Blurb

Lockdown Innit is a poetry collection of eighteen poems about life’s absurdities and frustrations during lockdown. Wherever you live in this world, this is for you. Expect humour, a dollop of banter and ridiculous rants here and there. Amongst other delights, witness the strange antics of a swan posing by a bin and two statuesque horses appearing like arc deco pieces in a field. Check out the violin player on a tightrope, or the cheeky unmentionables wafting in the lockdown breeze!

Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity is now available in paperback via Amazon.

Amazon Universal link: mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

It is also available in paperback at Waterstones online store: https://www.waterstones.com/book/lockdown-innit/m-j-mallon/9781999822408

Amazon/Goodreads Customer Reviews

Reader4life 5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic pieces of pandemic history Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 March 2021 Lockdown innit is a wonderful collection of predominantly free verse poetry on all kinds of themes experienced during the author’s third lockdown. I am sure many of the pieces will resonate with readers who have also experienced humanities frustrating behaviours during this pandemic.
The discarded masks rolling down the roads and the impact of this on wildlife in the future when landfills are filled, and oceans invariably get full of them is certainly something that has crossed my mind. (Simply cutting off the side strings from the masks before throwing disposable ones away could make a big difference so they don’t get tangled on wildlife!) I’ve also had my fair share of dealing with drivers filled with road rage, presumably from the stress!
The varied mood and tone of the pieces is equally matched with the lovely presentation and wonderful splashes of humour. Emotive and descriptive language is employed to engage our senses and of course my favourite piece is probably ‘This Face.’ Making this a highly enjoyable collection and one I have no doubt in recommending!
Author Sarah Northwood

DGKaye 5.0 out of 5 stars Life and Observations Through Covid Lockdown Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2021 This is Mallon’s second book where she shares her views, observations and incidents she’s endured dealing with the Covid lockdown. Mallon shares her thoughts and worries and experiences through poetic prose, and free verse writing in this book, documenting a range of emotions from fear to humor.

The author gives us a glimpse of her views from taking in the mundane and everyday happenings in life, to a few scares of her own, expressed from her point of experience. She shares stories about her daughters and elaborates on some of the ideas they had to stay entertained, to an ode to her mum and the silly shenanigans that go on in supermarkets – “Shopping Bozos”, demonstrating some of the inconsiderate behaviors of some people during a pandemic.

This an entertaining documented journey through the author’s eyes of  circumstances and life during the Covid lockdowns. Memorabilia for the future – lest we forget.

Disclaimer: I was gifted with an ARC by the author

Feb 26, 2021 Didi Oviatt rated it it was amazing I devoured this quick book of poetry in one sitting. It took me less than an hour and I enjoyed every page. Mallon has a way of capturing your attention, and every poem is relatable. It’s smooth easy reading offers a mix of thoughts, events, and a variety of happenings some of which are silly and some are a lot more edgy and serious. I’ll quickly highlight a couple of my favorites:
Road Rage is a poem about an outing that has Mallon on edge. I really enjoyed this one because I get massive road rage myself, so it gave me a little perspective on own outrage!
Breast Lump really hit home as cancer runs in my family. I was on edge during the entire poem wondering what was going to happen. My heart really went out to the people in the waiting room, and it was a big reminder for me personally to stay humble, positive and to keep on top of checkups.
Bucket list was also a favorite for me. Its simple and adorable and I could relate to every line.
All in all I really enjoyed every single poem. Kudos M.J. on another winning release!

Colleen Chesebro‘s review Apr 15, 2021
it was amazing book shelves: poetry

“Lockdown Innit – Poems About Absurdity” is a collection of poetry about the third wave of lockdowns in the U.K. because of the Corona Virus pandemic. Seen through the eyes of poet and author M. J. Mallon, not everything is as it seems, and we should take nothing for granted.

The Coronavirus has brought much of the U.K. and Europe to their knees, while here in the U. S. they’ve taken a more lackadaisical approach to the pandemic. Mallon shares the trials and tribulations of her life in lockdown through her poetry.

Her poem, “The Face Mask Rolls” left me with the haunting image of a discarded mask rolling down the road, clearly, a metaphor for the despair this virus has wracked upon humanity.

This is a short, poignant collection that will forever remind us of a time when no one had control over their lives. A must-read!

Many thanks to the author for the complimentary copy of this book.

Adele Park 5.0 out of 5 stars A release from Lockdown fever Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2021 Verified Purchase My review for M J Mallon’s Lockdown Innit.
I always enjoy Marjorie Mallon’s poetry and stories and this was no exception.
The poems were topical and contained excerpts which we all can relate to. Living under the strain of lockdown we all need a release and reading these poems made me smile, nod my head in agreement or shed a tear. A funny but poignant look at life under lockdown.
One of my favourites was Lockdown Breeze what a great piece to open with.
5 stars and a book I will go back to again and again.

Mar 05, 2021 Lizzie Chantree rated it was amazing. Interesting and thought provoking. A short book and quick read. The content is about the author’s thoughts on lockdown and how it affected her and others around her. Well written poetry and a book I’d recommend to others.

R J DOCKETT 5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2021I loved the poems, they captured the spirit of the times, the vagaries of human behaviour, the poignant signs of a society in change. There are some beautiful observations of what has become the new normal.

Priscilla Bettis 4.0 out of 5 stars From Washing Clothes to Butterfly Horses Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021 This is a short collection of poetry inspired by covid lockdowns of 2020.

Mallon’s subjects range from silly to sad. It covers the everyday (like hanging clothes on a line) to sweet love to people getting stressed out.

My favorite poem is Horses Like Statues which is a butterfly cinquain. I like the imagery, and I think it’s cool how the poem looks like a butterfly on the page.

I picked up this book through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Glad I gave it a read!

D.L. Finn 4.0 out of 5 stars A unique perspective in strange times.Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2021. “Lockdown Innit” is a glimpse into the pandemic through poetry. There were various subjects and types of poetry, including going to the supermarket, driving, cancer, and books. I laughed when reading “SuperMarket Bozos,” it reminded me of my feisty grandmother. “ROAD RAGE DURING COVID-19” is an all too often occurrence, even during the last year. While “Little Library” offered a picture of something one could do during the stay-at-home orders, read. The collection ended with “THIS author longs for Pets,” and I admit jumping into a cat’s dream might be that perfect escape from the heaviness of the epidemic. This is a book I’d like to go back and read ten years from now as a reminder of this time in history because it gives a unique perspective into strange times.

SVG 4.0 out of 5 stars Truthful collection of poems Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021Author Marjorie Mallon’s keen sense of observation came to play in the way the poems were penned. Different emotions like fear, anger, longing, desire, humor were evoked while reading them.

The words also showed how people behaved during these tough times. It is the truth that some have still not learned after losing so many lives across the world. Many in the book were hard-hitting, some were humorous, and the best ones were, where the spoke of her love for her daughters through her words. Hope sailed through in them.

Then the author sneaked in a wispy one longing to be like the cat, dreaming peacefully of normal times. A perfect way to end the book.

Felicia Denise 4.0 out of 5 stars Living in the Time of Covid-19 Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021 Frustration, trepidation, fear, confusion, ennui, and boredom. Marjorie Mallon has taken the emotions so many of us experienced at life’s ironies and absurdities during coronavirus lockdowns and penned them in musings with her short prose and poetry.

From anger at the unmasked and the privileged to the trials of working from home and a health scare to a bin-guarding swan, memories of 2020 are crystal clear.

This short collection isn’t just a memoir and observations, but also a tribute to the spring the whole world changed.

Sheila 4.0 out of 5 stars Discerning and quirky poetic observation of life in lockdown Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2021. In this collection of poems, MJ Mallon has given us a wry series of vignettes of our society during a very strange year in history; it reminded me in part of theatre of the absurd, and she carries it out with an admirable lightness of touch. She conveys the folly, the irritability, the absurdity of people’s behaviour, along with a feeling of being lost and adrift.

The reader has a sense of having opened various windows, to see how other people have coped with lockdown. We find honest observation of life: people doing foolish things in supermarkets; quirky observations of nature that may well have gone unnoticed in other, busier times; or which may not have been there for us to see, but for the fact that wild animals too have felt the strangeness, and strayed into the urban environment. Examples given are the appearance of a swan by a dustbin.

We also find gems of delight in all this: the author’s observation of the horses like statues, and the violin player on a tightrope; and I loved the poem about the local village community library. We have a pop-up lending library at the bottom of our road. It demonstrates how human beings can react so differently to crises, and while some withdraw into themselves, doing things that seem selfish or stupid to others, we also find those who come up with inspirational ideas to make life better for those around them.

The poem about breast cancer explores the subject beautifully, showing the author’s relief set against her poignant awareness of others who are not so lucky. Through the entire volume, there floats a sensation of oddness, simply noted and preserved in a poem.

I feel these poems are written by someone who sees life at an angle, shifted one degree by the quiet act of observation.

Highly recommended.

S. G. Cronin 4.0 out of 5 stars Reflections on a year of lockdown with a touch of humour Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2021This is a collection of poems that most of us can relate to. In the year since the first lockdown, families have been brought together in the confines of a home with limited opportunity to go further than a walk in the park. Normal activities suddenly become more valued and minds become creative in finding new ways to stay engaged and sane.

The author also takes a look at society and how some are happy to be selfish in the face of a national and global pandemic, with disregard for their own safety and others around them.. and a road rage bully is not about to change his spots.

There is humour in the verses and poignant reminders of the worry of being too far away from loved ones to support them.. I had some favourites and The Little Library is one which was a tribute to the comfort of books and Bucket List with inventive ideas to brighten the long lockdown days and weeks.

A lovely collection with verses to cheer and others to remind us to be safe..

Ellen Best 4.0 out of 5 stars poetic justice or at least examples of. One day books like this will be lol moments to share Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 February 2021A sometimes belly laugh account in poetic form and sometimes a shocking poem of others behaviour. All are relatable and many are reminders of what lots of us experienced during the lockdown. Marje captures it all in this book of unexpected titters and tears.

Find out about the cute image on the back cover created by Sarah Northwood on this previous blog post: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2021/04/10/lockdown-innit-poems-about-absurdity-paperback-reviews-poetry-excerpt/