June CortnerReviews

A delightful nightstand companion to make prayer a natural part of every day.

A collection of inspirational prayers, poems, and toasts that focus on the warmth and beauty of home and the joys of family and friends. Selections, written by a variety of authors, include Our Home, Family and Friends, Our Children, Our Garden, Graces and Toasts, Holidays and Celebrations, and Reflections. The majority of the readings are short, less than one page. These small gems of wisdom promise to brighten a reader’s day.

Recommended.

Family Celebrations by June Cotner & Nancy Tupper Ling is a charming collection of toasts, poems, blessings, and other traditions organised by occasion. These range from meal graces to holidays to major life points, and everything between. This book is perfect when you need some quick inspiration. It's not bound by one religion or spirituality, which I liked. Aside from the proverbs and quotes, the rest can be tailored to your individual needs.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars

Disclaimer: I have a poem in this collection and honored to have it published with so many other interesting poems, prayers, and prose about dogs. This is a collection sure to warm the heart of any reading dog lover.

Clearly designed as a gift book, Garden Blessings is a light collection of poetry and inspirational prose that would be appealing to those interested in gardening and nature. It's the kind of book you leave in the guest room to look nice and provide the reader with a short, soothing bite before drifting off to sleep.

This is a handsomely produced book celebrating plants and flowers and growing things. I could have wished for the inclusion of more verse from well-known, classic writers (more substantive and interesting poetry) but still makes for a decent gift for the garden lover in your life.

This is the type of book to take to the garden and, during little breaks away from the flowerbeds, read bits and pieces, here and there over a glass of cool lemonade. The gardener identifies with these poems and vignettes. I especially enjoyed a poem where a gardener describes her hands that no cream can soften. How true. Afterwards, as you work, you remember with joy what you have read.

A book of poems and other meditations on all things related to gardening, it is of course an ideal gift for a gardener or someone who likes light poetry and inspirational quotes. But if that is the only way you look at this book, you are missing out. It is, in its own way, an interesting set of meditations on the seasons, and a collection of mostly contemporary observations on nature. The imagery and overall quality of the selections is particularly strong for a book of this type. I do wish the book had not been set entirely in green type on a white page because it is not the most restful to the eye, but then as this book is largely meant to be read in small dips, this is not a fatal flaw.

I had high hopes for the book “Garden Prayers: poems, prose and prayers celebrating the love of gardening”. Those hopes were quickly dashed. It has a table of contents, which implies some sort of ordering in the contents. When actually read, however, the sense of order is quick to dissipate.

I gave the book two stars because there are enough gems sprinkled through the book to justify giving the book shelf space, but that is all it has. A few great quotations, poems and proverbs are hidden among the shallow, self-indulgent pieces that most greeting card companies would probably reject. Prayers are mixes in with prose to which there is so little relation that one wonders that the author considered them for the same book.

Yes “Gardener’s Winter Lament” (p 54) and “A Gardener’s Springtime Prayer” (p. 55) are both about the seasons (although they are in the chapter on “Gardening”, not the chapter on “Seasons” but they clash to my ear, no matter that they face each other. One is a an iambic pentameter wannabe of all the chores that need to be done with the emphasis on keeping the idea of the person who gardens out of the picture, the gardener not showing up until the last line, which is the best in the poem, “grateful my garden always needs me.” The other, opposite that, is a prayer “Here are my hands, Spirit of Earth and Space,” which could be used as an opening or closing prayer in a small group ministry setting.

I may have actually skipped some pieces because of trite titles, but I learned early in the book that she buries the prizes deep. I read a lot of tripe to find the ineptly titled “Your Flowers Are Pretty” (p. 60) which has more to do about the gardener than the "Gardening" chapter where it is placed.

By page 132, I was tired, and almost missed Martin Luther's “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” I slid by it because it headed a piece that starts with the oh so original lines “Apple round and red, / bestow upon my dear one's head / these many blessings: “ I'm sure I've heard that before. Oh yes, the child's game we used to play; “Apple apple round and red, went kurplunk on (whoever's) head!”

The best chapter, in my opinion, was the final one, “Inspiration”. Here we find Julian of Norwich and Walt Whitman; “A Community Garden Blessing” that one may actually use; other actual prayers worth reading, if not using; and the poem “Miracle” (p. 199) that in a few short words expresses what gardeners hold for all the world, promise and faith.

These wonderful pieces do not excuse the randomness with which they were put together nor the matrix of insipid trash I needed to plow through in order to find them.

Garden Blessings edited by June Cotner.
The first two word of this title “Garden Blessings” called out to me and I felt sure I would like this book. I was right, this book sings to me and I give it five stars. Gardening gives me joy as I plant and tend God’s pretty creations, and prayer and time spent in church give me lifted spirits too. I read poetry, write a few poems, and this book has it all. There are poems, prayers and quotes from today’s writers and from classic poems of old. Thank you June Cotner for pulling together all these wonderful elements.

This is a collection of poetry, short essays, and other words of wisdom about gardens and the creatures that one finds in gardens. The subtitle reads "Poems, Prose and Prayers celebrating the Love of Gardening" which totally sums this book up. This is not a book to begin reading from start to finish in a few days, but rather this is a book that one would read bits from here and there as the spirit moves. This is a small 'coffee table' book and a wonderful gift for your gardener friends. Even a nongardener might enjoy it.

I have one minor criticism of the book - the dark green pages are an interesting change, but a bit more difficult to read. That is why I took away one star.

Garden Blessings is a collection of poems, prose and prayers showing the love of gardening. It is a nice collection to have available to contemplate during the long winter months , at times when the weather is not conducive for gardening or when you are outside just enjoying nature. The book is beautifully designed with simple art that does not distract for the content.

I am scrupulous about reading an entire book before I post a review. Garden Blessings, and other books like it aren't meant to be read cover to cover at one sitting. They’re meant to be savored in small bites, and gone back to over and over in a meditative way. But old habits die hard … and so I did read it cover to cover, albeit quickly.

I’m not an enthusiastic reader of poetry, and tend to prefer light verse and simple rhyme schemes over other forms. I found a few poems that tickled my fancy and have marked them to share with friends who also garden. They are Gardener’s Prayer (page 24); A Gardener’s Lament (page 152) and The Gardener’s Toast (page 192), which were written by three different women. The first two are funny and capture both the joys and frustrations of gardening. The third, I like the rhyme scheme.

Garden Blessings would be appreciated by just about any person who loves gardening or who loves nature.

Garden Blessings: Prose, Poems and Prayers Celebrating the Love of Gardening by June Cotner. I love books about gardening and love garden quotes. This looks to be right for my collection! This is a hardback copy, 8" x 8" maybe.

Short prayers and affirmations for comfort, courage, hope, healing, gratitude, and inspiration.

Vows, readings, blessings, toasts, and even a section for anniversaries. I found several lovely pieces, including a wonderful "in memory" prayer. Most are non-denominational in nature, though there are a few specifically Christian and Jewish ones. All are the traditional "lovey-dovey" style.