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

Welcome blog readers... Recently I reviewed Vikas Swarup's second novel, Six Suspects  (2008). But one thing I wanted to take to the stand was the fact that I have two different versions of this novel.  You are probably thinking that one is a classic paperback and the others is a box-standard hardback. However, you would be mistaken for thinking so... Here I have a hardback copy which I read through and as already stated, reviewed. But before I acquired my hardback copy, I found an uncorrected proof copy. The two books are photographed below for comparison. The reason I have the proof copy is because a while ago when I was hunting down this book in local, second hand or independents bookshops, even charity shops I came across it while at a National Trust bookshop. At first glance I did not even acknowledge that it was just a proof copy. It was when I got back home and investigated the book did I realise something was amiss. On the 'Contents' page, each section has '000...

Hello again. For today's post I am cross-referencing Vikas Swarup's novels that I have read to bring to light my thoughts on having recurring characters. In Six Suspects  (2008), the novel introduces us to a whole variety of characters who crop up more than once and form connections with other characters. For example we have Champi, Munna's sister. When we are first introduced to Champi is earlier on as a minor character in Munna's backstory, him being one of the 'Six Suspects'. Later on however, she meets reappears in Eketi's backstory and the two appear to form a bond which is explored somewhat towards the ending of the novel. We then get the crossover between Shabnam Saxena and Larry Page as their stories start to become entwined. Saxena is mentioned throughout and not just in her sections. Having the characters appearing in other people's backstories provides the opportunity to link them all at the end with ease. I liked this flowing in and out of th...

Welcome to my blog... Now is the time to take a seat as I take through my thoughts of Vikas Swarup's twisted and loaded novel Six Suspects  (2008) by Vikas Swarup. This novel is definitely one to read! Especially as it heads towards the gripping ending, it is shock after shock after shock. Take an evil and corrupt man, who commits crimes again and again yet somehow manages to evade any form of imprisonment or alternative punishment. This is a man who always gets what he wants. However, as the novel explores, some people are not happy with this man. The man Vicky Rai, murders a bartender who refuses to serve him a drink, having just stopped serving in the bar. Rai shoots the bartender dead and flees. When he finally gets off, he decides to celebrate his acquittal with a party. Throughout the novel we are met with six different people such as famous Indian actress Shabnam Saxena and Munna Mobile who is a phone thief from the Sanjay Ghandi Slums. One thing I love about this novel is h...

Finally the end of June is coming. That means it is time to disclose on some of the things I have been diving into. I thought I had posted this on Friday but it obviously did not post so have it now! I will post again later for the first post of June. 1: My French... The continual French learning never ever ever stops! Reading, typing, listening and speaking tasks all help to improve my understanding of the language. I do not even spend a lot of time doing it; five or ten minutes per day is what I like to accomplish. 2: The Adoption Papers  (1991) by Jackie Kay. As Jackie Kay was author of the month for May, I read her poetry collection The Adoption Papers  (1991). You can check out my review on the blog post to see what my thoughts were on the collection. Searching for tags such as 'BIPOC' or '1990s' can help you find the post easier. 3: Bus websites and timetables. There are some bus routes which I use (when I need to) that have been given updated timetables, with som...

Hi everyone. Sorry for not posting on Monday but I was not feeling great. I think it is this heat here in the U.K; the weather has been rather hot lately. (I am never fan of the weather being extremely hot!) Todays post is the final review of the month that I had planned and therefore the post I had planned for Monday will be moved to June as the theme of the month will continue of course for a second month. Speaking of review, I am looking at Jackie Kay's episode for the BBC programme In My Own Words . This episode is a heartwarming and deeply personal examination of Jackie Kay's life with Kay herself narrating it and featuring in the programme. She discusses how things were as she grew up, what she had to face and where her passion for writing began. For me, it allowed me to understand her writing better as I got to consider what made her write and where some of her inspirations came from. I was able to get a closer at her childhood and where her passion for writing began. As...

Today I am reviewing Jackie Kay's short story collection Reality, Reality . I absolutely loved reading this collection! It was funny, heartwarming, sad and at times confusing with the stories all offering something different. I read the first story 'Reality, Reality' and immediately I was confused. The writing was not bad but I found the character had an odd personality. I was a little unsure what was going on. However, most of the stories did not confuse me. I did get a little confused over what happened in 'The White Cot'. For me, I was reminded of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper' (1892). I found that Sam and Dionne's relationship was a little worrisome to me. I liked them together but I worried how it would end. I am glad that Jackie Kay took on a story in which I was unsure what to expect next. This short story though had something in common in several of the stories. I found with a lot of the stories there were couples who were often...

Hello everyone. Today I am reviewing  The Adoption Papers  (1991) by Jackie Kay. This book is in two parts: the extended poem 'The Adoption Papers' and  the collection 'Severe Gale 8'.  When I started reading this I was glad that all three people involved in the first part - the daughter, the birth mother and the adoptive mother were distinguishable with their clear distinctions made typographically. The use of three different fonts throughout the whole thing to identify the three different voices was a excellent idea. Without this the sequence would have been confusing when reading it. Speaking of these three voices, they each had their own tone. The daughter seems to be rebellious and tough, not letting racism put her down. Being with white guardians is not a problem for her as she accepts it. Other people though seem to find this an issue obviously. What I love with Jackie Kay is how she throws a spotlight on important issues such as racism. As an author of colour...

London. North-west. Caldwell council estate. Four people. This is Zadie Smith's fourth novel, NW  (2012)... Set in a north-west postcode of London, NW  follows the busy lives of four people - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan as they try to make something of themselves outside of the estate from their youth - the Caldwell council estate. Here the novel the explores how in one part of a bustling city can have quite varied people from one another. You have those do well, those who do not, people who have a lot while others have very little, hosts and guests. Then there is also everyone else in between in the novel. For some characters, it has been about change. Natalie for example, was not always called Natalie as she grew up with the name Keisha. Various things happened for her to change her name, originally stemming from her mother's wish to seperate her daughter from her best friend Leah. That does not work because as they grow up across the novel, they do not grow apart fully....

Spring has sprung and I am here with my first review of the month. I decided I would read Zadie Smith's  ‘The Waiter's Wife ’. It was only until I starting reading it did I realise that the characters in this short story are in her debut novel White Teeth  (2000). Then I realised that most of the short story ends up in the novel anyway. It is not completely the same though. Because of that and as I had read it I chose to review it anyway. I liked this short fiction: seizing the button labelled "my funny bone" and firmly pressing down. I loved reading about Alsana clashing with her niece as per, I loved Samad and Archie reconnecting after years apart, I loved the vivid description Zadie Smith adds in just to build up her fictional North-West London world. This short fiction seems real, it well-thought out and convincing. When Samad Iqbal decides to move from Whitechapel to Willesden, his wife Alsana finds she has reservations once they are there. Money is tight, she is...

Hello all, here I am again. Today I am giving you a review from author of the month, Kazuo Ishiguro. This time, it is his booker prize-winning best selling novel, The Day of the Remains  (1989). Some novels I seem to get through rather quickly. This one was not. Now it was a good book, though personally for me, it was not something I would naturally get drawn to. I thought the novel was good because I liked how the protagonist, Stevens experiences things for the first time. HIs character is different I guess to others around him are. For instance, I find it amusing how he does not quite understand banter. He seems to find it crucial to maintain a correct level of banter. Something else I like is how he moves backwards and forwards to tell his story, even admitting when he gets too carried away with a story. On the other hand, this novel to me, seemed to drag at times. I often wanted to know what would happen next or whether Stevens would accomplish what he had originally set out to...

Today I am sharing a poem that I have made entitled 'Racism'. People of colour are subject to racism often. I wanted to highlight this a little with a poem. Enjoy my poem. Racism. A racist white woman rants online She thinks people should burn down hotels with immigrants Racists go and burn down hotels with immigrants. A middle-aged white man causes chaos and carnage crashing through Liverpool city. Many Reform UK MPs and other far right people protest and lie that it was an immigrant, a Muslim, a terrorist. Reform UK wanted to ban the burka because of safety. But no mention of banning of nun's habits and wimples. No mention of banning the balaclava. Racism has led to Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock trying to be excluded from albums tracks and photos with fans. Racism has led to Keisha Buchanan from Sugababes having suffered from being labelled as a bully and singled out and called angry by the media. The media who called a brown female MP a terrorist because they disli...

Hi all. I hope you are well. My next offering on the blog, is a review from  Rosewater  (2023) by Liv Little. This is her debut and currently only novel. Although, it seems another one may be on the way. For now, we can roll around in the joy that is  Rosewater . This novel is complex, sexy, exhilarating and zesty. At times it had me feeling the heat, intensely! There was one moment where I was gasping, then I was gagged (in the best way possible) and then found I had my legs crossed, both tightly gripped to one another. You probably think I'm weird and I do too a little bit. But the novel had me feeling a certain type of way! I'm still trying to ask myself - is it possible for a book to turn you on? Rosewater  tells the story of Elsie trying to keep it together as her life crumbles around her. As she navigates how things in life are going wrong, she finds comfort in having Bea who is more than just her co-worker. I won't even go on about her best friend Juliet, of w...

Today blog readers I am supplying you all with the first author of the month review. I give you my thoughts on Kazuo Ishiguro's short story ‘A Family Supper’ (1983). I read this short story and thoroughly liked it. First of all, the short story was only nine pages long which made easily manageable for anyone to read. Even with it being nine pages though, it nevertheless carried a strong narrative through which I could follow. The short story often moved back to reminisce on past events and thoughts, which helped to bind the short story together. As far as the nameless narrator is concerned, I find him to be unsure as a character. This for me was interesting. He was similar to his sister in this retrospect though had a juxapositional personality to that of his sister. Where his sister came across as bright and fun, he came across as dull and mellow. It is clear that his relationship with his father is somewhat strained so perhaps that has a bearing on how he is as a person. Anyway, ...

How does one navigate the cut-throat world of business when they have no previous business experience? What does one do when faced with the impossible? Is it possible for someone to be handed a dream opportunity out of sheer luck? Here on this nice day in July, t his is where I start with Vikas Swarup's 2013 novel,  The Accidental Apprentice . For Sapna Sinha, her ordinary life is turned upside after she is approached Vinay Mohan Acharya, one of India's richest men. Imagine being offered the job of company C.E.O if you pass the seven life tests. You do not have to imagine what Sapna's first thoughts were... Nevertheless, this novel takes us on a ride of highs and many lows, as we see how challenging life can be to navigate. Sapna's journey does not simply show her do seven tests as it were and then she becomes C.E.O of aging Vinay Mohan Acharya's business. She often found herself in situations where the outcome had that many possibilities, I never knew which way the...

Hello everyone and welcome to another review. This time I am opening up on a tragic tale of knives, youngsters and gangs. Here I am looking at another work from my author of the month, Bernardine Evaristo. Her chilling novella takes place in London and is an epistolary; meaning it is told though form of letters. The narrator is that of a teenager called Jerome who ends up wanting to join a gang to feel safe. Unfortunately for Jerome, the harsh realities soon hit him. It is his mother though who I worry about most. The pair of them love each other dearly despite their constant arguments. For me Evaristo is challenging when something needs to be challenged and here is no exception. Her novella is street smart, sharp and heated. It is just what is needed for those who want something quick or short to read. For me the novella is unusual in what happens. However, I still like. For me it deserves an 8/10. Until next time, Thomas.

Hi everyone. I am here with my first review of the month for Bernardine Evaristo, who as I mentioned is author of the month. This is not my first review of hers as I did review Girl, Woman, Other  (2019) back in 2023. That was an incredible work of fiction which truly captivated me.  The Emperor's Babe  (2001) unlike that novel is a verse novel. This is a novel which shines amongst a lot of other books I have read. What caught my eye was reading the blurb. Now I know they say you should never judge a book by it's cover but when I am informed that a novel ‘sings a song of womanhood and survival’... I get an impression it might well be my kind of book. That and the mention of ‘drag queens’ drew me to it. As for having read the book. It really wasn't what I expected. I gasped, I laughed, I ewed, I tutted, I pondered and then my mind had "NOOO" darting about it. I am not going to spoil anything here but as far as novels go, this quite possibly had the most unexpected ...

Hello all. I wanted to start off by apologising for my absence. I have not been well and found it hard to truly concentrate on anything. But today I have started to feel a bit better so I thought it was time to jump on here. From now on, things should get back to normal. As you can tell from my blog heading, today I am giving you my review to Zadie Smith's third novel On Beauty  (2005). Before I get stuck into that though, I just want to state how much I have enjoyed having reading Zadie Smith as my author of the month, this March. Her books have made me laugh and On Beauty  is no exception! This novel is rather something special. Unlike most novels I found it such a challenge to put the book down. With any novel I read I might put it down to cook food, eat food or go out somewhere for instance. But this book was making it hard to put it down and even harder the more I read. That is because I found it highly captivating and immensely funny. To me, On Beauty  is funnier th...

Hello people, I am here to deliver my first book review of the month. It is of Zadie Smith's chunky, yet multi-layered White Teeth  (2000). This novel may be over 500 pages and that may well put people off who are not used to reading that much. But, yes there's a but! But it is well worth the read. For one thing, it tackles issues which I think are as relevant today as they were 25 years ago. Where do I start? We have people who stick up for animal rights in a perhaps extreme way, there's clashing religions and questions regarding science. Though for me, this novel is key when it comes to postcolonialism. That is what I am focusing on here. Throughout the novel we are met with three contrasting families. There is the Jones/Bowden family with Archibald 'Archie' Jones who is British and his black Jamaican wife, Clara Bowden. On the other hand, we are introduced to Samad Miah Iqbal who is a devout Muslim Bangladeshi with his wife Alsana Begum. The novel follows both th...

I am back again to bring yet another fascinating review and am keeping with the LGBTQIA+ theme. For this one I am diving into what quickly became my favourite book when I first read it - Bernadine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other  (2019). From the first page, the first sentence even, I knew there was something special about this and as I read it I could easily understand why it won the Booker prize in 2019 (alongside Margaret Atwood's The Testaments 2019)  I think the first thing I noticed was Evaristo's use of punctuation and capital letters because without giving too much away, she rather tends to challenge the grammatical rules with which we are familiar  with as I found on page one:     ‘to her right is the bend in the river as it heads east past Waterloo Bridge towards the dome of St Paul's’. ¹ This not only drew me in to Amma's world but also Evaristo's world as a writer. I find that her craft is such a joy because of the way she structures her words, sentenc...