Tom's treasures of fiction, poetry, literature and more...

Here is my post today and it is what I have read this month... As the first month of the new year ends, this is a look back at what I have been reading throughout the month. 1: Treasure Island   (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. This adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson was something I devoured with Stevenson being author of the month this month. You can check out my review of the novel from earlier in the month. 2: Transport information. Because I am likely going out for the day somewhere I have been looking at transport options and information to ensure I know where to get on and off, along with making sure I would be able to get home. 3: My French. Every time I do my French I am given reading tasks to help me with the learning of French. It is something I always do and never plan to stop. I have been learning French for over seven hundred days now with my Chess. 4: Book titles, authors book blurbs. Reading books means hunting for books by author and/or title. Sometimes I re...

Today I am giving you a short story about a woman, named Grace who wants a good year, but things do not always go to plan. This is my short story entitled  Fireworks. I hope you enjoy it. Fireworks... The fireworks go off and I am still awake. I am struggling to process the news that was delivered at the dinner party. I wanted to start this new year as good as possible. I kept telling myself that this year would be better than the shipwreck of a year I have just said goodbye to. Nan died, my aunt Janine threw Uncle Morgan out for being a cheating pig (which ruined Dan's birthday), one of children was followed home and attacked for not being white... Need I go on? I just thought that this year, perhaps things could be different. I wouldn't have to see racist uncle Morgan in my life anymore. How can someone be racist to their own family? Dan, my half-brother was so distraught that his first birthday without his wife was ruined. Dan finally seemed to be getting his life back on tr...

A new year has dawned upon us and in January, people often make New Year's Resolutions. Me? I am not making them as religiously as some people choose to do so. Though it got me thinking... Are you someone who reads? Are you someone who does read occasionally or perhaps not even read in a while? Maybe even you do not read? Well... This could be the year to read! I love getting lost in an book, wanting to know what comes next or the secrets to some favourite things of mine. You could make 2026 the year to discover some great reads. I understand some people struggle with reading because they might be dyslexic or they get bored easily or work long hours. I think it comes down to what you can feel comfortable reading, even if a little bit at a time. You might even practice with a children's book or pick short stories that do not need to consume much of your time. I just think reading is valuable and can allow us to question things in life or become more aware. It can be good for peo...

This time I am reviewing the 2021 film Jekyll and Hyde directed by Steve Lawson. This film is a reimagining of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde  (1886). Normally I am not a fan of films that reimagine books but this was very good. In this film, the story is told from the perspective of Dr Henry Jekyll's friend, Gavin Utterson. Utterson (played by Tom Hendryk) is a lawyer who tries protest his friend's innocence when Jekyll is accused of murder and subsequent suicide. Throughout the film, Gavin Utterson tries to work out the truth, speaking to people and trying to delay the police. The policeman in charge is trying to close the case, not wanting to entertain the possibility the idea that Henry Jekyll could be innocent and that his suicide was anything more than just a suicide. His determination to prove his friend's innocence is a, obvious testament to their friendship and I find it touching. Utterson comes across as a ki...

For my post today let us examine good vs bad, right vs wrong. This is Jekyll vs Hyde in the sinister novella about a man who uses science to alter his personality from his normal self to that of another. The man is question is Dr Henry Jekyll who seems innocent and a respectable man. Flip over the page to reveal his alter-ego Mr Edward Hyde who unlike the respectable Jekyll in every sense. This man is an evil, selfish brute who leaves harm and damage in his wake. This is a man to whom I disliked, one of the most cruel literary villains I have ever read about. What I liked about this novella was how Robert Louis Stevenson created this sharp contrast between the two characters as though a person in society can suddenly turn into someone. To me, the novella comes across as Stevenson illustrating the consequences of repression. I see Jekyll and Utterson's relationship as very friendly, even perhaps more than friendly which would have been forbidden at the time, considering how it was d...

For today's blog post I am back with another bookshop visit. This month I found myself in the seaside town of Eastbourne where their local library has a second hand bookshop called 'Bookends'. The bookshop itself stocks a nice range of books that are all ex-library so I was told. A staff member told me that when they had duplicate books that ended up going for sale. What I found was that they offered a wide range of categories from fiction to cookery books and more. This of course did not surprise me considering that the bookshop is a part of the library. But the thing that I loved the most was how cheap the books are. I saw books priced as little as £1.00 which to me is excellent. I think books should be readily available to people and for those that want to buy books, having books priced like this makes it easier to access books. Aside from the books themselves, the whole layout is done well. It is not a big shop as it within the library itself, separated off near the ent...

Welcome back to my blog people. Today I am going to be sharing my favourite books that I read last year. In 2025 I read quite a bit and found some great books throughout the year. The books in this list are the favourites that I read... 1: The Testaments  (2019) by Margaret Atwood. Atwood's 2019 dystopian novel The Testaments  is the follow up to her classic The Handmaid's Tale  (1985). The Handmaid's Tale  came back into the bestseller book charts with the 2016 election in the United States of America, considering who ended up becoming president. The harsh cutting or women's rights from all angles led to a television series of The Handmaid's Tale  and then came the follow up novel. The Testaments  is a magnificent book that had me gripped from the start of the book to the end of the book. It is a book that had me scared, gave me hope and delivered a stark reminder to me of the dangers that some people face in society. This became my second favourite book a...

For today's blog post I am reviewing the film of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island  (1999) directed by Peter Rowe. This film was action packed and at times scary. But it was also confusing. Now in the novel, the protagonist Jim Hawkins ends up back with those on the good side. However in the film, it seems he's against both the good people and the bad people? I am lost... Another thing to point out, Ben appeared earlier than I expected. I understand that film adaptations of works of fiction do not have to be exactly the same, though sometimes if things are different it does not always make sense. This film at times, did not make sense. That is not to say I disliked it completely. When it started I thought The Admiral Benbow was a farm and someone's house. Then I realised where we were and the film grew to be interesting. The film just grew to confuse me a little. I must say that at least it contained the vital dramatic adventurous elements of the novel. A lot of ...

Apologies for not posting on Friday but as I had been unwell over the festive period, I was away gifting presents to people I had not seen. Anyway, I have been doing better and have been enjoying reading Robert Louis Stevenson's wicked adventure tale of mischief, mayhem, terror and treasure. Starting in the Admiral Benbow with young Jim Hawkins, the novel follows what happens when Jim uncovers the belongings of one Billy Bones. This man had been staying at the inn, owned by his parents when he was struck down dead, much to the unsurprise of the local Dr Livesey. Off Jim goes with Dr Livesey and an array of ship crewman to find some hidden treasure. This includes Arrow, Gray and Long John Silver. But once they arrive at treasure island, Jim and the doctor are dealt with double-crossing deceit, struggling to work out what to do and who to trust! I struggled to work out who to trust in the story. It ended up being a novel that I liked because of how it played out with all the death an...

Hello all. As January is upon us, I realised that also means Burns Night is on the way... But what is Burns Night and why do people in the United Kingdom? Well... Burns Night is a celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Usually, people celebrate Robert Burns on the 25th of January because that was Robert Burns' birthday. It was five years after his death in 1801 that people first started celebrating Robert Burns. Fast forward over two hundred years later and people still celebrate him. I know that some pubs have some special menu items to coincide with Burns Night, having seen relevant signage of this. One thing that people often eat to celebrate Burns Night is the Scottish delicacy haggis. This is because Robert Burns himself liked haggis, even writing a poem entitled 'Address to a haggis'. The poem is in Scottish which was uncommon when the poem came out. A lot of poems would have been in English but Burns deviated. This was evident by him writing a poem in Scottis...

Apologies for my absence people. I spent most of last month being unwell, first with a cold which I thought had gone away. Then I developed a chest infection which complicated by the fact that I was reacting to the medication I was put on, making me feel worse. I feeling better now and am mostly over it. I hope everyone had a good December and a Happy New Year. Here's to 2026. As we move into January, I am going to kickstarting this new month and new year with a new theme. To tie in with Burns Night, the theme of the month for January and February will be Scottish authors. Now I will not be celebrating Robert Burns personally but I have two others to be author of the month. For January, the author of the month will be Robert Louis Stevenson, famed for The Strange Case of  Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (1886). Hopefully this month, I can be healthy and hopefully this month is the start to a wonderful year for all of us. Have a great 2026 everyone. Until next time, Thomas.