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

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...

Hi everyone. I thought today I would offer a book review for anyone after something a good read for children. My review is of Judith Kerr's book Mog's Bad Thing  (2000). This book is suitable for children aged 2 - 5. This is a book that I was given some point in those years of my life. I like how this story starts and ends. In this book there is this build up that leads to a lovely, warming surprise. For me, this stands out as a children's book because it had everything a children's book should have. From the protagonist (who readers can follow) to colourful illustrations and a happy ending. As far a children's books go, this is one to recommend. There are a number of Mog  books by Judith Kerr and this is a good example of how to entertain children with a book. If you want a nice book to read with the children, this is it. A solid 10/10. Until next time, Thomas.

Hi everyone, I decided that I wanted to focus on another bookshop that I have recently visited. This time it is Baggins Book Bazaar down Rochester's High Street in Medway, Kent. The bazaar is considered the largest second hand bookshop in the country. When I went there I had this preconceived notion that it was going to across many floors. There was not many but there were many, many books. With all the aisles everywhere I kept getting lost. At one point I had to go either left or right (I cannot remember), then go down some stairs and along a corridor just to end up in hardback fiction. Paperback fiction was upstairs from this. Now the bookshop had loads of books and every category you could imagine including cookery, sci-fi and antiques. As much as I liked the books, I did not find anything I was after personally. I will say that the bookshop is open everyday from 10:00 - 17:45 which gives scope for a visit. The fact that it is right near Rochester train station, has buses and ca...

What I have read this week… 1: French! Another week has ended and so here I am to tell what I have read. This is the first again. I am almost at 450 days and cannot wait to reach that milestone! I am going to keep on going until... forever... 2:  The Autograph Man  (2002) by Zadie Smith. At the start of this week, I finished this funny novel from Zadie Smith. Her second novel was so good as you can tell from my book review I did for it, published on Monday. 3: Tesco Magazine. This week I picked up the March edition of the Tesco magazine. I shop there at times so I love to read their magazine for recipes. They have great recipes as well as coupons. 4: Instagram. (Again) I am still keeping up to date with important information. Though if I thought I could do without it then I would. This week has been informative indeed! I found out this week about a certain company who makes those chocolatey biscuits fingers in the red packaging. This certain company who has brands including bo...

Hello and welcome back to my blog people. Today I wanted to give you something different. Quite a while ago I wrote a poem entitled 'Rain'. Well, I recently came across it and decided that it was a joy to read! I felt it needed to be shared with people. Therefore, I am giving you my poem 'Rain' to read. Enjoy! Rain The patters tap the window at night The watery splatters awake me from my sleep The clatter outside from the rattling rubbish BASHING against the big metal bins drags me out of bed and over to the window. Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter! The SHATTER of a glass bottle dropped by a drunk man drinking on the bench scares the black cat lurking besides so it scatters away. Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter! By Thomas - me! I hope you liked my poem people. It was only a short one, though I initially wrote it at around about half three in the morning when I was woken up. I could not get back to sleep and I find writing poetry to be therapeutic. Until next time, Thomas. 

Hello all, in honour of International Women's Day earlier this month, I have decided to reveal who my favourite women authors are. 1: Bernardine Evaristo. I find her so captivating as an author. I studied her 2019 novel Girl, Woman, Other  for university and I immediately fell in love with it. I love her storytelling and her handling of critical or sensitive issues. Evaristo does not run away from the problems that some womxn face. Instead she highlights it as if to let society know 'we have a problem'. Her fiction just works. Is it any wander she jointly won the booker prize in 2019 for Girl, Woman, Other . 2: Margaret Atwood. I love reading something by Margaret Atwood. The way she brings worlds and characters to life is rather magical. She will create a stark vision of the future, without making it enjoyable. Her novel The Testaments  (2019) is my second favourite novel and it also jointly won the Booker prize in 2019 with Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other  (2019). 3: Za...

What can one say about Zadie Smith's second novel The Autograph Man  (2002)? I know one thing for sure people, as an author Zadie Smith is quickly growing on me. There's just something so smart about the way she welds together the funny and the serious. I found her first novel White Teeth  (2000) funny. This novel is the same. Admittedly when it started I felt some sadness and that transformed into some shock at the realisation of what happened. But then as I read more and more, particularly towards the end, I came to appreciate the beginning. Having a sad moment in a book does not automatically rule it out from being funny. This book still made me laugh on more than one occasion when I did not find it weird. I must add that I use the adjective weird in the best possible way. I found it a bit unexpected and it truly got me thinking from another perspective. I become emotionally attached to the characters, gutted for one of the characters even. I will not spoil which one! My op...