What a pleasure to open Elizabeth Gauffreau’s new book, Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right. Every page features a beautiful nature photo with an accompanying haiku. Combining poem with image creates a new art genre, one where each component gives more meaning to the other.
The first page displays a peaceful dirt road surrounded by evergreens. The poet invites the reader to accompany her on this trip through the natural beauty of the northeastern United States:
dirt road adventure washboard, slapping branches, ruts GPS turned off
I love that the GPS is turned off so that instead of following technology, we—poet and reader—are opening ourselves to the adventure.
Gauffreau directs us to majestic vistas, but she also points out the small or almost unnoticeable, such as a dappled woods image where you must look carefully or be directed by the poem:
new-growth pines, maples farmer’s forgotten stone wall a forest reclaimed
I learned things from the poems, which should not be surprising as Gauffreau seems so at home in the region.
stand of white birches roots entwined canopy shared indigenous trees
I hadn’t thought of birches as being Indigenous, so that was a bit of defamiliarizing the familiar, I suppose, as it made me take note. And it reminded me of the Robert Frost (another New England poet) poem, “Birches.”
The book is organized by the seasons of the year and makes a full cycle of the beauty of the area. Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right makes a gorgeous addition to my collection of Elizabeth Gauffreau books, Telling Sonny and Grief Songs. Heads up, though, I would recommend purchasing the paperback version because you will want to flip open the book often.
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Author Biography
Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.
She has published a novel, Telling Sonny, and a collection of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance. She is currently working on a novel, The Weight of Snow and Regret, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968.
Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://lizgauffreau.com.
Book2Read Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/SimplePleasures
Print & Fixed EPUB for tablets and Kindle Fire
BookFunnel PDF Purchase Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/gef1ili6qd
For any device.
Blog Tour Host Links: https://lizgauffreau.com/simple-pleasures-blog-tour-links/
A lovely. review, Luanne. Congratulations to Liz.
Thanks, John! She did a great job on this book!
😊
Thank you, John!
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Fabulous review! I agree with everything you said, Luanne. 🧡
Yay!!!! I want to get a coffee table book of it!!!
Thank you, Colleen!
Thank you very much for this review, Luanne! I’m so glad Simple Pleasures resonated with you.
Such a really pretty book. In fact, I think it would make a great gift for a lot of people.
Good idea!
Wonderful review, Luanne!
Thank you, Eilene!
Thanks for making us aware of this book of poetry and photos. I love that synergy! ✍️
You’re welcome! I know. It really was a great idea.
Lovely review, Luanne! I agree that a print version of the Liz’s book would be ideal. I have a digital ARC and I was perplexed when I found I couldn’t download it to my Kindle Paperwhite although it downloaded nicely to my Kindle on my iPad. When I opened it up on my iPad, my first thought was “Duh! Of course this wouldn’t work with a Paperwhite!!” The photos need to be seen in color, as they truly are, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading (and rereading) her haikus.
The same thing happened to me! I also have Kindle Paperwhite. So when I realized it wouldn’t read the book, I ordered the paperback–happily realizing it would be so much better for reading. I never thought of the ipad, but that’s ok because I’m keeping the book handy!
Normally I don’t like to read on my iPad because it’s kind of heavy (has an attached keyboard), but Liz’s book was short enough that I could comfortably read in one sitting. But I need to get the paperback. That will be so much better 🙂
Yes, I’m really glad I got it. I hear you about the ipad. I have a little ipad cushion that mine can rest on on my stomach, but still it’s not ideal. That’s why I love the paperwhite! So lightweight and the light is easy on my migraine stuff.
Thank you, Marie!
Wonderful review!!! Congratulations to Liz! Beautiful book!
Thanks, Linda! Oh, I think you would love this book!
I just bought the book! It is coming tomorrow! 🙂
Thank you, Linda!!
Your book will arrive at my house tomorrow!!! I am looking forward to reading it!
Oh, wonderful, Linda, thank you!! I hope you enjoy it.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Beautiful book!!! Wonderful poems and awesome photographs…certainly captures the aura of New England! This is a book to read again and again!
Yay! So happy you enjoy Liz’s book, Linda!!!!
Great review, Luanne.
Thank you, Jennie! It’s such a lovely book!