What the Modern Man is Reading

5EN.F have put together a reading list of books they have enjoyed this year. It is an excellent list.

The book I read over the summer is called A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. It is about the hardship of women in Afghanistan during its civil war. The book is written powerfully and really shows the brutality that women and children had to endure. Khaled Hosseini (who also wrote The Kite Runner) really infuses emotions throughout the story. I would really recommend this book as it is a great read and is also extremely entertaining. - Kush Gupta

Over the summer I (re-)read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, in which a hobbit called Frodo must destroy a powerful ring and thus save the world.The main strength of the book is that it creates a huge world with intricate detail; the only slight weakness is that sometimes the description can slow the action. I would recommend this book as it is a classic, creates a huge world and has a gripping story line. - Eddie Atkinson

The book Goodbye Columbus, by Philip Roth, is a book containing 5 short stories and one main one which was the story of two young lovers. The strengths of this book were Philip Roth’s very detailed descriptive pieces, however it did lack in excitement. On the whole I would recommend Goodbye Columbus, as it is a short and enjoyable book to read due to its vivid descriptions. - Ben Petter

The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho is the story of a young man/boy who travelles across Eygpt in search of a treasure, meeting and finding incredible things. It is wonderfully written with profound messages and meaning all expressed in a relatively short page count. I would most definitely recommend this book as a short but exciting read. - Lorenzo Usai 

Over the summer I read Timebomb by Gerald Seymour. It is a thriller about a plot to smuggle a Soviet-era nuclear weapon out of Russia into the UK and the undercover policeman trying to stop this. It is also about questioning loyalty and the grey area of the intelligence services, with flashbacks to the Holocaust interlinked. I enjoyed this book because, despite having quite a sensational plot-line it was very gritty and realistic, with an unusual ending that was not wholly pleasant. What I did not like was the dialogue, which struck me as laboured and forced. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a gripping but realistic story.-Nikolas Boyd-Carpenter

I read Stephen King's Under the Dome, which is the incredibly powerfully and well written book about about a small down in Maine which gets trapped in a giant ball by unknown alien forces. The strengths in the book are the incredible character developments, as almost every single character gets their own story. It truly shows how far people go when catastrophies happen and how people's secrets get revealed in a small enclosed town. I would highly recommend this book as it is a very interesting book in looking at how people's emotions work under times of disaster, and this is very much due to how well written it is. -Ricardo Pilnik

The most interesting book I read this summer was Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It documents a 'brief history of humankind' guiding the reader from just before the Cognitive Revolution to the present day, whilst also raising questions about humanity’s future. I would recommend this book as Harari showcases how knowledgeable he is on the subject whilst always keeping, what is almost a story with man as its protagonist, moving along at a breakneck pace.-Sebastian Marsoner 

Levels of Life by Julian Barnes is a novella about grief: its forms and passages through time.Barnes eloquently describes human suffering using examples from his own life, which adds to the strength and accuracy of his narrative.I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys philosophy or books that lie on the line between fiction and memoir - at times this becomes blurred.- Alexis Richards

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. Now, a geo-political book, focused on describing world relations through maps, might not sound interesting, but it will not fail to surprise. Its elaborate description of both relevant historical information and modern day issues concerning global politics is its strength, with weaknesses few and far between. Anyone with an interest in why the world is the way it is, why some countries are economically shattered and war-torn and why others on the same continent are thriving and expanding, then this book is a strong read. - Arthur Kenny

I read Animal Farm by George Orwell – a short novel about how the farm animals at Manor Farm chase out their human owner and run the farm themselves. I enjoyed the clever work of the pigs in subtly changing the farm rules, and the way that the book as a whole was very captivating. I would recommend the book because the relationships between the animals reflect our society. Also, I really love the way Orwell ended his novella. - Timothy Langer

Burmese Days, by George Orwell. This book is about the corrupt life in British imperial Burma and what it was like if you were there at the time. The story covers a stand off between two individuals. A magistrate who wants to destroy the reputation of a doctor. I thought the book was good but boring in some places and strongly advise reading books like Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London and 1984 before you read this. Those books are far more entertaining - Oliver Hatfield

The book I read over the summer was The Rooster Bar by John Grisham. It follows the story of three law students, struggling with student loans, who then pretend to be qualified lawyers despite them not finishing their education. The first few chapters are fairly slow, but after that the pace of the novel picks up, and it becomes a good thriller. There are a few points in the plot where it becomes predictable, but the writing is still good, and these parts are still enjoyable. The characters are another strength of the novel, as they are very well written to make them seem like real people, rather than just characters. I would recommend it as it isn't particularly difficult to read, but is rather an extremely entertaining novel.- Charlie Grimstone

How to Rig an Election by Brian Klaas and Nic Cheeseman. It's all in the title. A captivating book about election rigging methods, and thus also a history of political cheating across the world. It is often quite funny, and very interesting to read, whilst also informative. It can go into very specific details, and was published recently, and often goes into new examples. As a result, it is more enjoyable if one understands current affairs. Obviously it is non-fiction, so don't expect a story. Very insightful book, to help one really understand how arguably most elections are rigged in some form, so is definitely recommended to all who are interested in it. - Jim Roberts

Two Brothers by Ben Elton A fictional story about two young brothers who live in Nazi Germany. One brother is Jewish and the other, who was adopted, is fully German. The story follows their childhood, and the problems and difficulties they run into. Strengths - very thought provoking, teaches literally about what Nazi Germany was like, and the procedures that existed there during the time of the war. References actual past events, which once again teach about life there. Very good plot, which keeps the reader entertained and interested. Weaknesses - can be slightly confusing at times. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about history, or to anyone who just likes reading in general. It is a very good book, and always kept me interested. - Ben Harker

I read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown during the Summer remedy. A book containing murders, ancient crypts and mysteries. Robert Langdon is the character thrust into danger when murder is awake, the professor finds himself in all sorts of peril when he quests to find Da Vinci's code. I enjoyed this book immensely because of the suspense and mystery portrayed in the story with of course the occasional plot twist. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries or suspense as this book is full of them. -Vivek Aggala

Over the summer I read The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. This enjoyable comedy follows the life of Allan Karlson through most of the 20th century as he influences multiple events over the course of his life from saving Churchill to aiding in the development of the atomic bomb, all while running away from a criminal gang in present day Sweden. I particularly enjoyed this book due to its clever humour and seamless integration of multiple characters over the entire novel, which really aids the flow of the book making each chapter as interesting as the last. I would definitely recommend this book for some light enjoyable reading. - Nicholas Haas

1984 is about the struggle of Winston Smith through the dystopian world controlled by big brother and his effort to feel human rather than just a cog in a machine. A strength of this book is the set up of Winston's feelings about the thought police and the government and the fear he has of being caught. The recurring theme of control and hatred also play into his fear of his government. One weakness would be the development of other characters such as Julia. I would recommend this book as it highlights the dangers of what society could become if we become too obsessed with control and power - Alex Adams 

Over the summer I read Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. This book tells the story and adventures of a counter-terrorist team called Rainbow, which travels around the world solving terrorist situations ranging from hostages to bombs which have been setup by a biotechnology company called the Horizon corporation. Rainbow Six is a great techno-thriller and it has many intense and high-octane situations. However, the book takes quite a while to reveal the plot and during that time it can be a bit boring.I would recommend this book as it is very interesting and thrilling to think about the possible scenarios shown by Tom Clancy. -Aramis Marti Shahandeh

The Knife of Never Letting Go (first book in the Chaos Walking trilogy) by Patrick Ness. Todd is one month away from becoming a man in a world where the thoughts of everyone can be heard in a never ending noise. But then he learns that every thing that he has been told about the new world and its native intelligent species is a lie. This series was extremely gripping and I loved the numerous plot twists as well as the concept of the New World as a place where humans have begun to migrate to. The only weaknesses in my opinion were the occasional lulls in the action. I really enjoyed the series, especially the second and third books, in which the plot became very complex. -Rory McDowell

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García-Márquez. This is the story of a small town by the name of Macondo, in Colombia. There is a beauty in the fact that there is no real 'plot' as seen in most other books, yet simply the life and happenings of this town is narrated. This showcases Márquez’s fascinating ability and inclination for writing, as the book is so captivating even in the absence of a plot.  It begins with the life of José Arcadio Buendía, founder of Macondo and then we watch how over the course of centuries, the town develops and slowly becomes a product of the industrialised outside world. I don’t believe that there are any weaknesses in this book, as it is written so well. I would definitely recommend this book, as I really enjoyed how it developed and how it is written. - Kaan Akyol

Over the Summer Holidays, I read A Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie. This book explores the story of a murder on a train, in which the detective Mr Poirot must find out who committed this sin. Christie uses her well known mystery style of writing to attract the reader, by often giving hints and clues at the different suspects. Although, it does take time for the plot to unravel, each sentence keeps the reader wanting more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in search for a thrilling read. -Dhanu Ramanan 

Many thanks to 5F for all these excellent recommendations!