kitten Reads I'm a newbie at poetry, so I'll look for these titles ;)


message 18: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Mar 29, 2013 01:15AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) I've added several poetry books but I've also deleted several novels: All of Jane Austen's novels, Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye', Melville's 'Moby Dick' and Mitchell's 'Gone with the Wind'.


message 19: by Roger (new)

Roger Penney I think it is imp[ossible to tell what is best. What are the criteria? For many folks it will come down to 'what I like'.
Poems are set in a context both near and remote and personal. It is like saying A scored higher on an IQ test so she is better than B.
It is true that there may be bad poetry as there are bad songs. "Raise high the flags, stand rank on rank together...and so on" Bad poetry and song because of the results. This is the Utilitarian view. But then put just those words and may some of the other verses into a different context and the poetry might be good. That is 'on the side of the angels'.
Robert Burns and Shakespeare are not mentioned. Why not they certainly compare with Milton and John Donne.
You have set us an impossible task.


message 20: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Apr 18, 2013 03:37PM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Roger wrote: "Robert Burns and Shakespeare are not mentioned. Why not they certainly compare with Milton and John Donne...."

Shakespeare's Sonnets was the first book in this Listopia I voted for (and 94 others voted for this books as well...).

I've also added The Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns.


message 21: by Sylvain (new)

Sylvain HEARTFELT BARING ALL (#5) only has 16 ratings but has 110 votes? Odd...


message 22: by AnnMarie (new)

AnnMarie Stone Sylvain wrote: "HEARTFELT BARING ALL (#5) only has 16 ratings but has 110 votes? Odd..."

My guess is because the votes it received weren't the first vote for that user. A #1 vote will give a book 100 points, whereas a #100 vote will just give 1 point. Does that make sense?


message 23: by AnnMarie (new)

AnnMarie Stone Can anyone tell me why my own poetry book may have been removed from this list? I had nearly 100 votes before it was removed and I have not seen any reason why it was. Is it simply the opinion that it is too new to count?

Thank you!

Whispering Tears: A Book of Poetry


message 24: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl p. 12: 'Snow' by Orhan Pamuk is not a poetry book but a novel.


message 25: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl The Tale of Peter Rabbit? also on p. 12.


message 26: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl p. 11: Pretty sure "The Dinner" by Koch is a novel.


message 27: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Same with "Life of Pi."


message 28: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl P. 10, "The Lion of Cairo" appears to be a fantasy novel.


message 29: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl P. 9, "Dare to Surrender" is an erotic novel.


message 30: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Same with "Off the Record" by K.A. Linde...p. 9


message 31: by Jan C (new)

Jan C Isn't The Merchant of Venice (p. 3) a drama?


message 32: by Jan C (new)

Jan C What's with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (p. 4) - that was some kind of a novel. Even if I didn't make it past p. 25.


message 33: by Jan C (new)

Jan C Island of the Blue Dolphins (p. 8) is a novel.


message 34: by Tinderbox (new)

Tinderbox Editions Jan C wrote: "Isn't The Merchant of Venice (p. 3) a drama?"

Drama in verse. I'd count it in both categories.


message 35: by Ulla (new)

Ulla AnnMarie wrote: "Sylvain wrote: "HEARTFELT BARING ALL (#5) only has 16 ratings but has 110 votes? Odd..."

My guess is because the votes it received weren't the first vote for that user. A #1 vote will give a book ..."


Yes, not only the number of votes counts, but they are weighted by the position in the list of the voter.


message 36: by Selina (new)

Selina Mahmood the rubaiyat of omar khayyam The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam


message 37: by Ramanuja (new)

Ramanuja Rao I would have felt happy had the poetry of Adonis and Mahmoud Darwish is also included in your list of best books.
Ramanuja Rao


message 38: by Vicki (new)

Vicki p. 12 Pride and Prejudice needs to be pruned out.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Vicki wrote: "p. 12 Pride and Prejudice needs to be pruned out."

Done.


message 40: by Sam (last edited May 07, 2019 09:31PM) (new)

Sam Michaels For Poems of Love and Letting Go , it's amazing how the poems in this book mirror how I feel at times. It's nice to know someone feels the same way as I do and was able to put into words the emotions I even can't describe myself.
Poems of Love and Letting Go by Jocelyn Soriano
Poems of Love and Letting Go


message 41: by Anderson (new)

Anderson That is so beautiful.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) There are several plays here on this Listopia; although they are poetry (one didn't write anthing else at the time), they were intended as plays...


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Jan C wrote: "Isn't The Merchant of Venice (p. 3) a drama?"

I agree (see also my earlier remark)


message 44: by Pavlina (new)

Pavlina Pavlova I choose She Chose to Love because it inspired me to live my life to the fullest!


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