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?”