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Rooms of the Mind
By the author of the wildly successful 2am Thoughts and Nineteen, comes Rooms of the Mind — a journey into the parts of our psyche that can either hide and protect us, or expose us to all that exists. Here you’ll find an exploration of pain, heartbreak and wonder at what the world might bring us next.
- GenresPoetryMental Health
192 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 26, 2023
3.5/5
I always read the dedication at the beginning of a book and I loved the fact that the author dedicated her work to herself, thought I might as well include it in my review:
This one’s for me. For all the spaces I’ve climbed out of. For all the times I’ve learned to make my own light. For every last beat my heart has made until I’ve reached this moment. This one is for me.
Rooms of the Mind by Mackenzie Campell is a personal collection of contemporary poetry and prose, imaginatively compartmentalized into 6 different rooms/sections: in lonely, in fear, in heartbreak, in nostalgia, in love, and in hope. Similar in concept to an unconscious psychological defense mechanism in which people mentally keep their suppressed conflicting emotions, thoughts, and experiences separate to avoid cognitive dissonance through strategies like compartmentalization. Each room of this collection offers a vulnerable and unique exploration of dark themes and tough topics such as suicidal ideation, alcohol use, sexual abuse, heartbreak, loneliness, depression, and anxiety in hindsight which leads to more life-affirming and optimistic pieces around hope, strength, and self-acceptance. Some poems are perfectly complemented by simple yet beautiful illustrations which enhance the emotions each sentence evokes and add to the reading experience.
I annotated my copy and found the poems in the first half of the book more evocative and to my liking, some of which resonated powerfully with me, some fell into an average category of non-rhyming and mundane patterns of colloquial speech that expressed the same idea in different words over and over and were somewhat less appealing to me; however, I believe poetry is very personal and it depends on the reader’s preference. I vastly prefer fixed verse over free verse forms, but I did enjoy her honest writing combined with artwork and intend to read her two other collections 2am Thoughts and Nineteen as well.
My Favorite Poem:
I live in half sentences
half apologies
half commitments.
I’ve never known how to be someone who lives in full.
I’m scared of all this empty.
And so, as a fair warning, a road sign telling you to be
cautious down this path, I asked:
“What if I can only give you a half love?”
You took my shaky hands and held them.
“If I am lucky enough to experience half of your love,
that is more than enough.���
I always read the dedication at the beginning of a book and I loved the fact that the author dedicated her work to herself, thought I might as well include it in my review:
This one’s for me. For all the spaces I’ve climbed out of. For all the times I’ve learned to make my own light. For every last beat my heart has made until I’ve reached this moment. This one is for me.
Rooms of the Mind by Mackenzie Campell is a personal collection of contemporary poetry and prose, imaginatively compartmentalized into 6 different rooms/sections: in lonely, in fear, in heartbreak, in nostalgia, in love, and in hope. Similar in concept to an unconscious psychological defense mechanism in which people mentally keep their suppressed conflicting emotions, thoughts, and experiences separate to avoid cognitive dissonance through strategies like compartmentalization. Each room of this collection offers a vulnerable and unique exploration of dark themes and tough topics such as suicidal ideation, alcohol use, sexual abuse, heartbreak, loneliness, depression, and anxiety in hindsight which leads to more life-affirming and optimistic pieces around hope, strength, and self-acceptance. Some poems are perfectly complemented by simple yet beautiful illustrations which enhance the emotions each sentence evokes and add to the reading experience.
I annotated my copy and found the poems in the first half of the book more evocative and to my liking, some of which resonated powerfully with me, some fell into an average category of non-rhyming and mundane patterns of colloquial speech that expressed the same idea in different words over and over and were somewhat less appealing to me; however, I believe poetry is very personal and it depends on the reader’s preference. I vastly prefer fixed verse over free verse forms, but I did enjoy her honest writing combined with artwork and intend to read her two other collections 2am Thoughts and Nineteen as well.
My Favorite Poem:
I live in half sentences
half apologies
half commitments.
I’ve never known how to be someone who lives in full.
I’m scared of all this empty.
And so, as a fair warning, a road sign telling you to be
cautious down this path, I asked:
“What if I can only give you a half love?”
You took my shaky hands and held them.
“If I am lucky enough to experience half of your love,
that is more than enough.���
October 13, 2021
I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rooms of the Mind is my first foray into Mackenzie Campbell's contemporary poetry. I went in fully expecting this to be more less similar to the kind of over hyped contemporary poems I’ve recently come across such as Milk and Honey, or The Smallest of Bones, etc. I found myself pleasantly surprised when this collection turned out to be a cut above these earlier examples: it was more, and in some ways, it was less.
Campbell’s writing is more substantial than most contemporary poetry which tends to emphasize style over content. While her poems appear to follow the same superficial conventions, everything from the grammar, diction, punctuation feel very deliberate. The format is an amalgamation of various styles, with some poems written in free verse forms, some following a rhyme scheme, while others read like streams of consciousness ripe with metaphors; certain emotions are personified and evolve with each progressive appearance lending the collection a sense of cohesiveness.
The poems themselves are divided into 6 rooms or chapters: In Lonely, In Fear, In Heartbreak, In Nostalgia, In Love, and In Hope. The concept behind this format is that the human brain compartmentalizes different emotions, feelings, experiences, and fears into separate rooms within the mind in order to make sense of them. In the same vein, this collection is Campbell’s attempt at revisiting these emotions.
Each chapter is also accompanied by a simple illustration of a door front to help conceptualize the state of mind each door represents. While the illustrations don't add much to the actual content, they are a cute visual representation of the themes or motifs that populate each feeling.
Below is a summation of my thoughts on each chapter, the accompanying illustration, and the themes mentioned:
1. In Lonely: Water under the door and grass growing to signify stagnant growth or passage of time.
Themes: Depression, suicide, missing an ex lover, death, grief, abandonment issues, toxic relationships, sexual assault, pessimism, over-thinning, etc.
Note: When you’ve lived with your loneliness long enough, at some point it becomes almost comforting to be one with that familiar feeling of loneliness, grief, and pain; you’re too tired to move on and feel something new.
2. In Fear: Bolted door for fear of letting your thoughts out.
Themes: toxic or manipulative relationships, sexual assault, rape, abuse, violence, non-binary or gender fluid identity, indecisiveness, fear of decision making, abandonment, commitment, love, insecurities, new relationships, new love, breakups, etc.
Note: Fear of not recognizing the person that you've become. Stuck in a sort of purgatory between what you were versus who you want to be. Yet another kind of stasis. Rooted to the present for fear of the unknown future.
3. In Heartbreak: Wilting flowers in need of water
Themes: breakup, heartbreak, memories, missing an ex, etc.
Note: sometimes heartbreak can be an insidious, creeping feeling, almost like a parasite invading your home and eating away at you till there's nothing left but the pain and heartache in place of empty memories.
4. In Nostalgia: Toys at the entrance, missing the simpler times.
Themes: the absence of things, nostalgia, hindsight is 20/20, memories of past relationships, heartbreak, breakups, etc.
Note: basically can be summed up by the one Taylor Swift lyric, “I always felt I must look better in the rear view/ Missing me. At the golden gates they once held the keys to.”
5. In Love: Door with the nameplate of the happy couple, a welcoming mat ushering you into a new relationship.
Themes: new love, happy memories, separation anxiety, fear of breakups, etc.
Note: Some of the imagery tries to capture the feeling of a love so grand, so cosmic that it can't possibly be contained. While others talk about the small things in love, the minuscule details of everyday life, the many small chance events that lead up to this moment.
6. In Hope: New plants on the doorstep promising new growth
Themes: healing, growing, learning to move on, leaving a toxic or one sided relationship, acceptance that all pain is temporary, optimism that out of this we can learn and grow, hope for a better future, catharsis, independence, self love, etc.
Note: I was having a good time when this one poem completely took me out of the narrative. When she says, “the only one holding you back is YOU” it suddenly took me back to that one disastrous appointment when my therapist said the same thing when I told her my anxiety was stopping me from doing things. I knew this, what else is new??
_______________________________________________________
As a whole, Campbell’s poetry collection is a step above some of the more shallow contemporary poems in terms of cohesiveness and content.
In some ways, this poetry collection feels very personal, like it originated out of that very specific feeling of insecurity, anxiety, depression, and loneliness that follows a very painful breakup and her journey of acceptance and healing. But that is not to say that they don't make sense individually or that it is not relatable.
The poems are evocative with its strong imagery, syntax, and distinct metaphors particularly in the first half of the collection. Especially memorable is the personification of Anxiety as a tyrant, forcefully invading the landscape of the mind in which the self is a tenant; as such you're constantly at war with yourself. As the poems progress, so too does Anxiety. Evolving into an unwelcome neighbor dropping by unannounced at the most inconvenient of times and refusing to leave. It is in playing around with metaphors and motifs that Campbell truly shines.
The poems are their weakest in its repetitive themes of love, breakups, and heartache. I found those a little tedious to read, and a little cliched, but this is a purely personal preference. Moreover, it bothered me that the poems start strong and build up the momentum with some strong imagery, only to fizzle out towards the end in a very anticlimactic manner. It took away from some of her strongest poems, and I hope that’s something her other poems improve on.
All in all, Rooms of the Mind is one of my more favorite poetry collections amongst those I've read in recent times and I look forward to exploring some of Campbell's other poems. 3.5 stars.
Rooms of the Mind is my first foray into Mackenzie Campbell's contemporary poetry. I went in fully expecting this to be more less similar to the kind of over hyped contemporary poems I’ve recently come across such as Milk and Honey, or The Smallest of Bones, etc. I found myself pleasantly surprised when this collection turned out to be a cut above these earlier examples: it was more, and in some ways, it was less.
Campbell’s writing is more substantial than most contemporary poetry which tends to emphasize style over content. While her poems appear to follow the same superficial conventions, everything from the grammar, diction, punctuation feel very deliberate. The format is an amalgamation of various styles, with some poems written in free verse forms, some following a rhyme scheme, while others read like streams of consciousness ripe with metaphors; certain emotions are personified and evolve with each progressive appearance lending the collection a sense of cohesiveness.
The poems themselves are divided into 6 rooms or chapters: In Lonely, In Fear, In Heartbreak, In Nostalgia, In Love, and In Hope. The concept behind this format is that the human brain compartmentalizes different emotions, feelings, experiences, and fears into separate rooms within the mind in order to make sense of them. In the same vein, this collection is Campbell’s attempt at revisiting these emotions.
Each chapter is also accompanied by a simple illustration of a door front to help conceptualize the state of mind each door represents. While the illustrations don't add much to the actual content, they are a cute visual representation of the themes or motifs that populate each feeling.
Below is a summation of my thoughts on each chapter, the accompanying illustration, and the themes mentioned:
1. In Lonely: Water under the door and grass growing to signify stagnant growth or passage of time.
Themes: Depression, suicide, missing an ex lover, death, grief, abandonment issues, toxic relationships, sexual assault, pessimism, over-thinning, etc.
Note: When you’ve lived with your loneliness long enough, at some point it becomes almost comforting to be one with that familiar feeling of loneliness, grief, and pain; you’re too tired to move on and feel something new.
2. In Fear: Bolted door for fear of letting your thoughts out.
Themes: toxic or manipulative relationships, sexual assault, rape, abuse, violence, non-binary or gender fluid identity, indecisiveness, fear of decision making, abandonment, commitment, love, insecurities, new relationships, new love, breakups, etc.
Note: Fear of not recognizing the person that you've become. Stuck in a sort of purgatory between what you were versus who you want to be. Yet another kind of stasis. Rooted to the present for fear of the unknown future.
3. In Heartbreak: Wilting flowers in need of water
Themes: breakup, heartbreak, memories, missing an ex, etc.
Note: sometimes heartbreak can be an insidious, creeping feeling, almost like a parasite invading your home and eating away at you till there's nothing left but the pain and heartache in place of empty memories.
4. In Nostalgia: Toys at the entrance, missing the simpler times.
Themes: the absence of things, nostalgia, hindsight is 20/20, memories of past relationships, heartbreak, breakups, etc.
Note: basically can be summed up by the one Taylor Swift lyric, “I always felt I must look better in the rear view/ Missing me. At the golden gates they once held the keys to.”
5. In Love: Door with the nameplate of the happy couple, a welcoming mat ushering you into a new relationship.
Themes: new love, happy memories, separation anxiety, fear of breakups, etc.
Note: Some of the imagery tries to capture the feeling of a love so grand, so cosmic that it can't possibly be contained. While others talk about the small things in love, the minuscule details of everyday life, the many small chance events that lead up to this moment.
6. In Hope: New plants on the doorstep promising new growth
Themes: healing, growing, learning to move on, leaving a toxic or one sided relationship, acceptance that all pain is temporary, optimism that out of this we can learn and grow, hope for a better future, catharsis, independence, self love, etc.
Note: I was having a good time when this one poem completely took me out of the narrative. When she says, “the only one holding you back is YOU” it suddenly took me back to that one disastrous appointment when my therapist said the same thing when I told her my anxiety was stopping me from doing things. I knew this, what else is new??
_______________________________________________________
As a whole, Campbell’s poetry collection is a step above some of the more shallow contemporary poems in terms of cohesiveness and content.
In some ways, this poetry collection feels very personal, like it originated out of that very specific feeling of insecurity, anxiety, depression, and loneliness that follows a very painful breakup and her journey of acceptance and healing. But that is not to say that they don't make sense individually or that it is not relatable.
The poems are evocative with its strong imagery, syntax, and distinct metaphors particularly in the first half of the collection. Especially memorable is the personification of Anxiety as a tyrant, forcefully invading the landscape of the mind in which the self is a tenant; as such you're constantly at war with yourself. As the poems progress, so too does Anxiety. Evolving into an unwelcome neighbor dropping by unannounced at the most inconvenient of times and refusing to leave. It is in playing around with metaphors and motifs that Campbell truly shines.
The poems are their weakest in its repetitive themes of love, breakups, and heartache. I found those a little tedious to read, and a little cliched, but this is a purely personal preference. Moreover, it bothered me that the poems start strong and build up the momentum with some strong imagery, only to fizzle out towards the end in a very anticlimactic manner. It took away from some of her strongest poems, and I hope that’s something her other poems improve on.
All in all, Rooms of the Mind is one of my more favorite poetry collections amongst those I've read in recent times and I look forward to exploring some of Campbell's other poems. 3.5 stars.
January 5, 2022
liked it overall, some poems hit really hard, others i believed the thematic elements and message were good, just sometimes wordy so i needed to read multiple times to actually get it.
LUV THIS ONE:
“you come with baggage.
but i’ve decided
i’ll be okay carrying a few extra bags
for the rest of my life.”
LUV THIS ONE:
“you come with baggage.
but i’ve decided
i’ll be okay carrying a few extra bags
for the rest of my life.”
September 21, 2021
i liked it! i was expecting a little more but overall it was pretty enjoyable:))
August 25, 2023
Wow this book spoke to me so much. I adored it and could relate to many poems, almost as if I had written them myself. Makenzie has a way of expressing herself that makes you feel her emotions loudly. This is now one of my favourite poetry book I have ever read!
September 10, 2021
‘Rooms of the mind’ is a complete exploration into the way we compartmentalize and lock away our experiences and fears.
At times this collection is very personal and explores some dark themes such as abuse and suicidal thoughts however it is done with poise and strength; ‘For all the spaces I’ve climbed out of of/ For all the times I’ve learned to make my own light.’
I have read quite a bit of contemporary poetry and sometimes it can feel a little bit posed but for me, Campbell has a really earnest and relatable take on the way we box emotions away and only revisit them alone; ‘The stars fell to dust and the colors melted to dust and my fingertips turned to dust the second yours waved goodbye.’
There is such an ache and poignancy to this collection which I really related to but at the same time there is a theme of relief of opening all of those closed doors to let the light in and guide us through to the other side.
At times this collection is very personal and explores some dark themes such as abuse and suicidal thoughts however it is done with poise and strength; ‘For all the spaces I’ve climbed out of of/ For all the times I’ve learned to make my own light.’
I have read quite a bit of contemporary poetry and sometimes it can feel a little bit posed but for me, Campbell has a really earnest and relatable take on the way we box emotions away and only revisit them alone; ‘The stars fell to dust and the colors melted to dust and my fingertips turned to dust the second yours waved goodbye.’
There is such an ache and poignancy to this collection which I really related to but at the same time there is a theme of relief of opening all of those closed doors to let the light in and guide us through to the other side.
September 4, 2021
CW: alcohol use, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation
Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
In this poetry collection, the author explores 6 different rooms of the mind: in lonely, in fear, in heartbreak, in nostalgia, in love, and in hope. Each room makes up a section, with poems to embody each feeling.
I found the writing to be vulnerable and powerful in how relatable it was. Even though I couldn't say I had personally experienced each emotion in the way it was described, I still got a clear picture of how it felt. I regret not reading it sooner!
Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
In this poetry collection, the author explores 6 different rooms of the mind: in lonely, in fear, in heartbreak, in nostalgia, in love, and in hope. Each room makes up a section, with poems to embody each feeling.
I found the writing to be vulnerable and powerful in how relatable it was. Even though I couldn't say I had personally experienced each emotion in the way it was described, I still got a clear picture of how it felt. I regret not reading it sooner!
July 1, 2021
Este poemario lo estoy leyendo en un momento crucial en mí vida. Lloré y me tocó el corazón como no pesaba que lo haría, me conmovió un montón y creo que tiene frases muy memorables. Me parece una lectura ideal para quienes se rompieron con los trozos rotos de otras personas.
Uno de mis favoritos del año.
Uno de mis favoritos del año.
January 5, 2022
The writing itself was strong, although sometimes felt a little trite. The ideals and organization of the rooms as sections I felt were really well done. There are a few memorable lines but I wasn’t exactly wowed. Solid read.
November 21, 2023
y'a un bug dans l'audio book ou vraiment ça se répète 100x à un moment donné ?
September 16, 2021
9/15/2021 Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
9/16/2021 There's a huge caveat to my review of this book today: I got an e-galley for Kindle, which was so strangely formatted as to make me constantly second guess whether I was reading a new poem or a continuation of the last one every few stanzas. This pervading doubt is not terribly conducive to enjoyment of a poem's flow, much less its message, so my apologies for any obtuseness on my end caused by this.
That said, I did find my brain mulling over the writing more than once, as Makenzie Campbell describes several different compartments in her mind. Mulling is a good thing, to be clear. She writes about very universal, relatable feelings, whether they be love or hope or fear or nostalgia, in ways that reminded me of chapters of my own life. The emotions felt very raw and true -- even if I did sigh a little at the portentous declarations of turning a heartbroken 21, like, chiiiiild, just you wait! -- and more than once, I felt snagged on a particular snapshot of feeling, and had to sit with it to ponder for a while before I could move on. Once I finished the book, I also went back and started to read again from the beginning, to see if things looked differently the second go-round. I was rewarded with greater insight on the second pass-through, as matters that had seemed opaque as I was reading the first time slid into greater clarity: this speaks to the richness of the collection.
For all that the book hangs together seamlessly enough to warrant circling back round to an immediate re-read, however, I don't necessarily think that the thematic divisions worked as well as intended. There was a lot of overlap, particularly in the last half, and just a wee bit too much repetition. Overall, it's a laudable attempt at structure that I think could have used greater stringency in (self-)editing.
In addition, there were things that I freely admit hit my pet peeve buttons in this volume. The first was the highly irritating (to me) use of adjectives as nouns. I get it, it's poetry, language is fungible, but the way words like "empty", for example, were used instead of "emptiness" in this text reminded me of the deeply annoying way popular fiction in the 21st century has replaced the noun form of "desire" with "want", not out of any artistry but because of a bizarre misunderstanding of how the parts of language work. I'm hardly opposed to the evolution of meaning but change needs to not be gratuitous, nor driven by ignorance. I actually liked the use of "lonely" for "loneliness" in the room breakdown because it fits with the way people actually speak (i.e. "I feel lonely" is more commonly used than "I feel loneliness" tho the latter is more grammatically correct, if swiftly becoming more archaic.) It fit as well as with the theme and the meter and the play of words. If only every word usage here had felt as deliberate!
Speaking of deliberate, I was also unsure if Ms Campbell meant for some of her poetry to reference/sound like popular song lyrics. Either way, I didn't care for it. Song lyrics are a step up from generic, often mawkish greeting cards, and rely on music and delivery for much of their impact and meaning. Do some song lyrics approach the level of poetry? Sure. But I expect better from poetry actual, which at its best evokes mood or situations with discipline and economy, with words alone. Interestingly, there was plenty of discipline and economy on display in Venla Saarinen's lovely line illustrations here, which complemented the text nicely.
This was my first exposure to Ms Campbell's poetry, and I think she has lots of potential, particularly since she's very good at teasing out emotions and making her situations feel universal. I do think her verse, at least in this volume, requires more rigor to consistently hit the artistic quality of poetry instead of feeling too often like random musings strung together from a microblog, or very short creative essays. Both of which are perfectly acceptable, entertaining forms of literature! They're just not poetry, in my mind, or at least not the kind of verse that is masterfully, carefully shaped by a wordsmith instead of being thrown haphazardly down on the page. Emotions are fine, but artistry requires discipline in order to approach greatness.
Rooms Of The Mind by Makenzie Campbell was published September 14 2021 by Central Avenue Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
9/16/2021 There's a huge caveat to my review of this book today: I got an e-galley for Kindle, which was so strangely formatted as to make me constantly second guess whether I was reading a new poem or a continuation of the last one every few stanzas. This pervading doubt is not terribly conducive to enjoyment of a poem's flow, much less its message, so my apologies for any obtuseness on my end caused by this.
That said, I did find my brain mulling over the writing more than once, as Makenzie Campbell describes several different compartments in her mind. Mulling is a good thing, to be clear. She writes about very universal, relatable feelings, whether they be love or hope or fear or nostalgia, in ways that reminded me of chapters of my own life. The emotions felt very raw and true -- even if I did sigh a little at the portentous declarations of turning a heartbroken 21, like, chiiiiild, just you wait! -- and more than once, I felt snagged on a particular snapshot of feeling, and had to sit with it to ponder for a while before I could move on. Once I finished the book, I also went back and started to read again from the beginning, to see if things looked differently the second go-round. I was rewarded with greater insight on the second pass-through, as matters that had seemed opaque as I was reading the first time slid into greater clarity: this speaks to the richness of the collection.
For all that the book hangs together seamlessly enough to warrant circling back round to an immediate re-read, however, I don't necessarily think that the thematic divisions worked as well as intended. There was a lot of overlap, particularly in the last half, and just a wee bit too much repetition. Overall, it's a laudable attempt at structure that I think could have used greater stringency in (self-)editing.
In addition, there were things that I freely admit hit my pet peeve buttons in this volume. The first was the highly irritating (to me) use of adjectives as nouns. I get it, it's poetry, language is fungible, but the way words like "empty", for example, were used instead of "emptiness" in this text reminded me of the deeply annoying way popular fiction in the 21st century has replaced the noun form of "desire" with "want", not out of any artistry but because of a bizarre misunderstanding of how the parts of language work. I'm hardly opposed to the evolution of meaning but change needs to not be gratuitous, nor driven by ignorance. I actually liked the use of "lonely" for "loneliness" in the room breakdown because it fits with the way people actually speak (i.e. "I feel lonely" is more commonly used than "I feel loneliness" tho the latter is more grammatically correct, if swiftly becoming more archaic.) It fit as well as with the theme and the meter and the play of words. If only every word usage here had felt as deliberate!
Speaking of deliberate, I was also unsure if Ms Campbell meant for some of her poetry to reference/sound like popular song lyrics. Either way, I didn't care for it. Song lyrics are a step up from generic, often mawkish greeting cards, and rely on music and delivery for much of their impact and meaning. Do some song lyrics approach the level of poetry? Sure. But I expect better from poetry actual, which at its best evokes mood or situations with discipline and economy, with words alone. Interestingly, there was plenty of discipline and economy on display in Venla Saarinen's lovely line illustrations here, which complemented the text nicely.
This was my first exposure to Ms Campbell's poetry, and I think she has lots of potential, particularly since she's very good at teasing out emotions and making her situations feel universal. I do think her verse, at least in this volume, requires more rigor to consistently hit the artistic quality of poetry instead of feeling too often like random musings strung together from a microblog, or very short creative essays. Both of which are perfectly acceptable, entertaining forms of literature! They're just not poetry, in my mind, or at least not the kind of verse that is masterfully, carefully shaped by a wordsmith instead of being thrown haphazardly down on the page. Emotions are fine, but artistry requires discipline in order to approach greatness.
Rooms Of The Mind by Makenzie Campbell was published September 14 2021 by Central Avenue Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
June 28, 2021
I would like to thank the publisher of Rooms of the Mind by Makenzie Campbell for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley.
I read this poetry collection in one sitting. Beautiful poems about heartbreak ("I'm always running back to you, pouring myself into you/ thinking if I can just give you a little more this time, you/ will finally be able to love me the way I wanted), falling in and out of love (" Before I met you/I had a lion within me/I used to demand things I deserved/And then I met you/ and a soft spot opened inside me/my claws retracted/my teeth turned dull), resilience (" I am more than the wars I've lost with myself/I know because despite losing/ I am still here.), mental health (Know healing isn't linear and there is not one way to do it/Learn how to stop associating the world "love" with their hands.) and hope (" I promise one day I will be the ocean/I will be the ocean).
I followed the poet's journey from the beginning until the end and I could relate with many of her poems.
I read this poetry collection in one sitting. Beautiful poems about heartbreak ("I'm always running back to you, pouring myself into you/ thinking if I can just give you a little more this time, you/ will finally be able to love me the way I wanted), falling in and out of love (" Before I met you/I had a lion within me/I used to demand things I deserved/And then I met you/ and a soft spot opened inside me/my claws retracted/my teeth turned dull), resilience (" I am more than the wars I've lost with myself/I know because despite losing/ I am still here.), mental health (Know healing isn't linear and there is not one way to do it/Learn how to stop associating the world "love" with their hands.) and hope (" I promise one day I will be the ocean/I will be the ocean).
I followed the poet's journey from the beginning until the end and I could relate with many of her poems.
June 29, 2021
Rooms of the Mind is a delightful book. The words danced with light feet across the paper and the pouring out of one's own heart is evident to the reader. I imagine myself in a cozy space where there's grass under my legs and yet a bed to rest while I read. I enjoyed how the book is split into different parts, ranging from heartbreak to hope. The colloquial tone of the poems makes them feel more relatable. The prose and poetry style mixed together is wonderfully structured, and Makenzie Campbell does a great job at bringing up memories and images such as Hot Wheels and paper fortune tellers. Though not everybody may relate to each poem, overall this is a beautifully put together book and there is something for everyone within the pages. Kudos to the writer and the production/publishing team that went behind making this book. I look forward to seeing more work coming from this writer in the near future.
September 1, 2021
"I live in half sentences half apologies half commitments. I've never known how to be someone who lives in full"
I could honestly go on quoting this collection for hours. It was full of heartbreak and saddening feelings which made me quite emotional at times, especially when I related to what was being talked about. This is the second collection of Makenzie's that I have read and I can definitely say that I loved it.
Every sentence, every word is beautifully placed to create such emotions of sorrow but also hope. I was truly saddened when reading the collection was over, but I would 100% go back and reread so many of the poems.
This is such an in-depth piece of writing that captures the emotions of the speaker of the poems and the reader. You will love this poetry collection!
I could honestly go on quoting this collection for hours. It was full of heartbreak and saddening feelings which made me quite emotional at times, especially when I related to what was being talked about. This is the second collection of Makenzie's that I have read and I can definitely say that I loved it.
Every sentence, every word is beautifully placed to create such emotions of sorrow but also hope. I was truly saddened when reading the collection was over, but I would 100% go back and reread so many of the poems.
This is such an in-depth piece of writing that captures the emotions of the speaker of the poems and the reader. You will love this poetry collection!
January 8, 2023
“ I live in half sentences
half apologies
half commitments
I’ve never known how to be someone who lives in full.
I’m scared of all this empty.
And so, as a fair warning, a road sign telling you to be cautious down this path, I asked:
“What if I can only give you a half love?”
You took my shaky hands and held them.
“If I am lucky enough to experience half of your love, that is more than enough” “
Wow.
half apologies
half commitments
I’ve never known how to be someone who lives in full.
I’m scared of all this empty.
And so, as a fair warning, a road sign telling you to be cautious down this path, I asked:
“What if I can only give you a half love?”
You took my shaky hands and held them.
“If I am lucky enough to experience half of your love, that is more than enough” “
Wow.
October 18, 2021
Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book Rooms of The Mind was enjoyable, not what excepted but still a good read. 😊
I hope to read another book from this author.
This book Rooms of The Mind was enjoyable, not what excepted but still a good read. 😊
I hope to read another book from this author.
March 2, 2023
The audiobook kinda ruined it. The narrator sounded like Alexa and not much emotion or emphasis where needed.
August 31, 2021
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
“the problem with being a poet is, everything is a metaphor. So when they tell you they love you, you paint it grander than it is. And when they tell you goodbye, it hurts more than it should.” I enjoyed this collection. It had several incredibly strong poems and I enjoyed the way it was organized by different “rooms”. Each room had a variety of poems, giving this collection a variety of perspective.
“the problem with being a poet is, everything is a metaphor. So when they tell you they love you, you paint it grander than it is. And when they tell you goodbye, it hurts more than it should.” I enjoyed this collection. It had several incredibly strong poems and I enjoyed the way it was organized by different “rooms”. Each room had a variety of poems, giving this collection a variety of perspective.
June 27, 2021
I love a good poetry collection, but find they are very hit and miss. Personal taste plays an important factor in whether or not you resinate and feel connected with the collections or not.
I really really enjoyed this. The prose really connected with me. It felt so incredibly honest and mimicked my own views and experiences throughout.
I really loved this!
I really really enjoyed this. The prose really connected with me. It felt so incredibly honest and mimicked my own views and experiences throughout.
I really loved this!
September 1, 2021
[4.5 stars]
I really love this book, it makes me feel warm in my heart and I don’t know how much I need to read this. My favorite for some reason I can’t explain was the first room, the lonely room.
I really love this book, it makes me feel warm in my heart and I don’t know how much I need to read this. My favorite for some reason I can’t explain was the first room, the lonely room.
July 31, 2021
Trigger warning: Some poems in this collection reference alcohol use, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation and possibly other difficult topics.
Makenzie Campbell’s raw and poignant third collection, ‘Rooms of the Mind’, includes universal themes, rooms furnished with loneliness, fear, abuse, heartbreak, nostalgia, love, and hope.
She dives deep into her psyche in order to confront her experiences, to share her vulnerabilities with the world, the ones we all face.
In the last ‘room’ of her mind, ‘hope’, Campbell exhibits the understanding of her self-worth as she steps into her power. She writes to encourage others, to let them know that they are not alone. I have no doubt that she will continue to be an inspiration to her growing audience.
*
What if you grow tired?
What if one day
you sit down at breakfast
and I see dark circles pooling beneath your eyes
and I ask about them?
You might say you didn’t sleep well,
although I didn’t feel you tossing and turning.
Maybe that one sleepless night turns into many
and each morning, the circles darken
until finally
Tired is done sneaking up on you
and hits you at full force.
And maybe then,
maybe then I won’t ever feel you toss and turn again,
I won’t ever be with you again.
Every night, I pray you won’t grow tired of me.
*
A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @centavepub for an ARC of ‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ by Makenzie Campbell.
‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ can be pre-ordered right now through Amazon.
Makenzie Campbell’s raw and poignant third collection, ‘Rooms of the Mind’, includes universal themes, rooms furnished with loneliness, fear, abuse, heartbreak, nostalgia, love, and hope.
She dives deep into her psyche in order to confront her experiences, to share her vulnerabilities with the world, the ones we all face.
In the last ‘room’ of her mind, ‘hope’, Campbell exhibits the understanding of her self-worth as she steps into her power. She writes to encourage others, to let them know that they are not alone. I have no doubt that she will continue to be an inspiration to her growing audience.
*
What if you grow tired?
What if one day
you sit down at breakfast
and I see dark circles pooling beneath your eyes
and I ask about them?
You might say you didn’t sleep well,
although I didn’t feel you tossing and turning.
Maybe that one sleepless night turns into many
and each morning, the circles darken
until finally
Tired is done sneaking up on you
and hits you at full force.
And maybe then,
maybe then I won’t ever feel you toss and turn again,
I won’t ever be with you again.
Every night, I pray you won’t grow tired of me.
*
A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @centavepub for an ARC of ‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ by Makenzie Campbell.
‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ can be pre-ordered right now through Amazon.
August 21, 2021
This poetry collection is divided into six chapters or “rooms of the mind” - entitled Lonely, Fear, Heartbreak, Nostalgia, Love and Hope - so it’s clear that these are going to be tough poems.
They are mostly aching, questioning, single-sentence lines rather than full-blown poems, often reading like tweets from a lovelorn social media account, but are deeply cathartic, often depressing. Each poem is heartfelt and thought-provoking in its own right, but reading the whole collection at once would be overwhelming.
One poem is simply the line “this will be my last poem about you” repeated over and over, but in the context of the entire book is strangely effective. The collection as a whole can be summed up by the verse -
-“What’s the most promising emotion?”
“What’s the most destructive?”
For both I answered,
love”. -
The familiar process of falling in love is explored in the “Love” room yet they are fearful of it, and in “Hope”, they embrace a new beginning and move on, and empower the reader to keep pushing through to find the light.
“This is me
untethered.
Unbelonging to anyone but myself.”
If you’re in the mood for melancholy poetry or have just come out of a relationship, then you will enjoy this collection, although it’s best appreciated in small doses. The poems are cries for help but it’s not all misery as the reader leaves the book with hope. Overall I enjoyed the collection and will return to it.
They are mostly aching, questioning, single-sentence lines rather than full-blown poems, often reading like tweets from a lovelorn social media account, but are deeply cathartic, often depressing. Each poem is heartfelt and thought-provoking in its own right, but reading the whole collection at once would be overwhelming.
One poem is simply the line “this will be my last poem about you” repeated over and over, but in the context of the entire book is strangely effective. The collection as a whole can be summed up by the verse -
-“What’s the most promising emotion?”
“What’s the most destructive?”
For both I answered,
love”. -
The familiar process of falling in love is explored in the “Love” room yet they are fearful of it, and in “Hope”, they embrace a new beginning and move on, and empower the reader to keep pushing through to find the light.
“This is me
untethered.
Unbelonging to anyone but myself.”
If you’re in the mood for melancholy poetry or have just come out of a relationship, then you will enjoy this collection, although it’s best appreciated in small doses. The poems are cries for help but it’s not all misery as the reader leaves the book with hope. Overall I enjoyed the collection and will return to it.
November 16, 2021
4.5 stars*
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC for an honest review of this poetry collection.
I read Makenzie Campbell's other work, Nineteen, last year and can really see her development as a writer since then to now. This book explores loneliness, fear, heartbreak, nostalgia, love and hope (each having its own chapter) and as the reader I feel that I was able to watch as Campbell grew into someone that can see her worth. The book follows a growth that pours from the pages as you continue to the very end and I thought that was really beautiful. Even though I find Campbell's writings quite simple this is in no way a negative thing. The simple language meant that I could really get to the heart of what Campbell was saying with each piece which gave me more opportunity to relate to a lot of this collection.
I really liked Venla Saarinen's art that was featured in each chapter of the book and again really complimented the poetry with the simple but elegant artwork. I think that being able to share our vulnerabilities and sometimes our weaknesses just shows how strong we really are. Campbell definitely does this with this collection. This collection does explore the many feelings that come with a relationship, beginning and end and is something a lot of us, almost all, can appreciate.
Amy x
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC for an honest review of this poetry collection.
I read Makenzie Campbell's other work, Nineteen, last year and can really see her development as a writer since then to now. This book explores loneliness, fear, heartbreak, nostalgia, love and hope (each having its own chapter) and as the reader I feel that I was able to watch as Campbell grew into someone that can see her worth. The book follows a growth that pours from the pages as you continue to the very end and I thought that was really beautiful. Even though I find Campbell's writings quite simple this is in no way a negative thing. The simple language meant that I could really get to the heart of what Campbell was saying with each piece which gave me more opportunity to relate to a lot of this collection.
I really liked Venla Saarinen's art that was featured in each chapter of the book and again really complimented the poetry with the simple but elegant artwork. I think that being able to share our vulnerabilities and sometimes our weaknesses just shows how strong we really are. Campbell definitely does this with this collection. This collection does explore the many feelings that come with a relationship, beginning and end and is something a lot of us, almost all, can appreciate.
Amy x
September 13, 2021
**e-ARC received by the author and publisher of NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.**
First off, I just wanna say that good job of providing Trigger Warning on the start of the book, because I would know what I’ll get myself into. Mackenzie Campbell never disappoints, this book is everything, it also now has a very special space in my heart alongside with her other books. It tackles topic that everyone frowned upon, In an effort to find their own voice and place in the world, they may see things that we don’t see or have long been paralyzed to do anything about.
I caught myself crying while reading every page because it feels like I’m the one who wrote it. It speaks to me a lot. I have so many favorite parts and the illustrations are a big part of it. I wanted to tattooed it on my body soon.
Thank you so much Netgalley, I was so excited to read this ARC since 2am Thoughts has a very special place in my heart. I am really glad I read the same day it was released so again thank you.
First off, I just wanna say that good job of providing Trigger Warning on the start of the book, because I would know what I’ll get myself into. Mackenzie Campbell never disappoints, this book is everything, it also now has a very special space in my heart alongside with her other books. It tackles topic that everyone frowned upon, In an effort to find their own voice and place in the world, they may see things that we don’t see or have long been paralyzed to do anything about.
I caught myself crying while reading every page because it feels like I’m the one who wrote it. It speaks to me a lot. I have so many favorite parts and the illustrations are a big part of it. I wanted to tattooed it on my body soon.
Thank you so much Netgalley, I was so excited to read this ARC since 2am Thoughts has a very special place in my heart. I am really glad I read the same day it was released so again thank you.
September 22, 2021
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review e-arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I know I'm not supposed to tell you what I wished for
but I will say
It looks a lot like your hand in mine
It looks a lot like you staying
A poetry collection about lost love, heartbreak, missing a romantic partner but also, anxiety, trying to restore faith in youself, dealing with dark thoughts!
Even though I tend to not like this type of modern, more simplistic poetry, I ended up really really enjoying this one, mostly because I was in an unexpected romantic mood and thought the lyrics about heartbreak were beautiful, even though they were definitely very simple! Something else that made me very happy was the fact that a couple of poems mentioned attraction to more than one gender which I absolutely needed to see and found so, so amazing!
I know I'm not supposed to tell you what I wished for
but I will say
It looks a lot like your hand in mine
It looks a lot like you staying
A poetry collection about lost love, heartbreak, missing a romantic partner but also, anxiety, trying to restore faith in youself, dealing with dark thoughts!
Even though I tend to not like this type of modern, more simplistic poetry, I ended up really really enjoying this one, mostly because I was in an unexpected romantic mood and thought the lyrics about heartbreak were beautiful, even though they were definitely very simple! Something else that made me very happy was the fact that a couple of poems mentioned attraction to more than one gender which I absolutely needed to see and found so, so amazing!
July 27, 2021
This book was a beautiful exploration into the many houses in which we store our emotions- loneliness, fear, love, hope... we all experience these in some form, and this collection of poems is an honest and raw look into another's experience.
There were some moments, some passages, that caused me to truly pause and sit with the thoughts it stirred. I felt seen.
This is one I would recommend for people who enjoy Rupi Kaur or Nikita Gill.
Thank you so much to Makenzie Campbell and Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this incredible book. You can find my review on Goodreads, along with Instagram (@samwisereads).
There were some moments, some passages, that caused me to truly pause and sit with the thoughts it stirred. I felt seen.
This is one I would recommend for people who enjoy Rupi Kaur or Nikita Gill.
Thank you so much to Makenzie Campbell and Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this incredible book. You can find my review on Goodreads, along with Instagram (@samwisereads).
January 2, 2022
the problem i have with poems sometimes is that most poets are sad. it sounds funny, i know, but it's true. and most of the time i read a book to forget about the sadness in my own life - not to mention they start to all sound the same after a while. there are less moments where i find myself looking away from the book to let what i read sink in. however the moment the words turn from grim to a little lighter and keep going until it's only pages of joy and happiness and hope is something ill never get over. it just brings a smile to my face.
long story short, you WILL find me in the poetry section of a bookstore when im in the mood for it. 3/5 stars
long story short, you WILL find me in the poetry section of a bookstore when im in the mood for it. 3/5 stars
July 10, 2021
I would like to say thank you to the publishers of this book who allowed me digital access via NetGalley. I cried while reading this book, relating to the author’s pain. I connected more with the first half of the book, but the wide variety and range presented in this book allows for everyone to connect. The set up of this book makes it a collection easy to navigate. Depending on someone’s mood or life circumstances, they can quickly locate poetry to help them feel seen. I hope to read more of the author’s work in the future.
July 10, 2021
I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley.
The best poetry book I've read so far this year. This book was a roller-coaster of emotions, I honestly have no words. It was so profound and sad, but also very sweet and hopeful. Being able to read this poetry collection right now simply warmed my heart. Each section ("room") talks about a different feeling, and I just have to say that all poems are beautiful - I can't even pick a favourite section.
The best poetry book I've read so far this year. This book was a roller-coaster of emotions, I honestly have no words. It was so profound and sad, but also very sweet and hopeful. Being able to read this poetry collection right now simply warmed my heart. Each section ("room") talks about a different feeling, and I just have to say that all poems are beautiful - I can't even pick a favourite section.
August 30, 2021
A wonderful collection of heartfelt and honest poems delving into heartbreak, revelation and renewal. Things are seen differently from the viewpoint of a poet. " The problem with being a poet is everything is a metaphor." The reader feels the pain, the love and the hope through the author´s well-crafted words. "There is no good way to leave someone. But to leave silently, with questions left unanswered on the welcome mat and the promise of forever returned like a spare key..." The sketches in between sections are delightful and add to the reading experience.
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