This Book Needs a Title

by Theodore Ficklestein, Greg Luti

This Book Needs A Title is a poetry book of irrelevant poems by Theodore Ficklestein.
This book is the revised paperback version of Volume 1.

Genres: Poetry

ebook

First published April 29, 2013

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New book out 9/22.

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Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Theodore Ficklestein and why are they saying all those things about him?

Try researching the name Theodore Ficklestein on the Internet and all that comes up is a nebulous blog which when the `About Me' is clicked the following comes out: `I'm not really a person who likes to describe himself. I think that sums it up pretty well. Honestly I'm filling this out because I have to.' So give up on that angle, open the book titled THIS BOOK NEEDS A TITLE, kick back, and meet a person who has a pretty wise grip on the world as it is - senseless, out of order, dumbed down, self conscious about being so culturally out of it, and rather simple minded in the vague patterns we are adopting as comfortable substitutes for thinking. Likely, if you are in touch with life as it is happening you will laugh yourself silly at this collection of little poems and drawings essentially about very little - except some things that matter..... Examples follow:

ONE RULE
There is only one rule for us all to follow on this earth.
Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Is it that hard to follow?
Apparently.
We seem to have a hard time with it.
Good thing there aren't two rules or we would really be sunk.

A LITTLE SECRET
Want to know a secret?
Something no one will ever say.
Poetry is actually very uninteresting and there is no money in it.
Wait.
Why am I writing poetry again?

LIFESTYLE
Addiction.
Alcoholism.
Depression.
There are things that writers know very well.
Some too well.
They make for a very unhealthy lifestyle.
But boy can they help produce great stories.

Theodore Ficklestein may be a nom de plume or may be a writer on a diversion or may be a new voice in the wilderness. When you get over the seemingly silliness of this book, then the tidbits of thought stick little spears in your brain and you discover that not only is this an extraordinarily fully book (sans title), but it is also packed with some very well disguised wisdom. Pick through these poems and see if many don't hit home - while allowing you that much needed guffaw of snicker or laugh to flavor the flattened landscape of today.

Grady Harp

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review can also be found here

Actual rating: 2.5

I liked this book, I really did. I just wasn't in love with it. As someone who loves poetry I think I was expecting something different. Quite a few of the poems were quite funny and relatable. Others were good but I just didn't feel a connection with them.

The author does a wonderful job of making the poems funny but adding a moral or something that people should learn into each one. I really liked this aspect and it really added to the meaning and feelings of the poems and what they were all about.

There were some spelling and grammar mistakes but these were minor and didn't make the poems hard to understand or detract from the overall book.

This book may be good for those who are intimidated by poetry but want to read it. This book is really easy to read and doesn't take very long. For the most part each poem is pretty short and no more than a single page, a few take up 2-3 pages but are still quite easy to understand and follow. If you want to give poetry a try, I think this may be a good book to start with. It's funny and also offers meaning and morals behind the hilarious words.

The question is, will I be checking out works by this author in the future? I think I will. Although I wasn't totally crazy about this collection of poems, I think there was a lot of potential and I am looking forward to seeing how his poems grow and evolve in the future.

This copy was received from the author for review purposes and did not effect my opinions in any way. The opinions expressed in this review were mine alone.

[a_tiffyfit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually one for poetry and, in fact, disliked my literature classes that focused on it, only finding a few that stuck with me. Had the poetry been like THIS? I think I would've actively pursued reading more poetry!

I found his poems blunt, honest, self-effacing, effortless, and hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed this book page by delicious page, many of them making me nod my head in agreement or laughing out loud or thinking, "oh, damn." It was as if I was reading his notebook filled with thoughts and observations on life, society, etc.

Some examples:

********Give Em A Kiss If you want people to listen to you just remember this little rule. KISS Keep It Simple Stupid You can literally kiss them but I don't suggest doing so.

********You my friend are very lucky. You just won the lottery. My lottery. Go ahead and jump up and down now. I know. You worked so hard for it. It took so much effort to win this lottery of mine. You didn't even know I had a lottery, did you? Well I do. What do you win with this lottery? Ugh. How about a copy of this book? That sounds good to me. (P.S. from reviewer: I did win this lottery as I was given a copy of this book from the author with no strings attached!)

********So you fell and are down on your luck. Get over it. Don't complain. Or sulk about what happened. Or make excuses. Move on. Seriously what are you supposed to do? Stop? Practically speaking you have to move on. You have no choice. So I suggest doing so. Sooner rather than later.

Delightful and a book I like sharing with friends and family. Thank you to the author for my review copy. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Kandy Scaramuzzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book for an honest review
This is a very interesting book of poetry .It was Interesting in the fact that I enjoyed every bit of the book. It was quite the romp from soldiers drinking iced coffee, to Christopher Columbus discovering America. (Loved the comment, by the Native Americans!)
Mr. Ficklestein is quite an accomplished straight man. He would have done well in the old movies that required one to keep a straight face and make outlandish comments. This fellow is downright entertaining. He covers all kinds of subjects in his book. He even has a poem explaining note taking to students, although if I was a student, I probably wouldn’t follow it.
There is even a section on art that appears randomly throughout the book. He dazzles us with his checkerboard on drugs and his Mickey Mouse. Now I see why he stuck to poetry. He even attempts to amaze us with his music that he still has to write.
All in all, quite an eclectic entertaining read. I have not had that much fun reading a book in a long time. I thank Mr. Ficklestein for sharing it with me.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I was not entirely sure what to expect. I found a great variety of poetry in this book, from structured verse to almost free writing, expressing thoughts, ideas and feelings.

Some of Ficklestein's poems I absolutely loved. They were funny and thought provoking and I found myself lingering over a few poems, just to give them a bit of extra thought. When something does that, I consider it a success.

However, there were other poems I did not enjoy. This is probably just personal preference rather than them actually being bad, but some of the poems felt a bit pointless. There is also too much repetition of poems about how the poet can't think of what to write, or he does not know what to put on a certain page. Whilst it was interesting to see the first one, after a while it gets a bit tiring and it feels as if he is just trying to fill space.

Overall, this book contains a mixed bag of poems. Some I loved, others I did not like. However, there are some definite gems in this book and I am glad I found them.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{my thoughts} - This book is a book of poetry written in a different sense then most. It isn't the kind of poetry that rhymes and has a specific flow. However, these poems are catchy, attention grabbing and some are rather funny. There are interesting facts thrown in to some of them and other don't make a lot of sense. In the end I really enjoyed reading it. It's wonderfully written and is bound to make you smile more then a few times. The poem I enjoyed the most was {a purple giraffe going to the supermarket}. The reason is because I love giraffes. It is difficult for me to criticize this book since {ficklestein} had already covered the most basic ones in the beginning of the book. However, I would have to say this book is exceptional and a must read for anyone that enjoys poetry.

{reason for reading} - I was given a copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BOOK NEEDS A TITLE by Theodore Ficklestein is an interesting book of poetry. Rather you enjoy poetry or not, you will enjoy "This Book Needs a Title". It is refreshing,whimsical,with cute pictures, hieroglyphics,and so much more. You will never look at stick pictures and such again. Some are humorous, some a bit weird, but all will have you thinking....did I just read that? A quick, cute read which I enjoyed. Received for an honest review from the author.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: NONE
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

[Jim Gallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“This Book Needs A Title” consists of a collection of poems by the author. Some consist of only a few lines, most are completed in one page but a few go for more than that. The main quality of the poems is humor. Author Theodore Ficklestein has a dry, almost so silly it’s funny sense of humor. I found a few poems that were profound, some that were funny and none that were offensive. If you are looking for a collection of light poetry that will be intermittently entertaining “This Book Needs a Title” is a good place to look.

I did receive a free copy of this book for review.

[Kat Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this sent to me from the author. I want to say thank you before anything.

This is a poetry book that says its not a poetry book. I am used to the sad and deep poems but this is not that at all! There were a couple of meaningful poems but the rest seemed like comedy. I would have to say I enjoyed it. It was different for me and some of the poems were kind of stupid but it all seemed to go together.
I will be reading volume 2- I have hopes for this one now that I know his writing style.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Won through a Goodreads Giveaway.

I can tell that a lot of care and effort went into the creation and presentation of this book (in part to make it seem like no effort was put into it), and I can definitely appreciate that. However, I made it to about page 40 and decided it wasn't for me. There's a line between literary nonsense (or nonchalance might be a better term for this) and frippery that I'm not sure it threaded all the time, and I just don't think that it's worth my while to continue. Best of luck to the author. I hope this finds its audience because, as I said, the presentation shows the author certainly enjoyed putting this together and has worked hard to make it fun for the right readers.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book Needs a Title is a bunch of random poems. Personally, I like the kind of humor used throughout this book. Some poems were really funny, some didn't make much sense. I shared aloud a few of them to my family, and I got blank stares and gut laughs.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a “back cover poem” on this book. It sets the tone perfectly for a collection of free-verse musings which blend innocent humor (see page 67s redirection), thought-provoking contemplation (“One Rule” for example), nicely disguised hints of wisdom (“A Tale To Tell”), and plenty of self-deprecating writers’ tales (which prove, from this reader-writer’s point of view, seriously more than the eponymous “Merely Clever”).

Writerly readers will recognize the joys and pitfalls of trying to be published, read, appreciated, or simply recognized. Poetry readers might long for the occasional poetic rule. But other will surely appreciate the author’s light touch, musical memories, fun illustrations (occasionally offered with pictures instead of words), and pleasantly humorous voice.

This Book Needs A Title is a fun collection in the vein of Silverstein with a uniquely wannabe-published undertone that this reader, for one, can surely relate to. It’s got some typos; it’s not perfect; but it’s a really enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I was given a copy and I offer my honest review.