for you,
if you’re wondering whether
you are worth choosing
y o u a re
even if the person who must choose you
is yourself
Hello and welcome to my stop for the #PleasePickMeTour!
Disclaimer: I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in the tour. 💜
Title: Please Pick Me
Author: Reina Regina
Publisher: Moonchild Press Publishing
Publication date: 11 November 2020
Genres: Poetry, Contemporary
Trigger/Content warnings: Mentions of anxiety, depression, abuse, trauma, and a suicide note
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Synopsis:
In a garden of a thousand other volumes, my little yellow book with its earnest plea and hopeful flowers on the cover sits waiting for you to pick it up. It’s got a heart it wants to give away.
These haikus, poems, and prose pieces are about
the miracle of being wanted back by someone we want,
the desperation of hoping they’ll fight harder when they waver,
the rawness of seeking reassurance that we are loved as we are, and
the tenderness we feel when we’re sending love out to others
—all those moments when we are making our need to be accepted plain and praying, please pick me.
This book was born after twenty-six years of learning that it’s okay to want to be wanted, that vulnerability is merely throwing open the gateway to honest connections, and that fighting to be loved the way you deserve is bravery and not weakness.
I hope you open it. I hope it invites you to be open too.
Review:
Poetry is not one of my go-to genres, but lately I’ve come to appreciate it more, especially poems by Richard Siken and Pablo Neruda. Reading the beautifully written haikus and poems by Reina Regina reminded me of the time I first read a Neruda poem and felt awe. I like my poetry best when I can understand it, when it brings out emotions in me, and when I can relate. Please Pick Me ticked all the boxes.
Please Pick Me is a beautiful book of poetry that had me from dedication page to the last sentence. I could even relate hard to the foreword. I read it twice; The first time I inhaled it, the second time I consumed it slowly in my quiet room with candles lit and my duvet on me. There is a flow to the collection of poems, organised by the different sections of the books: Flowers, thorns, roots, seeds. The haikus were the best bits for me.
There is longing, despair, hope, passion. We’ve all felt these happy and heart wrenching feelings, especially the emotions you get with the excitement of a new crush, the hope you feel when a relationship blossoms, the pain of unrequited love or rejection by family. We all want to be seen and wanted. These poems help put those feelings of vulnerability, insecurity, and hope into words. A lot of the poems resonated with me, especially those that brought back so many memories of a younger, more anxious me who developed crushes so easily and dealt with so many insecurities.
Some of my favourite poems from this collection include: Even The Queen of The Home Does Not get Her Due, Secret Santa, Love Letters from the Major Arcana, Wishes For Your Feet, How Romantic, Pirate… Ah, I can go on and on.
Aside from the writing, the artwork in this book (from cover to section dividers) really helped add to the mood. They were really gorgeous and suited the writing so well.
Moodboard:
Favourite Quotes:
When it came to choosing favourite quotes, I felt like I wanted to copy-paste the whole collection and shove it in everyone’s hands. But it’s better if you just get a copy and read it for yourself!
I hope you will feel inspired to pick up this beautiful collection of lovely, honest writing. And if there’s one thing you can takeaway from this book, it’s that you are worthy.
About the Author:
Reina Regina is a writer, professional tarot reader, Instagram creator, and former nurse.
She is published online as Reina Bambao on 8List, The Manila Times, Play Without Apology, and the Fully Booked First Look Club.
Reina resides in Manila, Philippines, and is the lady of the house for a doctor and two dogs.
Please Pick Me is, to her great and pleasant surprise, her first book.
Author links:
Website | Goodreads | Instagram
Don’t forget to visit all the Caffeine Book Tours’ #PleasePickMeTour stops. You can check out schedule here.
December 7
Ceej Writes
Spines In A Line
Woven From Words
December 8
Bookingway Reads
Fictional Booktique
Jessica C Writes
December 9
The Engineer Is Reading
Pretty Little Bibliophile
Reading Flamingo
December 10
Bookish India
Pastel Daydreams
Tami Tales
December 11
By My Shelf
Melancholic Blithe
This Bookish Life Of Mine
*Disclaimer: Images used in the moodboard are from Pexels and Unsplash. Graphics in the quotes are from Canva.
Tami Tales 
i don’t usually read poetry, but this book sounds like such a delight!! i think i might read this soon!! i adored your moodboard, it’s so pretty!! ❤🤩
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Thank you so much! I’m not usually a poetry reader as well but this was such a great collection!! Hope you get the chance to read it soon!
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