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Every Night is Full of Stars
Every Night is a Full of Stars: More Meaningful Poems for Life is a beautiful collection of poetry chosen by Aoibhín Garrihy to bring solace and joy to our stressful modern lives. Themes include love and loss, hope and peace, self-discovery and identity, and each poem has been specially selected for its power to delight and inspire .
With lines of classic and contemporary wisdom taken from a wide range of poets including Donna Ashworth, Emily Dickinson, Brother Richard, W.B. Yeats and Christina Rossetti, this anthology will bring joy to every reader.
With lines of classic and contemporary wisdom taken from a wide range of poets including Donna Ashworth, Emily Dickinson, Brother Richard, W.B. Yeats and Christina Rossetti, this anthology will bring joy to every reader.
- GenresPoetry
192 pages, Hardcover
Published September 28, 2023
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56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 4, 2023
I loved the collection and there were some nice gems in it. Some of the ‘comments’ on the poems felt slightly infantile in parts - I’m not sure if Garrihy was trying to be relatable but the tone was a bit off in some of them. Overall a lovely easy read.
December 9, 2025
4.5/5 ⭐
It was during the latter half of the anthology that I really started connecting with the poems — the second half resonated with me much more.
I found Garrihy's contribution to the collection somewhat vapid, generic one or two liners that didn't add anything to my experience of the poems. I would have loved to have learned about the compilation process; how she decided what poems to include and why she included them.
• Garrihy’s own poem «Every Night is Full of Stars»:
“Like the boy who felt the thrill of the wave
Upon his board in the swell
His troubles seemingly left on the shore
As the majestic sea cast her spell”
• «I Meant to Do My Work Today» by Richard Le Gallienne:
“I meant to do my work today—
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree, And a butterfly flitted across the field, And all the leaves were calling me.”
• «Being Boring» by Wendy Cope:
“No news is good news, and long may it last. [!]”
• «Victories» by Joshua Seigal:
“You wielded your toothbrush like a club. You stood under the shower’s strate for as long as it took to deter the enemies under your skin, if just for a while.”
• «Serenity Prayer» by Brian Bilston:
“Send me a slow news day,
a quiet, subdued day,
in which nothing much happens of note,
just the passing of time,
the consumption of wine,
and a re-run of Murder, She Wrote.
Grant me a no news day …”
• «The Sea Question» by Elizabeth Smither:
“The sea asks "How is your life now?"
It does so obliquely, changing colour.
It is never the same on any two visits.
It is never the same in any particular
Only in generalities: tide and such matters
Wave height and suction, pebbles that rattle.
It doesn't presume to wear a white coat But it questions you like a psychologist
As you walk beside it on its long couch.”
• « I Want to Live a Little Life» by Erin Hanson:
I want to live a little life, I want to live it big,
To have a place to sit and feel the sun, A patch of dirt to dig.
• «Mouthful of Forevers» by Clementine von Radics
“I am not the first person you loved.
You are not the first person I looked at with a mouthful of forevers. We
have both known loss like the sharp edges of a knife.
…
Our love came unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we'd given up on asking love to come. I think that has to be part of its miracle.
This is how we heal.
**I will kiss you like forgiveness. You will hold me like I'm hope.** Our arms will bandage and we will press promises between us like flowers in a book.
I will write sonnets to the salt of sweat on your skin. I will write novels to the scar of your nose. I will write a dictionary of all the words I have used trying to describe the way it feels to have finally, finally found you.
…”
• «If I Had Three Lives» by Sarah Russell
“Friends to laugh with; a man sometimes, for a weekend, to remember what skin feels like when it's alive.”
“ … wear a flannel shirt weekend guy left behind, loving the smell of sweat and aftershave more than I do him.”
• «If Thou Must Love Me» by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only.
…
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.”
• «The Lovers» by Timothy Liu
“I was always afraid
of the next card
the psychic would turn
over for us —
Forgive me
for not knowing
how we were
every card in the deck.”
💓💓💓
• «Maturing Love» by the author’s father — Eugene Garrihy; loved it!
“So here’s to you my love, may you never lose that zest,
May you find contentment as you go, as maturing
love is best.”
• «I’ll Come to You When You Call» by Jessica Urlichs - a sweet poem on motherhood; “I’ll always be your mum”
• «The Thousandth Man» by Rudyard Kipling (on finding love …)
“For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim
With you in any water”
• «Crabbit Old Woman» by Phyllis McCormack
“Again we know children, my loved one and me.” (grandchildren)
• «The Clock of Life is Wound But Once» by Robert H. Smith
It was during the latter half of the anthology that I really started connecting with the poems — the second half resonated with me much more.
I found Garrihy's contribution to the collection somewhat vapid, generic one or two liners that didn't add anything to my experience of the poems. I would have loved to have learned about the compilation process; how she decided what poems to include and why she included them.
• Garrihy’s own poem «Every Night is Full of Stars»:
“Like the boy who felt the thrill of the wave
Upon his board in the swell
His troubles seemingly left on the shore
As the majestic sea cast her spell”
• «I Meant to Do My Work Today» by Richard Le Gallienne:
“I meant to do my work today—
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree, And a butterfly flitted across the field, And all the leaves were calling me.”
• «Being Boring» by Wendy Cope:
“No news is good news, and long may it last. [!]”
• «Victories» by Joshua Seigal:
“You wielded your toothbrush like a club. You stood under the shower’s strate for as long as it took to deter the enemies under your skin, if just for a while.”
• «Serenity Prayer» by Brian Bilston:
“Send me a slow news day,
a quiet, subdued day,
in which nothing much happens of note,
just the passing of time,
the consumption of wine,
and a re-run of Murder, She Wrote.
Grant me a no news day …”
• «The Sea Question» by Elizabeth Smither:
“The sea asks "How is your life now?"
It does so obliquely, changing colour.
It is never the same on any two visits.
It is never the same in any particular
Only in generalities: tide and such matters
Wave height and suction, pebbles that rattle.
It doesn't presume to wear a white coat But it questions you like a psychologist
As you walk beside it on its long couch.”
• « I Want to Live a Little Life» by Erin Hanson:
I want to live a little life, I want to live it big,
To have a place to sit and feel the sun, A patch of dirt to dig.
• «Mouthful of Forevers» by Clementine von Radics
“I am not the first person you loved.
You are not the first person I looked at with a mouthful of forevers. We
have both known loss like the sharp edges of a knife.
…
Our love came unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we'd given up on asking love to come. I think that has to be part of its miracle.
This is how we heal.
**I will kiss you like forgiveness. You will hold me like I'm hope.** Our arms will bandage and we will press promises between us like flowers in a book.
I will write sonnets to the salt of sweat on your skin. I will write novels to the scar of your nose. I will write a dictionary of all the words I have used trying to describe the way it feels to have finally, finally found you.
…”
• «If I Had Three Lives» by Sarah Russell
“Friends to laugh with; a man sometimes, for a weekend, to remember what skin feels like when it's alive.”
“ … wear a flannel shirt weekend guy left behind, loving the smell of sweat and aftershave more than I do him.”
• «If Thou Must Love Me» by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only.
…
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.”
• «The Lovers» by Timothy Liu
“I was always afraid
of the next card
the psychic would turn
over for us —
Forgive me
for not knowing
how we were
every card in the deck.”
💓💓💓
• «Maturing Love» by the author’s father — Eugene Garrihy; loved it!
“So here’s to you my love, may you never lose that zest,
May you find contentment as you go, as maturing
love is best.”
• «I’ll Come to You When You Call» by Jessica Urlichs - a sweet poem on motherhood; “I’ll always be your mum”
• «The Thousandth Man» by Rudyard Kipling (on finding love …)
“For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim
With you in any water”
• «Crabbit Old Woman» by Phyllis McCormack
“Again we know children, my loved one and me.” (grandchildren)
• «The Clock of Life is Wound But Once» by Robert H. Smith
February 8, 2024
The one's I liked:
Being Boring Wendy Cope
Victories Joshua Seigal
Serenity Prayer Brian Bilston
Yes Muriel Rukeyser
I'm Nobody! Who are you? Emily Dickinson
Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Sonnet 29 William Shakespeare
Sound Body Jan Brierton
Unstoppable Donna Ashworth
The Winds of Fate Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Postscript Seamus Heaney
Twilight Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Sun Has Set Emily Bronte
I Want to Live a Little Life Erin Hanson
Love's Philosophy Percy Byssche Shelley
Rondeau Leigh Hunt
Mouthful of Forevers Clementine von Radics
Maturing Love Eugene Garrihy
In the Meantime Tom Hirons
Escape at Bedtime Robert Louis Stevenson
Stairs Steve Denehan
The Hundred Names of Love Annie Lighthart
May We Raise Children Who Love the Unloved Things Nicole Sowder
Dirge Without Music Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Power of the Dog Rudyard Kipling
When You Meet Someone Deep in Grief Patricia McKernon Runkle
When I am Dead, My Dearest Christina Rossetti
Crabbit Old Woman (and) A Nurse's Reply Phyllis McCormack
Hope and I Susan Coolidge
A Dream Within a Dream Edgar Allan Poe
I like the way these are ordered - we start out with self-care, to love, to heartbreak, to family, parenting, death, grief, nursing, and finally, reflections on time and dreams. I do wish there had been one or two more uplifting poems among those final ones, but I have no great complaints.
Being Boring Wendy Cope
Victories Joshua Seigal
Serenity Prayer Brian Bilston
Yes Muriel Rukeyser
I'm Nobody! Who are you? Emily Dickinson
Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Sonnet 29 William Shakespeare
Sound Body Jan Brierton
Unstoppable Donna Ashworth
The Winds of Fate Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Postscript Seamus Heaney
Twilight Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Sun Has Set Emily Bronte
I Want to Live a Little Life Erin Hanson
Love's Philosophy Percy Byssche Shelley
Rondeau Leigh Hunt
Mouthful of Forevers Clementine von Radics
Maturing Love Eugene Garrihy
In the Meantime Tom Hirons
Escape at Bedtime Robert Louis Stevenson
Stairs Steve Denehan
The Hundred Names of Love Annie Lighthart
May We Raise Children Who Love the Unloved Things Nicole Sowder
Dirge Without Music Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Power of the Dog Rudyard Kipling
When You Meet Someone Deep in Grief Patricia McKernon Runkle
When I am Dead, My Dearest Christina Rossetti
Crabbit Old Woman (and) A Nurse's Reply Phyllis McCormack
Hope and I Susan Coolidge
A Dream Within a Dream Edgar Allan Poe
I like the way these are ordered - we start out with self-care, to love, to heartbreak, to family, parenting, death, grief, nursing, and finally, reflections on time and dreams. I do wish there had been one or two more uplifting poems among those final ones, but I have no great complaints.
April 15, 2024
I really enjoyed this, the poems were very relaxing and cathartic to read. Aoibhín Garrihy certainly knows how to pick good poems. As a collection this is a really really strong.
I’ve discovered some new-favourite poems of mine from reading this. My top favourites are:
- I want to live a little life ~ Erin Hanson
- Mouthful of Forevers ~ Clementine von Radics
- Self-care ~ Karen McMillan
- If I had three lives ~ Sarah Russell
However, I found Garrihy’s contribution to the collection somewhat vapid and very superfluous, to be honest. They were generic one or two liners that didn’t add anything to my experience of the poems. I would have loved to have learned about the compilation process; how she decided what poems to include and why she included them. Perhaps an essay to close the book where she reflects on the compilation would have been better.
Garrihy’s musings precede the poem and I felt that they took me out of the reading experience, they were distracting. I didn’t like how it felt like I was being told her thoughts on the poem before I had the chance to form my own. This is why I think a closing essay where she reflects on her choices would work a lot better. After reading a few poems, I started ignoring her reflections and diving straight into the poems. I circled back later to read Garrihy’s thoughts, feeling let-down by the lack of insight they offered. In principle, these reflections are a lovely idea. However, for a concept like this to work effectively, the author needs to allow the reader deeper insight into their thoughts, further than saying a poem is a ‘hard relate’.
I rate this poetry book so highly because it truly is a fantastic collection of poetry, despite how Garrihy’s contribution to it irked me.
4⭐️
I’ve discovered some new-favourite poems of mine from reading this. My top favourites are:
- I want to live a little life ~ Erin Hanson
- Mouthful of Forevers ~ Clementine von Radics
- Self-care ~ Karen McMillan
- If I had three lives ~ Sarah Russell
However, I found Garrihy’s contribution to the collection somewhat vapid and very superfluous, to be honest. They were generic one or two liners that didn’t add anything to my experience of the poems. I would have loved to have learned about the compilation process; how she decided what poems to include and why she included them. Perhaps an essay to close the book where she reflects on the compilation would have been better.
Garrihy’s musings precede the poem and I felt that they took me out of the reading experience, they were distracting. I didn’t like how it felt like I was being told her thoughts on the poem before I had the chance to form my own. This is why I think a closing essay where she reflects on her choices would work a lot better. After reading a few poems, I started ignoring her reflections and diving straight into the poems. I circled back later to read Garrihy’s thoughts, feeling let-down by the lack of insight they offered. In principle, these reflections are a lovely idea. However, for a concept like this to work effectively, the author needs to allow the reader deeper insight into their thoughts, further than saying a poem is a ‘hard relate’.
I rate this poetry book so highly because it truly is a fantastic collection of poetry, despite how Garrihy’s contribution to it irked me.
4⭐️
September 19, 2024
A poetry collection with impact (for me, at least). Love how the poems were organised by overarching themes (gratitude, love, parenting, nature, the sea). I've marked quite a few poems to come back to later.
When I bought it, I felt like it was almost too expensive to justify the purchase, but now I'm very glad I bought it and think it was totally worth it. Especially for a hardcover! If you're into poetry (but also kind of new to it), I highly recommend this one.
When I bought it, I felt like it was almost too expensive to justify the purchase, but now I'm very glad I bought it and think it was totally worth it. Especially for a hardcover! If you're into poetry (but also kind of new to it), I highly recommend this one.
September 30, 2024
If you are a young Irish mother you'll love this.
There were a few pretty poems, but overall this is more like reading the scrap journal of the author, in which everything resonates very personally with her and has not much that relates to an average person.
Also, 85 out of 173 pages were either her comments on the poems or an ''aesthetic doodle'' to fill a page. So not much bang for your buck.
There were a few pretty poems, but overall this is more like reading the scrap journal of the author, in which everything resonates very personally with her and has not much that relates to an average person.
Also, 85 out of 173 pages were either her comments on the poems or an ''aesthetic doodle'' to fill a page. So not much bang for your buck.
July 19, 2024
A truly lovely collection of poetry. A few of my favourites were: Sound Body by Jan Brierton, Mouthful of Forevers by Clementine von Radics and I’m Nobody! Who are you? By Emily Dickinson. I have to admit I did prefer the first book of this series, it’s a book I will be returning to again and again.
February 17, 2025
This collection of poetry included poems I would rate from one star to five starts. What made me select two stars (I would give it 2.5 if the option was there) was I found Garrihy’s commentary before each one irritating and pointless. Maybe a longer introduction with more of an overview of her process at the start might have read better.
December 22, 2023
Another wonderful anthology from Aoibhín, with selections on love and loss, parenting and childhood, nurses, care, and the depth of the human condition - so many wonderful choices that are sure to bring meaning to anyone.
May 18, 2024
I enjoyed this poetry anthology. I discovered poems I love and found many new-to-me poets to look up later. This is one I will keep on my shelf and revisit. I think I would have enjoyed this more without the editor's commentary on each poem, although sometimes it illuminated a meaning of a poem.
May 23, 2025
This was lovely, but it’s possible that my rating of this little collection has been skewed by getting to read poems like West of Fanny O’Deas by Alice Guerin Crist and The Waves at Spanish Point by Rachael Hegarty while sitting cliffside in Spanish Point, County Clare.
October 31, 2023
Really lovely collection of poems featuring lots of Irish poets.
December 21, 2023
enjoyed the poems but the input form the author was very weak, i did not realise this was written by an influencer until after i had bought it which was disappointing
April 24, 2024
Nice poems. As with every collection there's some I like and others I don't like or understand. But a very good book
January 8, 2025
3.75
Had some really lovely poems
Had some really lovely poems
February 20, 2025
I'm not normally a poem person but a few in this collection really spoke to me and I love the layout of it, with a line or two about each poem by Aoibhin Garrihy.
December 30, 2024
This was a beautiful book filled with gorgeous poems chosen by Aoibhín Garrihy and written by her favourite poets. Many of these were very relatable so I think there is something here for everyone in this stunningly designed book and it would make a perfect present for someone.
It is a book full of calm and quiet and one to go back to again and again.
It is a book full of calm and quiet and one to go back to again and again.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews