10 Books To Read if You Loved Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I think we owe Rupi Kaur a lot for making poetry accessible to mainstream readers, young readers in particular, with her debut collection, milk & honey.

This collection took the world by storm when it was published in November 2014 and modern poetry collections are now popping up left, right and centre in the wake of her success.

This burst of creative output in the world of popular poetry reminds me of the Twilight phenomenon that pushed the young adult genre onto many a reading list many years ago.

Whether you love it or you hate it, you can’t deny that it encouraged a huge amount of teenagers to pick up reading again, a trend which seems to have stuck around.

Rupi Kaur’s milk & honey book is a collection of a new kind of poetry, the sort that is a mix between poetry and prose. The book is divided into four chapters and each chapter serves a different purpose in the healing process.

Kaur’s collections deal with love, loss and femininity in a way that speaks to all who read her works.

She takes her readers on a journey through the bitter moments in life including violence, abuse and loss. However, she also reveals the sweetness of life, offering hope for the future. 

If you think you’re not a “poetry person”, these books could change that. Here are 10 books to read if you loved milk and honey by Rupi Kaur.

10 Books Like Milk and Honey

the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur

She’s only gone and done it again! I thought I’d start with the most obvious one. Obviously, if you’re looking for poetry books similar to milk and honey then you should read Rupi Kaur’s other works.

If you were a big fan of milk & honey then you’re going to love the sun and her flowers too. This book is divided into five chapters: wilting, falling, rooting, rising, blooming.

As always, I both wanted to devour every word of her poetry as quickly as possible but also savour each and every word of Rupi’s magic. She has this amazing way of putting feelings hidden in the depths of your very soul into words on paper.

Personally, I enjoyed the sun and her flowers even more than Rupi Kaur’s debut because it included more passages about family and immigration, which resonated a little more with me. This collection made me take a good look at myself and reconsider things that affect my everyday relationships that had never crossed my mind before!

the sun and her flowers is available on: Amazon

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

If you loved milk & honey and are looking for more poetry books to pick up, don’t look to other modern poets, first take a look back.

There are lots of poetry books in a similar style to milk & honey these days but my first recommendation is Maya Angelou’s work from the twentieth century.

She was writing inspirational poetry long before Rupi Kaur was even born and Angelou passed away the year that milk and honey was published.

She was a phenomenal woman (#poetrypuns), part of the Civil Rights Movement in the XYZs and worked with Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X. Themes in Angelou’s poetry include abuse, isolation, feminism, racism and more.

The fact that Rupi Kaur has taken up the reins from Angelou in a modern age and is still shouting about these issues today tells a sad story about the “progress” that has been made over the past few decades.

Angelou was one of the absolute best female poets and I can’t recommend her collections enough.

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

And Still I Rise is available on: Amazon

the princess saves herself in this one by amanda lovelace

the princess saves herself in this one is the most similar to milk and honey as it draws on her work in terms of style, content and even cover art.

It’s even published by the same people!

Something to note though is that the target audience of this book seems to be considerably younger than that of Rupi Kaur, which does change the tone.

The
Only
Problem
Is
The
Style.

This collection is a little like marmite and people seem to either love or hate it. All in all, I think some sections are very poetic, others a bit style over substance. On balance, the princess saves herself in this one is still well worth a read if you’re interested in exploring modern poetry. It was named Goodreads Poetry Choice Award 2016 so clearly, in the end, its champions defeated its critics. It was followed up with the witch doesn’t burn in this one in 2018.

Read my full review of the princess saves herself in this one here.

the princess saves herself in this one is available on: Amazon

Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

In Fierce Fairytales, Nikita Gill uses poetry to rewrite the classic fairytale stories we were all taught growing up.

Maybe Cinderella’s stepmother had good reason to be such a bitter b*tch, maybe Sleeping Beauty wasn’t waiting for a prince to come save her.

Nikita Gill forces you to look at these well-known tales through a fresh pair of eyes and it’s an important reminder that things are not always as they seem.

The main theme of this collection is female empowerment and it’s an important read for those who have ever wanted to rewrite their own story or be something different from what everyone expects.

There are a few pieces of poetry and prose in this collection that didn’t quite fit in with the fairytale theme and also didn’t do much for me, which was disappointing. However, on the whole, this was a thoroughly refreshing read that I would highly recommend to all women.

Fierce Fairytales is available on: Amazon

The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart

The Poetry Pharmacy stands out from the other four collections I’ve selected here because it’s the most “traditional” poetry collection.

It’s made up of the most famous and well-respected poetry pieces, both old and new, each with the aim of curing a specific ailment.

Whilst the others are deeply personal accounts that progress throughout the collection, this is a scattering of lots of different poet’s works.

The reason that it’s like milk and honey is that reading this gives the impression that a warm hand has comes out of the page and taken yours. You start to feel understood.

As I said in my review, keep this on your bookshelf as you would keep paracetamol in your bathroom cupboard. You never know when you’re going to need it but when you do it’ll be right there waiting for you.

Read my full review of The Poetry Pharmacy here.

The Poetry Pharmacy is available on: Amazon

Depression & Other Magic Tricks

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is probably the most experimental collection of poetry out of these 5 options and you’ll find just as much spacebar poetry (i.e. one word per line) as you will prose.

Interestingly, the poet, Benhaim, is a performance poet and this is reflected in this written collection. In fact, you can almost her reciting these out loud to you in you head.

This collection also gives a much more focused view of mental health, particularly from the female perspective.

There were lots of moments in this book where I wanted to scream “YES!” because Benaim had perfectly articulated thoughts and feelings I have experienced. It’s centred in daily life so it’s very relatable and I’m sure I’ll be coming back to this one again.

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is available on: Amazon

Love Her Wild by Atticus Poetry

Love Her Wild is the first collection of “Instagram” poetry I have ever read and it did not disappoint. Atticus Poetry, who has over half a million followers on Instagram(!), blew me away with his words and accompanying photography.

This almost works as a companion to Rupi Kaur’s milk & honey as this poetry collection is in the same sort of vein, but we see through the male gaze instead.

This is well worth a read if you’re reaching for another book after finishing both of Rupi Kaur’s collections. If you only read one book on this list, make it this one.

Love Her Wild is available on: Amazon

Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav

Sometimes the right book finds you at the right time and in the right place. That was my first thought upon turning the last page of Sea of Strangers and putting the book down.

Leav writes about the lasting impact relationships have on us, even months, maybe years after they end.

Like Rupi Kaur, she explores the themes of love and loss, making the extraordinary intensity of emotion one experiences after loss a universal experience.

I recognised myself in the girl she describes and reading this collection made me feel less alone – if that’s not good poetry then what is?

Sea of Strangers is available on: Amazon

Even this Page is White by Vivek Shraya

Even this Page is White is a collection of poetry that focuses on the meaning of one’s skin colour and the limitations it poses if that colour is not white. Lots of people write about race but Vivek Shraya talks about the endless conflicts, the ceaseless wondering – is it because of my skin colour?

are you staring at me because
are you not looking at me because
you don’t like me because
you don’t desire me because
you desire me only because

Even this Page is White, Vivek Shraya

What’s interesting is that Shraya articulates the position of minorities but also explores the difficulties of speaking openly about racism when you have white privilege.

He addresses the conundrum of how to approach the topic of racism when you yourself have not experienced it first-hand.

It’s one of those topics where whatever you say will be criticised and Shraya’s observations will no doubt resonate with white readers.

I loved the concept behind this collection and the meaning conveyed by Shraya’s poetry though I feel execution let this book down a little. I wasn’t enamoured with the form or layout but it’s a very thought-provoking and important read that I would recommend.

Even This Page is White is available on: Amazon

She Must Be Mad by Charly Cox

Written by a millennial for millennials, She Must Be Mad by Charly Cox will resonate with other young women trying to figure out how to “adult” in today’s world.

Cox uses a mix of prose and poetry to share her experiences growing up and the troubles she had with body image, mental health, relationships and more.

It’s the beginning of a journey of self-discovery but at times it does read like a personal diary that was written more for Cox’s benefit than anyone else’s.

There’s no moment of clarity or development and she doesn’t offer readers a way forward or a light at the end of the tunnel, but instead a nod of solidarity.

Read this to know that you are not alone in your young struggles.

Charly Cox is a very young author, only twenty-two when this was published, but she was named as one of ELLE magazine’s 20 power players to watch out for in 2018 so watch this space.

She Must Be Mad is available on: Amazon

So there’s my list of books similar to milk and honey! Do you have any more poetry collections or books to recommend?

If you liked the sound of these titles, you may also enjoy these reflective reads:
10 Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
13 Books Like The Little Prince

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