Wreathbound

by Katie Rodante

Wreathbound is a poetic exploration of the Christmas holiday season, a reflection on the cyclical nature of tradition and celebration, and includes memories and musings on the author's personal holiday seasons that have been joyful, grief-stricken, and everything in between. Themes include joy, grief, family traditions, rebuilding, and love. This collection is divided into three sections comprised of varying styles of poetry including haiku, sonnet, free verse, and more.

Note: While this book explores themes relating to Christmas, it contains no religious content.

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2022

About the author

Katie Rodante is a poet and writer obsessed with storytelling and creativity. Her books include Wreathbound, Autumn Reveries, Woodland Witch, and her upcoming novel Fangs and Frosting. When she isn’t writing, she can be found strumming her harp, practicing yoga, or playing games—video or tabletop, not the drama-between-characters kinds she writes in her books. She lives in sunny Dallas, Texas with her husband, two children, and a morkie named Hamphrey.

Reviews

[D.L. Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful gift for the grieving heart this holiday season.

This was the 2nd poetry collection I’ve read from Rodante and she didn’t disappoint! In her poetry book, Wreathbound, Katie stunningly captures the grieving process and her relationship to Christmas before, during and after the storm.

The roller coaster of emotions that one experiences during the healing process after losing a loved one is evident in this book. Childhood memories, loss of a father, and healing. She pours out her heart with raw encouragement for anyone walking this journey. The poems that fill these pages will offer understanding, comfort and reassurance that you are not alone in your grief.

Wreathbound is a collection of poetry and prose including haiku, sonnet and free verse. Each poem is beautifully written.

Here are a couple excerpts from two of my favorite poems.

“Cleaning up the dead’s belongings after they’re gone
A unique kind of pain to know they’ll never again
Use these things, and whoever finds them at a pawn
Shop or thrift store won’t know a thing of their pain”

“Grief stronger than a thousand suns,
Hot as liquid fire, colder than
Icebergs floating atop dangerous waters
Just waiting for their chance to strike, to
Kill, to destroy the creations of man and earth”

Highly recommend this book!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but not all the time. This poetry collection sheds light on grief and hard feelings during the holidays, which I appreciate the author for doing. It gives people who may be going through a loss during the holidays some comfort and reassurance that it is okay not to be okay during this time. Through her words, I could sense the pain, and some of the poems strummed at my heart; a bittersweet experience that was real and raw. The book transitions from the writer's experience before the loss, during and after the loss, which makes the reader go on a journey of learning, healing, and discovery. Of different occasions during the holidays: 1. Celebration, 2. To be broken and no celebration, 3. To rekindle celebration. I'm left with a message: grief may linger and come knocking at our door, but you can survive this, acknowledge it, and be patient with yourself. The holidays don't always have to be full of cheer, it can be a mixture of both–a wreath weaved with light and dark emotions–bittersweet, but sometimes that's just the reality.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grief is a dark tunnel that’s hard to find your way out of. Sometimes there are flashes of light, but they disappear as fast as they appear. This book is wonderful in that it shows the progression of grief and how there really is light at the end of that tunnel. I would recommend it for anyone who feels alone, isolated, forgotten. You are seen and will, one day, triumph. Just give it time. Joy is always there, waiting patiently to reenter your life.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection! It is a good read for anybody who maybe doesn’t have the best of memories tied to the holidays!

[Alyssa Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I saw Rodante announce this book on her Instagram, I was instantly in love with the concept. There aren’t many Christmas poetry books out there that I know of, and I was so excited when she sent me an ARC copy to review. As someone whose favorite holiday was Christmas, I fell in love with these Christmas poems. It’s divided up into different sections, all exploring the different, complicated feelings around the holiday. These poems were raw and emotional, and while Christmas is a happy holiday for me, I know many people who have difficult feelings related to the holiday. If you’re one of those people, then this book will make you feel less alone. You’ll get to hear about the author’s struggles related to Christmas, and in doing so, I think you’ll find comfort. Rodante is such a talented author, and I can’t wait to read more of her poetry books!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Nishi Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wreathbound is a beautiful collection of poetry around the Christmas holiday, and I appreciate that it was about the traditions/festivities and not the religious aspect of it. Rodante captures the grief and complicated emotions surrounding this holiday in three well written parts, wreath, broken, and bound.

If I had to pick one favorite poem from this collection, it would be A Grieving Woman - it’s so powerful and relatable.

I think many of us have something to grieve or feel sorrow around holidays, and with Christmas being a big and unavoidable one - Rodante speaks to such experiences starting with her childhood, the loss of her father, and navigating this Holiday every year after. I enjoyed the flow of the entire collection, poems sprinkled with sonnets, haikus, free verse, and some magic of joy. I think it would make a great gift for yourself or a friend.

[Sarah Pyper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly vulnerable collection of poetry and while I couldn't relate to the kind of grief the author experienced, I still found myself enveloped in the emotions of the pieces and able to pull out parts that related to my own childhood. This story captures a beautiful tale of an adult healing her inner child, accepting grief and allowing herself to process it. I can imagine how cathartic this must've been to write. As I mentioned, I haven't experienced the same type of grief, but the author was able to capture a kind of melancholy I think a lot of adults feel about the holidays. Christmas is not the same the older we get, and it's up to us to allow love to create the experiences that we once thought were magic. It's up to us to define our own traditions.

[Elizabeth Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply personal book

This collection is a deeply personal meditation on grief and the holidays. The author takes us the before, during, and after of a devastating loss. As someone who has experienced a loss tied to a holiday, I could connect with a lot of these pieces. This is my favorite quote:

“I never wanted to be brave
I wanted to be loved”

[Alexandra Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving collection of poetry! Katie does a beautiful job capturing the essence of the holiday season. Her pieces touch on the many stages of grief and finding strength to build acceptance over a loss. I found many of her poems to be so vulnerable and relatable.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and honest collection of poetry. Many of the poems are both moving and vulnerable, and this collection will resonate with anyone who has difficult emotions associated with the holidays, reminding them that they're not alone, and offering hope in dark times.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! The poems in this book took me back to the joys of Christmas as a child and the all the memories the holidays can bring.