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Last Call
Randall McNair’s poetry is something every avid reader should experience. Randall McNair is not only excellent with his narration but also great with the choice of words. He is able to get the reader to imagine and virtually feel his experiences. Last Call is a short poetry book where the author talks about his experiences as an alcoholic, his encounters with women, the funny side of life and miserable side as well. I enjoyed reading this poetry book because McNair’s words are easy to understand. He uses simple every-day words and rhymes every once in a while. Moving from one poem to another gives the impression of moving from one experience to another.
Last Call is divided into six parts; ‘At The Bar’, ‘At Home’, ‘At Death’s Door’, ‘In My Wildest Imagination’, ‘In Love’, and ‘At the Crossroads of Self-Loathing and Hope’. Each section contains a list of poems whose main subject is the title of the category. The first part of the book was interesting. Poems in ‘In the Bar’ is wild, hilarious, and even serious. The author talks of activities that occur in the bar, his experiences and how crazy some interactions can get. The author is not always modest and sometimes uses strong language to get the message across. McNair does not hold back and expresses his raw feelings in a gritty yet intriguing way.
There are many poems in the book that the reader will love. The first poem is fantastic. In the poem titled ‘The beer at the Swinging door Saloon’ was among my favorites. Each poem that followed was as interesting to read or even better. Through poetry, Randall McNair is able to address a variety of societal issues. He also talks of personal struggles that many readers will be able to relate to. Each poem was utterly fascinating to me. I always looked forward to flipping this book open and reading the next poem throughout my day.
The little details in Last Call are what I found really endearing and ensure the poems were grounded. The author uses different literary elements to maintain the reader’s interest. Last Call is your ideal book if you enjoy short reads. Each poem has a story to tell and a hidden lesson. One thing you are assured of at the end of the reading is that you will be entertained by the stories and enlightened by the lessons.
Coming Soon to Amazon
Make it a Double: More poems from my 10-year bender inside heaven’s dive bar
![Make it a Double: More poems from my 10-year bender inside heaven's dive bar (Bar Poems) by [Randall McNair, Graye Smith, Jessica Berbey]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rWMMgCwKL.jpg)
Make it a Double contains gritty but stirring poetry that is as observant as it is emotive. By sharing events and encounters in the authors life, Randall McNair gives the reader an insight into what goes on in an alcoholic’s mind. His thoughts are intriguing, scary, fascinating, but mostly wild. This poetry book reads like no other. As a poet, Randall McNair knows how to keep his audience engaged. The tales he shares are intriguing and get one to not only reflect on their lives but also question some of the things that have been considered a norm. I enjoyed reading this book mostly because I felt like I was walking in a stranger’s shoes, a stranger whom I would want to befriend because of how he views life. Reading Make it a Double was a delight. This book introduced me to an interesting sub category of poems; bar poems.
Make It a Double is divided into five parts; ‘The Status Quo’, ‘The Descent’, ‘Death in the Middle’, ‘The Rising’, and ‘Return with the Elixir’. Each of the sections explores different stages in the poet’s life, what he was going through, his missteps, wins, and lessons learned. I appreciate Randall McNair for how he classified the different parts of the book. You are able to enjoy the poems as you follow his story. One thing that stands out in McNair’s writing is how he simplifies everything for his audience. Poems do not need to be complex or complicated to be enjoyed. The author uses simple text with comprehensible wording.
Make It a Double sometimes reads like a memoir. The tales in the book are enlightening, and funny. I appreciate Randall McNair’s sense of humor as his funny texts made the reading experience very enjoyable. The author talks about different encounters; some happy, sad, pitiful, funny, or even crazy to imagine. Randall McNair knows how to kill boredom and balance moods in his poem. There is no single poem in the book that was boring thanks to the author’s engaging approach.
Bar stories never sounded so good. By reading Make it a Double, you get to understand what happens in bars even if you are a teetotaler. You will think of that lone drinker, the party animal, the social drinker or the quiet drinker at home. This book will crack you up and also expose you to a different world where strangers get to share what they struggle with everyday.
Pages: 113 | ASIN: B08W4W6LGR
Dispatches from the Swinging Door Saloon
![Dispatches from the Swinging Door Saloon: Poems from my 10-year bender inside heaven's dive bar (Bar Poems) by [Randall McNair]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41lrjA7Xt7L.jpg)
With a name like Dispatches from the Swinging Door Saloon you expect a certain level or drunken late night epiphanies and high jinx associated with your local dive bar. What readers are treated to instead is a whole new level of thought provoking prose that turns any preconceived notions, or personal experiences, on their head. Randall McNair captures a world so many fail to explore, detailing what the reader can only imagine to be his life on the barstool at the corner of a dark room filled with regulars. The sort of place you just don’t pop in to try, but have a long established history with.
Each poem provides glimpses into the human psyche. One might think, from an outside glance, these are just ramblings. They are not. They are so much more. From the banker lamenting his lot in life to approaching wildfires threatening to burn the Swinging Door down, the thought that is put into every line makes this piece of literature provocative and absorbing.
McNair just might be a genius, having used his time nestled into the bar wisely. He evokes images of crazy, deep thought, and sheer brilliance sprinkled throughout for good measure. I found a world within his words that could easily be translated to a fully fleshed out manuscript. He has clearly studied the art, as admitted in the beginning of the book as he sat on his favorite stool reading countless other books on poetry.
Oh sure, there is lighthearted whimsy here, and more than a few poems that left me wondering. But overall this was an enjoyable collection of poetry from a man who has seen much, experienced more, and was kind enough to jot it all down for the rest of us to read.
Pages: 130 | ASIN: B0895697Q3
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