Books of the Year

In our final post for the year, SPS students and staff recommend their 'books of the year'.

Suleyman Ansari recommends Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air by David MacKay.

'In a world where climate discussion is becoming more and more prominent, I really enjoyed the objectivity and research methodology employed by this book. This broadened my understanding and allowed me to appreciate things from a scientific point of view instead of sensationalised media stories.' 

Mr Kemp recommends The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard

'This term I have been almost exclusively reading these fabulous novels. They chart the fortunes of an upper middle class family of timber merchants from 1939-1959 and are utterly unputdownable. I am completely gripped, and about to finish volume 4, Casting Off, which takes us up to the late 40s. Each book raises so many exciting questions. Will Clary finish her novel in the cottage Archie rented for her? Will Sid ever confess her frustrations to Rachel? Will Hugh come clean to the family about his affair with Diana? Just brilliant.'

Book of the Week

A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin

Recommended by Luca Orlandi

A Very British Coup is a classic political thriller written by former Labour MP Chris Mullin. It details a series of events in which far left Labour Prime Minister Harry Perkins is democratically elected under a mandate of nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from NATO, the dismantlement of monopolies, the removal of American military bases and other radical policies. However the established institutions, including MI5, media magnates and the USA immediately start to plot to undermine his power and ultimately cause his downfall. 

The story uses a scarily large amount of non-fictional elements to make the novel believable, combined with a fictional plot and characters to create an overall fictitious but suspenseful and realistic story. As expected given the nature of a political book, the plot is intriguing and many pivotal elements of the plot are based on more mature topics. However this novel is easy to read and the plot is not overly complicated nor reliant on the readers’ extensive knowledge of politics. Therefore this book is mostly aimed at readers of at least 14 years of age, especially those who have an interest in politics.

Kiss Me, Kate

Introduced by Mr Anthony

There are plays about misogyny and there are misogynistic plays. Kiss Me, Kate, premiering in 1948, was something of a hybrid. 

In placing the frame narrative of a warring theatrical couple around an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the show viewed the source material through a semi-ironic lens, with the Elizabethan marriage market and its commodification of women sent up in songs such as ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’ and ‘I’ve Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua’. In ‘I Hate Men’, the female lead wittily condemns sexual double standards in a strikingly modern treatise on toxic masculinity. However, the same character is also beaten publicly by her ex-husband and, in a startling volte-face at the show’s climax, appears willing to subdue herself to his mastery. The programme for the original production of Kiss Me, Kate bore the image of a whip, tipping the musical’s title from playful suggestion to baleful command.

My Desert Island Book ...

4D were asked to suggest a 'desert island book' in the spirit of Desert Island Discs. These are the books they’d like to have with them if they were stranded on a desert island.

Complete Works of Harry Potter* by JK Rowling

Chosen by George Lyster: every time I read the stories, I notice something new. They remind me heavily of my childhood and would be a break from the life on a desert island.

(* Stern island by-laws might cause this suggestion to be impounded as it is not available as a single volume...)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling

Chosen by Aadhil Ramanathan and Gauray Simha 

Aadhil: This is one of my favourite books ever, and if I was stuck, I would like to be transported to another world, one which always finishes with a happy ending. 

Gaurav: I loved this book in particular as it has a very interesting back-story. I could simply keep reading this over and over again. It’s also a major way into fantasy books.

Book of the Week

The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem by Matthew Hollis

Recommended by Miss McLaughlin

The Waste Land, T.S Eliot’s1922 enigmatic masterpiece is a century old. Written by an American banker in the City of London, Eliot’s poem was revolutionary - full of parody and pastiche, it is famously complex and allusive. Just over 50 years ago the Berg Collection - a treasure chest of notes and annotations by the poet, his friend Ezra Pound, and his first wife, Vivien - was published, igniting interest and allowing readers to better understand the poem as a living thing. 

50 years later, Mathew Hollis’ book, The Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem furthers the idea that we should approach the poem as we would a person. The British Library suggest that the book, 'present[s] a mosaic of historical fragments, diaries, dynamic literary criticism and illuminating new research ... [Hollis] reveals the cultural and personal trauma that forged The Waste Land through the lives of its protagonists - of Ezra Pound, who edited it; of Vivien Eliot, who sustained it; and of T. S. Eliot himself, whose private torment is woven into the seams of the work.' 

Eliot and his first wife, Vivien [Photo: BBC/Oxford Films/The T S Eliot Foundation]

Eliot himself said that poem was 'only the relief of a personal and wholly insignificant grouse against life'. His chilling recollections located the core of the poem in the 'nightmare agony' of his awful marriage. On Vivien’s insistence he removed the line, 'The ivory men make company between us' as it seemed too brutal a reflection on the state of their relationship. A few years before his death, Eliot penned the poem (for the last time) to raise money for a British library and returned the line. 

This week, 4H look up at the stars and beneath their feet with reviews of a subterranean fantasy novel, and a non-fiction work of space exploration.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Recommended by Aditya Bhimalingam

The Starless Sea is focused on a boy named Zachary who at his university library finds a book, in which one of the chapters recounts an experience from his life. Understandably curious, he follows symbols in the book to an underground and mysterious library as he tries to understand why he was in the book.

The book is fiction and in the fantasy or magical realism genre. It is for people who like descriptive poetry, as there are some great descriptions in the book fit for a poem. It would also be for those who are into mild fantasy, fantasy without advanced magic systems or supernatural races, just with small traces of magic and the supernatural.  Overall, I quite enjoyed it, mainly due to its unorthodox descriptions, which are incredibly visual, illustrating the world in a way I have not seen before. Also, the main story is very well written, creating a strong main narrative. It also creates suspense between each part of the story, as each chapter flits between the story and the shorter stories in the book that Zachary took out, which slowly piece together.

Book of the Week

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Recommended by John Beck

'What is it that makes a man willing to sit on top of an enormous Roman Candle… and wait for someone to light the fuse? Arrogance? Stupidity? Courage? Or, simply, that quality we call 'the right stuff?'

The Right Stuff is a fascinating non-fiction book that explores the story of the first men to ever venture into the deep unknown of space. From the rise of the legendary Chuck Yaeger to the tale of the Mercury 7 astronauts, The Right Stuff weaves the lives of these inspirational men into one captivating read.

And the (SPS) Booker Prize of 2022 goes to ...

Yesterday evening, the Kayton Library hosted SPS’s fifth Predict the Booker prize evening, where six Pauline readers lobbied the live and online audience to persuade them that their chosen novel from the Booker shortlist deserved to win the prize. 

As the evening’s host, Mr Mahmoud, pointed out, the SPS audience’s success rate in predicting the prize so far is 100% - 100% failure. Will this year be any different? You’ll have to wait until Monday 17th October to find out: but in the meantime, here are the Pauline readers’ thoughts …

Book of the Week

A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke

Recommended by Mr Pirrie

Ethan Hawke? A novelist? Loved him in Training Day and Dead Poets’ Society but, as his actor’s mugshot stared at me from the hardback cover, I couldn’t help feeling that maybe this was a bad idea…

William Harding, a successful film star is plunged into a blizzard of negative press after the paparazzi splash an affair he has had - whilst filming in South Africa - all over the front pages and the internet. To make matters worse, everyone - from airport taxi drivers to hotel receptionists to strangers in Times Square - loves his rockstar wife and sides with her in this very public divorce: she appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with the headline “Would you cheat on this woman?”

The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi

Recommended by Mr Harris

The Buddha of Suburbia is a novel that speaks to a seemingly bygone era, one in which racial slurs are commonplace, homosexuality is seen as a disability, and rubbish bins line the streets. It’s easy to forget just how recent the 1980s were, yet the novel’s prescient handling of race and class in post-war Britain perfectly encapsulates the anxieties found in a (self-presenting) post-colonial society and so the novel’s message feels just as relevant now as it was 30 years ago. 

The bildungsroman format of the novel ties these anxieties around cultural belonging and acceptance to a more widely understood teenage desire for social acceptance. What emerges is a post-colonial Portnoy’s Complaint, filled with stories of teenage sexual angst and desire as the novel’s central narrator, Karim, navigates the turbulent social landscape of 70s and 80s Britain, a period defined by the competing dialects of sexual and social liberation and Thatcherism.

Slaughterhouse Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut
Recommended by Gabe Joseph

Slaughterhouse Five is a testament to modern literature, and how forward looking philosophy and understanding, intertwined with creative and colourful writing, can create something that no doubt stands the test of time. Written by Kurt Vonnegut at his peak, it is a post-modernist masterpiece.

This book has two main plots that focus upon one character at different points in his life, or rather at the same point at different times. First, based upon the author's personal experience in WW2, it follows Billy Pilgrim as he time travels back to his days as a soldier in World War Two, and his experiences of the uniquely horrifying firebombing of Dresden. This is followed by Billy's experience of the events of his time during the war thereafter, all of this time spent with the company of his fellow soldiers - featuring characters such as Wild Bob. The second story shows Billy Pilgrim at an older age in Indianapolis as an optometrist, where he is swept up in an alien abduction and spends much time on the planet Tralfamadore, along with a porn star/actress who was also abducted. He spent this time learning about the esoteric existence and way of life of the Tralfamadorians. Interspersed with this are episodes of Billy's early life pre-war.

Book of the Week

Today, Mrs Cummings recommends Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick, and Chie Kutsuwada.

Told through a mix of prose and manga, Tsunami Girl relates the story of  fifteen year-old Yuki. Struggling at school in England, she is sent to stay with her grandfather in Japan. They are caught in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and the book tells the disaster’s aftermath and her struggle to cope.

 

An early page from Tsunami Girl

Cleverly mixing manga with Japanese folk tales, ghost stories and real-life events this is a really emotional read. It’s quietly told, but the description of the wave itself is so realistic it sets your heart racing. I loved the believable relationships between the characters and how they developed over the book. It is also a story of family and love and resilience. This is a really compelling story, as well as a really interesting book stylistically.  

The novel was nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2021, and its illustrator, Chie Kusuwada, is visiting the School on Saturday 1st October as part of our first ever Games and Comic Con.

 

Chie Kusuwada at work

She will be giving two workshops on telling stories using manga, one introductory and one more advanced. If you are interested in attending please sign up via the posters around the school.

If you're keen on manga and graphic novels, the Kayton Library has loads: just ask the librarians and they can show you where they're shelved (or search the library catalogue using terms such as 'manga' or 'graphic novels'). You might also be interested in checking out some of the blog's other posts on this topic. For instance, you can read Jake Curtis's top five recommendations here, and Charles Cavalla's article on the evolution of the graphic novel here, as well as Mr Kemp's article about Alison Bechdel here. We also have plenty of reviews: The Arab of the Future by Riad Sattouf, Building Stories by Chris Ware, and Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, all reviewed by Mr Kemp, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, reviewed by Alessandro Comoli -  just click on the title for the link. 

Book of the Week

Beastly Things by Donna Leon
Recommended by Sammy Assael-Francis

Beastly Things is the 24th book in the award winning series by Donna Leon, set among the snaking canals and winding side streets of La Serenissima,  and the surrounding areas of the Venetian lagoon and the mainland.  

The books centre around the charismatic Commissario Brunetti, a police inspector for the Questura (the non-uniformed branch of the Italian police force). Here, the murder of a disfigured man leads Brunetti out of Venice and into the complex world of bureaucracy, bribery and power politics.

Welcome back!

It's our first post of the term - and we'd like to welcome all our regular readers, plus everyone else encountering the blog for the first time.  

The blog exists to promote and celebrate all aspects of books and reading at SPS.  Anyone can contribute - if you've read something brilliant, fiction or non-fiction, and you want to share it with the world, just send us your review (spsbookblog@stpaulsschool.org.uk) and we'll happily publish it. We also publish creative writing, articles about writers and writing, plus the occasional quiz. And we have an extensive range of booklists (which we're always keen to update, so please send us suggestions if a book you particularly admire could be added).  

Our Tuesday post is our regular 'book of the week' slot, and without further ado, here is our first recommendation of the term, generously contributed by the school librarian, Mrs Cummings. 

Green Rising by Lauren James

Set in a near-future this is a surprisingly upbeat novel about climate change. It follows Gabrielle, who becomes the first teenager to be able to grow plans from her skin. She becomes a climate change activist, fighting for the future of a world being destroyed by the use of fossil fuels. As other teenagers develop the ability to generate plants they form a pressure group with the power to re-write the global economy.

Green Rising has short chapters, a fast-moving plot and is a very engaging read. It is a passionate argument for a response to climate change, even including a reading list at the end of the book. The author is adamant that it is not a dystopia, and it feels too hopeful to really be one.

Green Rising is one of the books on the Kayton Library's list of Fourth Form Book Recommendations for 2022: you can find the complete list here. 

And talking of lists, and in a week with no shortage of extraordinary announcements, this evening sees another dramatic and eagerly anticipated revelation after a long summer of campaigning: yes, it's the Booker shortlist! At around 7 pm, this year's judges will announce the six novels that will battle it out for this year's prize (and you watch it streamed live on their website here).

The longlist is a fascinating one - it includes the shortest novel ever nominated, a novel by the youngest author ever nominated, and another by the oldest (living legend Alan Garner) - but will any of them make the final cut? And if they do, will they deserve to win? This is where YOU can get involved, via this year's 'Predict the Booker Prize' evening. Six intrepid Pauline readers will each select one of the shortlisted books and attempt to persuade the audience - live and streamed - that their candidate should win the prize. Will the SPS audience get it right? Their success rate so far is ... non-existent. But there's always a first time!

You can find coverage of our previous 'Predict the Booker Prize' events here (2021), here (2020), here (2019) and here (2018). If you'd like to be one of this year's debaters, speak to Mrs Cummings, or any member of the English Dept. The library has all the longlist books - so as soon as the shortlist is announced, turn up, pick your book, and start reading ... have fun!

Leavers' Post (2) ...

 It's our last post of the year - and sadly, at the end of this term, we're saying goodbye to lots of people, including Head of Classics Miss Waterfield, and Colet Fellows Mr Rao and Miss Henry, who very kindly paused in the middle of their packing to answer the book blog's leavers' questionnaire.

What were you reading when you were a teenager?
Miss Waterfield: A mixture really. Some of the ones I remember are: Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, William Gibson, Isaac Asimov, etc. for fantasy/sci-fi; Allende and Garcia Marquez when I was going through a South American phase; the Brontes, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, etc. for romance; in historical fiction, Gillian Bradshaw, Rosemary Sutcliff, Judith Merkle Riley, Elizabeth Chadwick, Dorothy Dunnett (while doing my scholarship exams, which was a bit of a distraction!), and Pamela Belle. 

I remember my English teacher despairing of my reading taste and giving me what she considered good books (The Color Purple, Brideshead Revisited, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye…) – I read them all dutifully, and liked only one (Brideshead), from which I concluded that a) you should read what you like when you like it, b) tastes change. I recently read Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, because of the tv series, which I also read as a teenager – I hated it then, but was blown away by it now.

Mr Rao: My very first high school reading assignment was the first chapter of The Source by James Michener. I liked it so much I read the whole book. 

I was fascinated by how he wove together the stories of contemporary characters with the stories of older generations going all the way back to the Stone Age, so I credit him with inspiring my love of history. I spent the next few years reading every James Michener book I could get my hands on. 

Miss Henry: I had a phase around 16 where I read a lot of American history nonfiction. I remember reading a book on George Washington’s war tactics in the Revolutionary War, and the biography of Alexander Hamilton that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write Hamilton. 

I also unapologetically loved (and still love) the Twilight series. 

Leaver's Post (1) ...

Today is our penultimate post of the year, and we're extremely grateful to outgoing Captain of School, George Davies, and Vice-Captain, Will Shackleton, for finding the time (between filming Friday briefings, of course) to answer the book blog's leavers' questionnaire.

What were you reading when you were in the fourth form?
George: Probably not as much as I should have been! Casting my mind back, I do remember this being roughly the first time that I read Catch-22 and some good dystopian novels like Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 during the holidays. 

But I think I was mainly in my comics phase during that year, so my enthusiasm for Marvel probably drowned out most other forms of fiction!

Will: A lot of trash crime fiction. My knowledge of corpse disposal was unparalleled as a 14-year-old.

That being said, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is a masterpiece of mystery and plotting. Just don’t read it late at night – I did and didn’t sleep for weeks…

Books of the Week

In today's post, 4D recommend their favourite fiction books from this year’s reading.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Recommended by Adavya Goyal

'One of the most intriguing science fiction books I have ever read. I strongly recommend it due to the action, thrills and its deep philosophical undertones.'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Recommended by Aditya Swamy

'A very entertaining prequel to the three Hunger Games books, with many twists and turns where the odds are so high it leaves the reader on the edge, wanting to read on.'

Book of the Week

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

Recommended by Miss McLaren

Our Wives under the Sea is part love story, part ghost story, moving and disconcerting in equal measure. Miri’s wife, Leah, is a marine biologist who works for the Centre, a private research foundation that specialises in deep-sea exploration. Her missions keep her away for weeks at a time and Miri is used to being alone. But when catastrophe strikes and a systems failure sends Leah’s research sub plunging out of control into an uncharted ocean abyss, both women find themselves adrift, unmoored from their usual bearings, and grappling to make sense of what’s happening.

 

World Book Day Quiz: the answers

In our last post of the term, we're bringing you the answers to this year's epic (some would say marathon) World Book Day quiz, before announcing the winner.  Did you get any of them right? Will it be you?? Read on and find out ...

Round 1 - Can you judge a book by its cover? - was set by Mr Harris. For Cover No. 1, suggestions included Moby Dick, Jaws, The Kraken, Eragon and Swallows and Amazons (does that look like the Lake District to you???), but the answer, as most of you knew was ....

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Cover No. 2 proved much more puzzling. Suggestions included Ted Hughes's The Iron Man, Macbeth, and The Book Thief - at least one of which was on the right track, because the pile of burning books at the central figure's feet was a clue ... 

... that this was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. But only 8 of you recognised it. 

Cover No. 3, stark and simple, reminded some of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. A couple of you leapt on the solitary letter above the picture and suggested V for Vendetta. But the letter isn't the first in the title: it's the first in the author's name.  So the correct answer was Virginia Woolf's 1927 novel, To the Lighthouse.  The lighthouse is a clue.  

The 'woolf' theme continued with Cover No. 4, which produced many animal-based suggestions, some of them more plausible than others. But it wasn't The Call of the Wild, The Jungle Book, The Just So Stories, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Fantastic Mr Fox, Beo-wolf (we see what you did there) or Jaws ...  

It was White Fang by Jack London.  With those teeth, how could it not be???

Books of the Week

Today's post comes from some of Dr Gaydon's tutor group, who reflected on their half-term break reading and wanted to offer their thoughts up for those looking for something to read over the next holiday…

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple

Recommended by Aarav Kurdikar
This is a book about the author's time in Delhi. He talks about the city’s history and the places he visited as well as providing many anecdotes about his experiences. 

It's worth reading as it's a great insight into other people's lives and cultures.

International Women's Day

Today is our second post celebrating International Women's Day, with recommendations from Mr Kemp, Miss McLaughlin and Mr Gardner

Mr Kemp

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer who splits her time between America and Lagos. Many Paulines will know her from her TED Talk, ‘The Dangers of a Single Story’, which is often taught in junior schools. 

Many others will know her from her debut coming-of-age novel, Purple Hibiscus, the jewel in the crown of the IGCSE English Literature syllabus. If you haven’t read Purple Hibiscus, do. It’s a really brilliant story of a clever, awkward teenage girl growing up under the tyranny of her religious fanatic father, and the tyranny of a corrupt military government. 

It sounds quite heavy, and in parts it is, but it’s also a joyous story of finding one’s own voice. Despite it being about a 15 year old Catholic Nigerian girl in the 1980s, it’s actually really relevant to our times.  Americanah, her 2013 novel about Nigerian immigrants in America, is even better. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a really wonderful writer, and one of the few authors on the curriculum who has been sampled by Beyoncé.

World Book Day

 It's World Book Day!!! And that means it's time for the Book Blog's annual World Book Day Quiz.  

This year's questions have been put together by Mr Harris, Mr Kemp, Dr Cocks, and Mr Gardner of the English Dept; Mr Green, Dr McDonnell and Dr Ruddick of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Soc; Mr Perrin, Head of Modern Languages; Mrs Cummings, the Kayton Librarian; and Mr Dormandy, the Head of Drama.  

So - it's time to pit your wits against theirs. How much do you know about book covers? Famous Literary Faces? Shakespeare plays and their characters? Done a bit of Tolkien? Seen a few James McAvoy films? Dipped into the occasional Victorian novel? Read a book by a woman writer? Decoded a cryptic crossword?  Then this year's prize could be yours for the taking ... The link to the quiz is here, and it closes at 9.00 on Monday morning: good luck!!!

Books of the Week: #BreakTheBias

Next Tuesday 8th March is International Women's Day, which is the centrepoint for a two week programme of talks, events and lectures at SPS, all linked to this year's theme #BreakTheBias. 

So this week and next week, we're dedicating our Tuesday Book of the Week post to women writers and their work. Today, Mrs Cummings explores how you can use your reading choices to Break The Bias and try something new, Mr Harris shares his enthusiasm for the work of Virginia Woolf and Dr Cocks recommends two novels by contemporary women writers.

Fist of Five: James Joyce

February 2022 marks the centenary of James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece Ulysses, first published on February 2nd, 1922.

Today’s post, one of our occasional 'Fist of Five' series, recommends a selection of books on the theme of Joyce’s life and works.

Non-Fiction Books that Changed the Way I Think: Part II ...

Today's post is the second batch of recommendations from Miss Warner.

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

Provocative treatise on nationhood and its relationship to economics and power. Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2012, and a must read if you are interested in socio-economics.

Why are some nations more prosperous than others? Why Nations Fail sets out to answer this question, with a compelling and elegantly argued new theory: that it is not down to climate, geography or culture, but because of institutions. Drawing on an extraordinary range of contemporary and historical examples, from ancient Rome through the Tudors to modern-day China, leading academics Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson show that to invest and prosper, people need to know that if they work hard, they can make money and actually keep it - and this means sound institutions that allow virtuous circles of innovation, expansion and peace.

Books of the Week

This week is LGBT+ History Week, and so today's recommendations all featured books connected with LGBT+ themes and ideas.  And if you're looking for further recommendations, why not try some of the books suggested on our LGBT+ reading list here.  

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Recommended by Mrs Cummings

This is the most beautiful story of love and loss. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers who both get the call from Death-Cast giving them bad news: they have only 24 hours to live. They connect through the Last Friend app and try to live a lifetime in a single day.

Non-Fiction Books that Changed the Way I Think: Part I ...

In today's post, Miss Warner explores some of the non-fiction books that have had a significant impact on the way she looks at the world.

The Arcades Project by Walter Benjamin
This book is one of my all time favourites. It is a patchwork of musings that really stay with you; a cultural tour de force!

'To great writers,' Walter Benjamin once wrote, 'finished works weigh lighter than those fragments on which they labour their entire lives.' Conceived in Paris in 1927 and still in progress when Benjamin fled the Occupation in 1940, The Arcades Project (in German, Das Passagen-Werk) is a monumental ruin, meticulously constructed over the course of thirteen years--'the theater,' as Benjamin called it, 'of all my struggles and all my ideas.'

Books of the Week

Today's post features a second batch of book recommendations from 4E.  

The Beach by Alex Garland
Recommended by Felix 

An adventure fiction novel because about a young English backpacker who journeys to Thailand in the 1990s. He encounters a huge amount of things, and learns about all the different places that exist within the country.

I thought this book was gripping and thoroughly enjoyable as the reader really has time to get to know the main characters and care for them, so that when they are in danger you are worried along with them. I think the book helps to show just how many beautiful places exist around the world, with there also being slight warnings referring to overpopulation and pollution. I would highly recommend this book.

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week are all recommended by 4E.  

The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown

Recommended by Aarav
Gripping sci-fi dystopian novels that set around 800 years in the future where humanity has terraformed most of the planets and moons in the Solar System, and rests upon a hierarchy of Colour. 

Each colour (Red, Brown, Orange, Violet, Yellow, Obsidian etc.) is placed in a hierarchy where each colour has specific roles within the society, with Gold leading. However, the warColours have superior genetics and physical structure, with increased height, strength and bone density. A young lowRed has discovered that their Colour has been lied to, and his wife was hanged after protesting. With vengeance on his mind, he attempts something that no-one sane would ever have thought of…

I thought this series was possibly the best I have ever read, and would recommend it to all readers above the age of 8, but it is still a very good read for young adults. This book takes you on a thrilling journey, with plenty of futuristic technology and war, with politics mixed in.