Leavers' Post

Sadly, at the end of this term, Mr Sanderson and Mr Cullen-Hewitt are leaving St Paul's, but they very kindly paused while packing up their books to answer the blog's questions. 

What were you reading when you were a teenager?

Mr Sanderson: Honestly, shamefully, hardly anything for pleasure, until I left school; then Waugh, Greene, Orwell. More recently, McEwan, Roth. 
Mr Cullen-Hewitt: I think I tried to be a bit edgy with my reading as a teenager. I got really into the Stephen King horror novels for a while. The Shining, Salem's Lot, Misery and Carrie were all brilliant, and The Tommyknockers was bizarre but entertaining. 

However, things fell apart when I tried to read one of his newer horrors; I got about two chapters into Cell and had to stop reading it. The magic had gone and I haven’t read a Stephen King since. I also got really into dystopian novels; Riddley Walker was challenging but very rewarding, and I really enjoyed A Clockwork Orange, but it was 1984 that I loved the most. My GCSE English teacher had hinted that we might study 1984 as one of our set texts and I devoured them all over the summer holidays before starting Year 10; in the end we studied Silas Marner instead and (despite being a brilliant teacher) I’ve never quite forgiven him for it. I won’t share his name as he may or may not be a current teacher at St Paul’s…

In our penultimate post of the year, Daniel Pavlu interviews Mr Martin about his brilliant dystopian novel, The Quiet ('engrossing and wholly original': Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One).  

Carnegie Award

In today's post, Mrs Wilkinson reports back on this year's Carnegie Prize 'shadowers' and reveals which book is their selection for the 2026 prize.  

A group of 4th formers has been meeting all term to read and judge books from the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2026. 

Last week, groups from all over the country submitted their vote for the book they think should win the highly acclaimed prize of best book. Out of a shortlist of eight, our winning vote went to Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds. 

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week have been suggested by 4EN.A and 4EN.H.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G K Chesterton (O.P.)

Recommended by Nicolas Desaedeleer

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton features Gabriel Syme, a poet conscripted to a secret anti-anarchist council, who seems to infiltrate a peculiar anarchist group. The underlying conflict revolves around revealing the identity and motives of the council’s members, especially the elusive figure of Sunday. The book gives much to think about: right and wrong, faithfulness, scepticism, and whether a blatant evil can be self-deluding. Most impressive is its dream-like narrative and structure: a political thriller that gradually grows into an allegorical work of facts and propositions, its absurd reversals and symbolism making one question whether the invincible is indeed invincible, and heroism reconstructed by paradoxically humorous illustrations and unending suspense.

Books of the Week

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

Recommended By Cyrus Ghaffarpour

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein are, on the surface, an unusual duo. Thaler is an economist who has since won the Nobel Prize, whilst Sunstein is a Harvard Law Professor and served in the Obama administration. Together, the two of them produce a unique mix of scholarly rigour, combined with a genuine interest in why we ordinary people make the choices we do, and it is this that makes Nudge read more like a conversation you didn’t realise you needed to be having, rather than a dry textbook.

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week have been suggested by 4EN.G and 4EN.J.  

Wild Coast: Travels on South America’s Untamed Edge by John Gimlette 

Recommended by Enzo Daoud

Wild Coast is a travel book about the author's journey through Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It explores isolated areas and shows the lives of its inhabitants. Gimlette’s vivid descriptions of the environment are central in making the book an engaging read. He writes about thick rainforests, gushing rivers, and remote areas, which helps the reader imagine the setting. His journey feels exciting with a hint of danger.

Books of the Week

Today's recommendations are all non-fiction books, and they've been suggested by 5EN.A.

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Recommended by Siddarth Raj Krishnamurthy

This is an autobiography, written in the form of diary entries, about Adam Kay's time as a junior doctor. It is insightful about his work, and how important the NHS is as well as why it is under so much strain. The structure of the diary entries makes the book seem more immediate and personal, making it easier to understand the author's experiences. Although it is humorous at the start, there is a more serious tone in the middle and at the end of the book as he explains how his job had a significant impact on his life. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in medicine or hoping to become a doctor.