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. 

What are you planning to read this holiday?
Miss Waterfield: No idea; there’s things to finish off (I’m plodding through something on the Roman economy), but maybe more James S. A. Corey, Margaret Atwood, and Octavia Butler, as well as things on Irish history (because I feel woefully ignorant about this).

Mr Rao: I had planned to read very 'British' novels--mostly from the 19th century--during my year here, but I didn't read as much as I had hoped. Some books I've left unread but intend to finish this summer: Waverley by Walter Scott, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott. 

If anyone has suggestions for novels set in the upper-class/imperial culture of Edwardian Britain, I'm eager to hear them!

Miss Henry: I’m currently reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

A brilliant professor of mine from university recently published a new work on political mourning, which touches upon how and why deaths matter politically and when they don’t. I hope to pick up a copy! Political Mourning: Identity and Responsibility in the Wake of Tragedy by Heather Pool if you’re interested. 

What is your all-time favorite book/author?
Miss Waterfield: Lois McMaster Bujold! She’s fantastic – all the series she has written, though I perhaps love the ones about Miles Vorkosigan and his family the most – the world-building is amazing and the characters are utterly real. 

It’s often hilariously funny, often heart-piercing; and it explores ideas (e.g. what would it do to society if we had uterine replicators instead of using women?; how about if we could freeze ourselves in the hope of re-animation later?) but as a background to thrilling stories. The plotting is also first-rate – the ring composition in The Warrior’s Apprentice is the best I’ve seen outside of the Iliad!

Mr Rao: I read Around the World in 80 Days for the first time in elementary school. I was captivated by everything about the setting, from the whist players at the Reform Club to the Hong Kong opium dens and the ubiquitous railways and steamers. My love of travel (and of fast-paced sightseeing) probably goes back to this book.

Miss Henry: Probably poet Mary Oliver. She captures our world so simply, and also in a way that makes you feel like you’ve never seen it before. My favorite poem of hers is 'The Summer Day.' 

Who's your favorite fictional character?

Miss Waterfield: Not sure I have one.

Mr Rao: I picked up Rudyard Kipling's Kim a few years ago while I was on my own epic road trip through North India, and I still envy Kim's ability to slip between languages, classes, and cultures.

Miss Henry: I have three favourites, and I think if they all were to meet each other they would be great friends. Marie-Laure of All the Light We Cannot See, Liesel Meminger of The Book Thief, and Kya of Where the Crawdads Sing. 

Each of these young women come of age in a whirlwind of abandonment and solitude, are good-humored, and remain dangerously kind amidst great hatred. Each girl clings to art and nature (Marie–Laure to her radio and the sea, Liesel Meminger to her books, and Kya to her watercolors and her marsh) in times of unimaginable struggle. They each remind me of the magic that kindness, art, and nature wield. 

Do you have a favorite word/line from a book?
Miss Waterfield: Again, not really. I have ‘Let my eyes see the sun and be sated with light’ from Gilgamesh framed at home, but that’s just one I like. ‘More data, dammit’ is another, but wildly different!

Mr Rao: 'A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to'.

Miss Henry: “Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever. ” –All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr  

If you had to recommend one book that everyone should read, what would it be?

Miss Waterfield: Nope – no such thing. Depends what age people are, what mood they’re in, and so many other factors. I would like to thank you for the Book Blog - I’ve loved so many of the recommendations I’ve had from there, both from pupils and staff – in a way, I feel like I’ve begun properly reading again since joining SPS. 

In terms perhaps of making me aware of something I didn’t really understand (and which remains extremely relevant today), I found Jonathan Coe’s What a Carve Up both compelling, hilarious, and horrific – if that’s what Margaret Thatcher was (is?) driving us towards, then I don’t want any part of it.

Mr Rao: Harry Potter is one of those cultural touchstones that defines a generation, so anyone who hasn't read it is really missing out. 

Miss Henry: Blindness by Portuguese author José Saramago. A book that foregoes all preconceived notions of plot, character development, conflict and resolution, and instead is a blunt commentary on human nature and societal organization. 

This book struck me as particularly relevant when I read it in January because the society in question falls victim to a pandemic. I first picked it up from a Lisbon bookstore in late February 2020, and had to stop reading when the world fell apart the next month because it all felt too real. When I finally had the inclination to revisit it two years later, it was a gut-wrenching read.

Huge thanks once again to Miss Waterfield, Mr Rao and Miss Henry for taking the time to answer our questions, and for all these excellent recommendations: we wish them all the best for life beyond St Paul's.  We'd also like to echo Miss Waterfield's thanks to everyone who's contributed reviews and recommendations this year, and helped us discover new and fascinating books: have a wonderful summer, and happy reading!