Salt Water

by Brianna Wiest

In her debut poetry collection, Brianna Wiest pioneers a new cross-genre of writing. Through her freeform approach, Brianna's words artfully illustrate our deep connection to the natural world as well as to ourselves, distilling the essence of wisdom into lines that are sure to touch your heart and open your soul.

Genres: Poetry, Self Help, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Mental Health, Spirituality, Personal Development

171 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2017

Reviews

[shanayaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

➳ 𝟒.𝟓/𝟓 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨

❞𝙄𝙛 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮
𝙄 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚
𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮.❞

I have read few books by Brianna and i loved them soo much, soo i had pretty good expectations with it and honestly it served. I wholeheartedly treasured every poem within these pages. Truth be told, this book felt like a comforting, steaming cup of coffee on a brisk, chilly day, warming both my heart and soul 🥺🤌🏻

This is undeniably a heartwarming and exquisite read, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. If you're in search of quality poetry, this book could be your perfect find 🫂🩷

[Ri ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If on my last day
I were to greet
The person I could have become
I hope I am happy to be who I am
And I hope that I love her anyway

Brianna did it again!

[luna_inthesouth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Even if you don’t think you’re broken, Life can still hand you a thousand ways to heal"



"I wish I didn’t know what I weighed or
What other people’s lives were like
I would be so blissfully ordinary
If these measures didn’t exist, "



"I quieted my life
Until the only thing I could hear
Was the sound that blood makes in your body
When you’re still enough and listen
And the tapping of rain on the windowsill And the simmer of sage leaves as they coil The familiar clicking of a keyboard
And the steeliness of a frigid afternoon Each of these an encryption
Reminding me what matters
Telling me where to go"




"Evolution is divinity at work
We are nature made aware of itself
Science is the most spiritual pursuit
To learn the patchwork of existence
Is to understand ourselves"

[stefiereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Update 3 stars

3.5 stars

This book is strongly express about self love and a little romance.

I enjoyed quite a lot of her poetry. However, there are quite some of it that I just feel disconnected with.

*Thank you so much for Thought Catalog for sending me this book :)

[marioncoin | coin.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

― "sometimes you will go through darkness, and that is the end of the sentence
it was a dark winter, and nothing more
you sank and you purged
and you didn’t understand why you laid in sadness
sometimes you don’t need to know why
you only need to go through it"

[m ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I loved this one a lot cause it’s like poetry..but with so many interesting facts.

So many quotes resonated with me, but I think it all comes down to this:

“Live so that death has nothing to steal.”

[Hawraa Khudier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poem is for self-love ,broken hearts and the healing of wounds.
In every sentence I read I feel comfortable because there are people who understand these little problems and disappointments.
I love the quotations she wrote, they describe our real life (every thought I write will be my own opinion).
I woke up buy this sentence
" Letting go
Is not releasing
It is allowing
What already is "
We always say 'Finally I was released from the past and its memories', but the fact is the past has already gone or released you're just no longer holding it or struggling with it.
Also " We were designed to be terrified of what we want most"
I asked myself why we were afraid of something we wanted, is it because of the fear of not getting it? Why so, let it be, we don't have to let our fears prevent us from what we want.
"Go into the belly of your being
And look in the face of what is holding this pain
Ask them: What else can I do to feed you?
How else can we move on"
It is so clear, I loved these lines and I see that they fit most people in our surroundings and in general.
"The only prayers I have left
Is that I may do something today
That changes tomorrow"
What a nice thing is that we study hard, we do our best to change tomorrow or have a better future.
"The things I would become
The things I would still love"
"But all I had to do was water them and give them light"
"My job was not to plant them
But to make sure I was well enough
To let them take root"
When you buy a flower and take care of it it won't last long because there is something still missing, but if you plant it with its seeds it will take roots to be stronger and last forever, the same thing happens to what we want or love most if we allow them to take roots inside ourselves we will be stronger and get what we want and love.
"Your mind is fire
It can heat your house
Or burn it to the ground" without further ado, your thoughts can protect you or burn you.
"Happiness I know now
Is just clean white sheets
And hot black coffee
And hope
And hope"
I think we share the same happiness, I feel happy when I have my pen and paper with coffee.
"we need sages and scientists to expand the human mind"

Literally, the human mind should be expanded and changed.
I felt powerful and confident with:
"I am the gardener
And I am the seed"
Moreover, "Failures are detours
Not destination"
Exactly, my failures can't control my destination they are just wrong directions I walked in so it means I can change it,I still have chances.
"That I was suffocating my potential
So other people wouldn't be bothered?"
Truth be told, it's me, I don't like other people to be bothered by me, so I choke my possibilities, thoughts and so many other things. Why so? Let them go to hell I won't please anyone if it costs myself, dignity, potential and principles.
This book describes so many aspects of my life and I woke up by her words also I can say that I learned things from her.
Brianna is a woman with small age but a big experience and mind. I just disagree with some points but I agree with most.
I recommend this book to everyone without exceptions because it's for everyone's life thanks to you.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this wasn’t really for me? I like some of Brianna’s other work, but this collection of poems was not as impactful as I’d hoped. First of all, the writing wasn’t particularly beautiful or unique. One reason I turn to poetry often is because I want my imaginings to be shaken, and my often simple descriptions of the world and life to be upset and pictured through a new lens of eclectic imagery. Poetry has a way of captivating the great beauty and sorrow of life with descriptions I would never think of myself. And this short book was nothing short of boring and unimaginative. It encompasses the sort of one-line clips of wisdom I’d expect to see on some mediocre wellness influencers Instagram page. There were no shocking revelations that guided me inward and asked me to examine my own self and behaviors. There was nothing new or interesting about what she had to say, other than the very generic “love yourself” gum that everyone’s been chewing on lately.

[Cynthia Willcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a 3.5 ⭐️ It was good poetry I just felt disconnected from it a bit

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these poems felt like they were written for me and made my eyes misty and that’s when I know they’ve meant something to my soul

[JulienneReads ✧.* ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Live so that death has nothing to steal”

Some pieces were beautiful, but most did not resonate with me.

[Hitesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book of thoughts....some good...few very good and few you can't make any sense out of :P

[Bobbie Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been a big poetry fan, but I was moved to buy this book while in the serene Hill Country of Austin, Texas. I was staying at this amazing retreat called Camp Lucy, felt relaxed after a walk up to the vineyard and Brianna Wiest's name caught my eye in the gift shop. I've read her book, "The Mountain is You" and it changed my life. I wondered if her poetry would, too.

Book in hand, I sat out on my balcony in the "treetop suite" and got to reading. I found myself captivated. Upon returning home from my stay in TX, I marked my favorites and sent it to my niece - who loves poetry. Now I find myself missing it and will purchase another copy!

Well done, Ms. Wiest, on another book that challenges and changes!

[lena · Rating 1 out of 5]

»did jesus leave the lepers
because he didn’t like their “vibes?” «

second hand embarrassment bound to occur…

i really do think every poetry book has its own raison d'être but even rupi kaur poetry sparks more emotion in me than those half assed facebook inspired motivation quotes i've already read a million times

maybe this worked in 2017 when it was published but it's definitely not working now… at least not for me, sorry

1.5 ★

[Silvia (silviatheavidreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Salt Water is a book about self love, learning how to be comfortable in your own skin and how to heal from a break up.

I enjoyed reading it. There were some of the poems I really liked but also there were poems I just couldn’t connect with, hence the 3.5 stars. However, I could see why someone would love it.

•Thank you Thought Catalog for sending me this book.

[michelle (travelingbooknerds) · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed this collection and many lines resonated deeply but the verse? read more like observations / motivational thoughts and statements, giving advice to others rather than narrative poetry. many of the individual lines felt like great one liner quotes or social media one liner poetry and it did not read very personal and interior for me, which considering the subject matter being about self-healing and self-reliance after a break up, i was surprised it read more external and removed like the poet was intellectualizing rather than speaking from a place of knowing. this is not to say that is the case at all, just how the text came across to me while i was living in it. when the collection ended and i saw this was a thought catalog release, the style and form of writing clicked and made more sense because from experience i am aware that writing for outlets like thought catalog with a wide and vast online readership they prefer pieces that allow a wide and vast potential readership to connect with the writing and ask their writers to write in a style that allows for heightened reader self-insert, which i think works well online but unfortunately for me one that did not translate as successfully into print as a bound standalone. i do think a lot of the advice in this text is important and really sound collection of learning lessons, especially for young and new adults experiencing their first few heartbreaks or setbacks in life. this book will definitely be a comfort in times where the heart is a little bruised and achy or need someone in your corner hyping you up and telling you you are strong, capable, and worthy when you need to hear it.

[Jenb16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful fragments of emotions and insights on life. I just love Wiest’s writing. You feel her words in your soul.

[mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

aquesta noia ha anat molt al psicòleg perq algun dels seus poemes son literalment citacions del q podria ser una sessio amb la meva, la intenció és xula però la poesia no es lo seu

[Meri]

Some poems were good but overall messy.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Brianna's writing style this short book is full of inspiration and healing words.

[Eline · Rating 4 out of 5]

And your desire to be smaller, smaller, smaller
Comes from the belief that to be insignificant, unbothersome
Is to be good?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We need other people which is perhaps the scariest and most beautiful part of being alive.”

[Jota · Rating 4 out of 5]

"live so that dead has nothing to steal" 🥲

[Monica Haak · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 weer hele mooie boodschappen

[Shikha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep and vulnerability inducing book that comes from a place of honesty

[Kathryn Atreides · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start out by saying I don't read a lot of modern poetry, but I wanted to give it a try. Second, I can see why someone would like this book. It has a lot of messages of loving yourself, healing from a breakup, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin. I love the message of the poems, but the poems themselves I thought were lack luster.

There were about 10 poems total that I liked from this collection and the rest were one or two single lines or had no cadence/rhythm to them. There were very few poems that read like poems and a lot of it felt like reading paragraphs or inspirational Facebook statuses. Which might be what poetry has evolved into. I'll have to read some other modern works to find out. Sadly though, this collection did not inspire me to continue trying.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

" maybe you were the hero you were waiting for
maybe you were the love of your life all along
maybe you were always happy
and just thought you needed the reassurance of someone safe
to let yourself feel it"

This is a lovely read. Weist has such a clear grasp of the written language and executes it so beautifully. 
So much of these poems are about self love and acceptance with a bit of romance.
I connected with so many of them. She writes with such beautiful imagery. I feel so many could connect with this book. It really gave me all the feels. 

Thank you @thoughtcatalog for sending me this lovely book.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[Merissa Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t stop turning the pages of this book. This book gave me all the feels. There are so many truths laid out. A lot of times I feel like reading poetry is like reading a journal where someone has written THEIR most personal feelings; however, with Salt Water I felt it was the connection fibers in all of us with the author spinning her connection to a central force.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first real bit of poetry I've read that wasn't related to school or schoolwork. While some of the poems in here really did speak to me with vivid imagery, most of the works were really, at least to me, along the lines of something you'd see on a self help website in poetic form.

That said, I did enjoy the poems here.

[Nicole Peaslee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me when I needed it most. Beautiful poetry that I was able to relate to my own life and hardships. There were a few poems I read over and over before turning the page.