Summer Blink Book Review: “A Bit Much” by Lyndsay Rush

By Reba Hull Campbell

Each summer during my personal reading challenge, I try to include at least one book of poetry. This isn’t my usual reading genre, but I like to shake things up a bit.

My favorite poet is the beloved Mary Oliver, a steadfast writer of words that uplift and enlighten. So, when I stumbled across an NPR interview with a young poet whose Instagram handle is “MaryOliversDrunkCousin,” I had to check her out.

“A Bit Much” by Lyndsay Rush is described on the back cover as “a book of poetry for people who didn’t even know they liked poetry.” It’s a home run.

During a bike ride back in September, I listened to NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly interview Lyndsay Rush. They had me laughing out loud in the first minute, and I pedaled on over to All Good Books to buy it immediately. For several months, I kept it in the car with me as a book I could grab on the fly when I had a few minutes while waiting for a meeting to start or the meter to run out.

When it came time to make my summer reading list, I realized the book had gotten lost in the shuffle of life. Then it showed up last week crunched under my front seat with a Chic-Fil-A bag. Finishing this delight didn’t take long.

This is no dry book of poetry. Lyndsay’s poems have quirky titles like “Dawn Soap and a Toothbrush,” “Ordering from the Kids Menu,” and “Someone to Eat Chips With.”

Every poem is a joy on its own. Collectively, the book will make you laugh, turn down pages, cry, duck, share with friends, dance in the kitchen, howl and reconsider how you see life.

I especially love the title poem, “A Bit Much.”  Lyndsay takes this often-negative phrase typically attributed to women who may appear to be overbearing and turns it on its head.

Then there’s “Hysterical” that starts “I’m going off the deep end, anyone want anything…”

If you’re an Anne Lamott fan as I am, take a look at “Help.” I love this one even more because of the moniker Lyndsay places on Anne as “Matron Saint Anne Lamott.”

I never would have imagined a 30-something irreverent poet could so perfectly translate lots of not-so-perfect life experiences into poetry that this 60-something could identify with.

If you ever thought poetry had to be boring and stodgy, this book will surely change your mind.

In 2022, Reba Campbell set out to get off the screens and back to books for the summer. Her accountability was writing short Blink Book Reviews (so short you can read them in a blink). The series is back for the fourth summer. Join  Blink Book Review Facebook group to follow along for the 2025 summer series. Reach Reba at [email protected].