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.