Books of the Year

It's our final post of the year, and as always, we've asked staff and students to recommend the books they've most enjoyed reading in 2023 ... 

Dr Harrison's suggestions take us from the 1890s to the 2020s ...
'Not new this year, but Robert Harris’ An Officer and a Spy really brings turn of the 20th century Paris to life with a fictionalised account of the Dreyfus affair from the inside, a look at French army life highlighting the politics of any large organisation interspersed with the effects of thoughtless casual racism.

Leaver's Post

As you may know, Mrs Jones is retiring at the end of this term, after ten years in the Kayton Library patiently helping Paulines find, read (and return!) their books.  We're all very sad to see her go - but we were delighted that she kindly agreed to answer the book blog's Leaver's Questionnaire before departing,

What were you reading when you were a teenager?

I loved Agatha Christie. My favourites were Death on the Nile and Cat among the Pigeons. 

I also loved Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I was given The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which I treasured.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Recommended by Tiger Wang

Project Hail Mary is a science fiction book about humanity’s last ditch attempt to save itself, and if it fails, humanity will perish. The book starts with our narrator (Ryland Grace) waking up on a hospital bed to a computer asking him basic maths questions. He then realises that he has no idea who he is and cannot recall any memories of his life. Throughout the story, flashes of recollection slowly come back to him and he gradually begins to piece together that he is the last surviving person on a three person mission aboard the rocket ship Hail Mary, sent many light years away from Earth to a different solar system. The Earth described in the story is set in around the 2020s, and has discovered that the Sun is shrinking due to a unicellular organism known as 'Astrophage', which is taking energy from the Sun at an exponential rate. Grace has to puzzle out how to destroy Astrophage, and he has to do it alone. Or does he?

The Winter's Tale - an introduction

Mr Anthony

NB: The following essay contains plot spoilers regarding the play’s ending. 
 
The Winter’s Tale is a play about a man who believes a lie of his own making and is outraged when others won’t believe it too. Leontes’s confidence in his wife’s infidelity is, unlike Othello’s, entirely self-generated; indeed, Emilia’s famed description of jealousy as 'a monster begot upon itself, born on itself' is more fitting of Leontes’s condition than that of Othello, who requires three acts of careful priming by Iago before exploding with the ferocity Leontes achieves in his first scene. The refusal of Leontes’s court to support the false narrative of Hermione’s adultery reveals a political microclimate (unusual in Jacobean theatre) devoid of sycophants and schemers, devoted instead to truth and plain speaking.

Predict the Booker 2023

Predict the Booker 2023

On Wednesday evening, six Paulines boldly took on the annual challenge of pitting their wits against the Booker Prize panel, hoping to persuade our live and online audience that their selection from the 2023 shortlist would be this year's winner.  

The Booker prize is, as our erudite host Mr Mahmoud observed, the leading literary award in the English speaking world. It's also the literary award that the Pauline community is apparently incapable of predicting with any accuracy: we now have a five year record of absolute, total, 100% failure. Will this year be any different?* We're eternal optimists here at the book blog, so here's hoping that it will be (tho we'll have to wait until Sunday evening to find out).  In the meantime, here's what our volunteer readers thought of the novels they selected.  

Book of the Week

A reminder that tomorrow evening, it's our annual Predict the Booker event: six books, and six Pauline readers, each with five minutes to talk about one of the shortlisted books, and take questions from the audience, before we vote for the novel that the SPS community thinks should win the prestigious Booker Prize of 2023. The actual winner will be announced on Sunday 26 November, and we'll then discover whether the judges agree with our choice!

This year, our readers are as follows:

• Xavi is reading Study for Obedience, Sarah Bernstein’s unsettling book about prejudice in a remote northern community. 
• Max is reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, a tragicomic story of a family trying not to fall apart in rural Ireland. 
• Aditya is reading Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. Also set in Ireland, this imagines a totalitarian future where a mother has to make a terrible choice. 
• Archie returns to read for the second time. This time he is reading This Other Eden by Paul Harding, the story of an island of rejects from the American mainstream whose community comes under threat from civilisation. 
• Sai is reading Chetna Maroo’s Western Lane - a story of family, grief, and squash. 
• And finally, Enyu, makes a very welcome return for the third time to read If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery. This book follows a Jamaican family in Miami navigating recession, racism and Hurricane Andrew.

The event, hosted by Mr Mahmoud, takes place in the Kayton Library at 18.30 tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd), but it's also available on our live stream - click here if you'd like to register to attend.  You can find out more about the books, and the Booker, here.

Meanwhile, here's today's book of the week:  

Flatland by Edwin A Abbot

Recommended by Ishaan Nigam

Flatland is a book about the way creatures perceive their world, and how they believe that there could be no more to reality than what they experience, even though the universe may be infinitely more complex. This concept is concisely brought to life through the eyes of a 2d square in a dimension known as Flatland. 

The first part of the book is a description of the narrator and the nature of his society. The second part of the book is about the narrator’s visit by a Sphere and his subsequent journeys into other dimensions (both above and below) and how this changes his perception of his own dimension.  Although Flatland is a fictional book, it challenges the reader to think about very real mathematical and philosophical concepts, and to adjust their own perception using the insights from the narrator. I would recommend this book to people from around age eleven and above who are more mathematically inclined, or to slightly older readers of fourteen and above.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
Recommended by Luke Williams 

Brighton Rock explores themes of manipulation, religion, love, suicide, violence and hatred. Its central character, Pinkie, a small-time gangster, is a bad person. Despite this, Graham Greene presents his tale in such a way that it can be easy for the reader to forget it. 

Book of the Week

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Recommended by Giovanni Bertolli
 
Dracula is a Gothic fiction, hailed as a classic of literature. Moreover, it is an action-packed horror story. 

The novel begins with Jonathan Harker, who has been sent to Transylvania, to the castle of Count Dracula. On the way, local peasants warn him about his destination, giving him crucifixes and other strange charms against evil and uttering unfamiliar words which Harker is able to translate as ‘vampire’. Nonetheless, he continues on his journey to meet with Count Dracula, a client of his legal firm, in order to finalise a property transaction. However, after a few days at the castle, he realises that he is effectively a prisoner!

Books of the Week

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

The Psychopath Whisperer by Dr Kent Kiehl
Recommended by Jarlan Bogolubov

This is a non-fiction book on the topic of psychopathy. The book is extremely informative and has various chapters ranging from childhood signs (including case studies), tragic incidents that have turned people psychotic and changed their behaviour etc. However, the main story lies in the author’s time studying psychopathy. It follows his career, where he spent time working in a maximum security prison in Canada, interviewing psychopaths and mentions relevant chronological events (breakthroughs and discoveries). From key definitions to the science behind psychopathy, this book is a great introduction to anyone who’s interested in picking up a book about a niche, misunderstood subject.

Black History Month: Book Recommendations

Today's books of the week are all suggested in connection with this year's celebration of Black History Month, and some are particularly linked to this year's theme of 'Saluting our Sisters'. 

Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage

Recommended by Mr Kemp

A fascinating and brilliantly written 90s play about an African-American family from Florida struggling to adapt to life in Brooklyn. Moving, funny, with great characters. It also goes into the unusual and curious history of Father Divine, a real-life 20th Century evangelist and self-appointed divinity. What a drama!

Book of the Week (and Booker Prize shortlist!)

The shortlist for this year's Booker Prize has been announced: you can find out more details here. The shortlisted novels are:

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Book of the Week

The Wind Singer by William Nicholson
Recommended by Leau Roch

I really enjoyed this book because it has a constant aura of uncertainty that made me want to keep reading to know what would happen next.

It follows the life of two siblings, Kestrel and Bowman, who are unknowingly destined to save their city by repairing the mysterious 'Wind Singer'. The story starts off by portraying the various aspects of everyday life in Amaranth - their home city - and detailing the heavy social stratification systems they must endure, before propelling them into a set of events that quickly lead them to embark on a perilous journey. They set off on their quest joined by an unwanted guest, Mumpo, to whom they eventually warm as the journey goes on. Along the way, they encounter several obstacles which they must overcome by relying on each other, effectively creating a team spirit between the characters, despite frequent skirmishes and arguments.

However, what sets this story apart from others is how it is never guaranteed that the protagonists will succeed. [SPOILER ALERT] One of them may perhaps be lost to an army of murderous, zombified soldiers who they had set out to defeat, even after having reached their journey's supposed end. This shows how even after making it to their destination, they are not completely secure, something I rarely see in other books. In addition to this, they often come within inches of being burnt alive, hanged or sent into wind-sailing chariots at breakneck speeds, both by their enemies and allies.

The adventure doesn't stop there, either, as after this book are a further two to complete the trilogy, which both provided equally as much thrill and wonder as the first edition. In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed reading The Wind Singer, as it had features that truly distinguished it from other books where the protagonists always ultimately succeed.

Poetry Talks, Prizes and Book of the Week

It's a packed post today, as Mr Gardner reports on last Saturday's Edward Thomas Prize Poetry Lectures, 2023 (and announces the winner), plus we have our usual Book of the Week - Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata, recommended by Edward Buss.

Edward Thomas Prize Poetry Lectures

Mr Gardner

Saturday saw the return of the English Department’s annual poetry lectures, with five speakers from the Lower and Upper Eighth presenting on poets of their choice. There was a pleasing and impressive variety in the selections of this year’s participants, with poems in disparate forms from different periods, together providing an eclectic array of voices and ideas.

 

Edward Thomas  

Book(s) of the Week

Welcome back! We hope you've all have a great summer, with plenty of time to relax (and read). In our first post of the term, we're featuring several books of the week, all of them kindly recommended by members of 5B.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Recommended by Edouard Traissac

This book is about a world where people can only think out loud, and there are only men. There are no more children as they have all grown up. One day, the main character, Todd, and his dog (who can also only think out loud) walk into a place which is completely quiet, something that should be impossible. The story is about Todd trying to hide this from the rest of his town. 

Leavers' Post

Today is our final post of the year: sadly Mr Parris, Mrs Mackenzie, Mrs Graham, Dr Ruddick, Mr Barile, Miss Leconte and Mr Yao are among those leaving SPS at the end of this term. But they very kindly paused in the middle of their packing up to answer the blog's Leavers' Questionnaire ...

What were you reading when you were a teenager?

Mr Parris: Iain Banks – The Wasp Factory, Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting

Mrs Mackenzie: I went to boarding school at 8. The house bookshelf had a full set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and a Times Atlas of the World. I loved looking at the atlas - I find maps fascinating - but generally there were slim pickings and I read books that were passed around the house. So, lots of Judy Blume, Jilly Cooper, Danielle Steel and Wilbur Smith. Lace by Shirley Conran came out when I was about 13 and was immediately banned by the Housemistress so of course several copies did the rounds, covered in the dust jacket of something more improving. I don’t recommend that anyone spends any time reading these. 

The first book I remember reading that wasn’t a bodice ripper or a spy novel was Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. It rocked my world and changed my reading habits. 

Carnegie Prize - the winners ...!

Mrs Cummings

Finally! St Paul’s choice for best book has actually won a prize! BookSoc met over lunch on Wednesday to watch the livestream of the awards. To our absolute delight our choice for the Shadower’s Award was won by 

Ruta Sepety’s I must betray you. We all enjoyed this book and think it’s a worthy winner. We would have liked to see it win the main prize, but a prize voted by children from all around the country is definitely something an author values.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal itself was won by Manon Steffan Ros’ The Blue Book of Nebo.

This is the first time in the Carnegie Medal’s nearly 90-year history that the prize has been awarded to a book in translation. Told through the dual narrative of a mother and son in post-apocalyptic Nebo, this 'compelling, conceivable' story explores Welsh identity and culture, and offers a beautiful appreciation of language. The original Welsh publication, Llyfr Glas Nebo, won multiple awards, including the 2019 Wales Book of the Year.

Manon Steffan Ros said, 'I used to see the word Carnegie on the covers of my favourite books as a child, and the fact that The Blue Book of Nebo now has that honour bestowed upon it means more than I can say – and to be the first book in translation to win the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is a source of great delight. One of the greatest privileges of my life has been the fact that I was raised through the medium of the Welsh language, and having access to two languages has brought me so much joy and opportunity. There’s a huge, lively, thriving Welsh language cultural scene that I’m honoured to be a part of. Each language offers a unique and enriching perspective on the world, and so literature in translation has the potential to enhance our lives greatly. Your favourite book might not yet be translated into a language that you understand.'

There’s an interview with her here.

Although we thought I Must Betray You should have won, The Blue Book of Nebo took equal second place in our voting, alongside the unrewarded The Eternal life of Clara Hart. These books generated a lot (really, a lot!) of discussion and aroused strong feelings for and against. We have plenty of copies in the school libraries so do read them and see what you think.

Thanks to Armaan, Bolang, Louis, Luke, Soren, Theodore, Tiger, Viggo for some great conversations

BookSoc Carnegie Shadower's Medal voting

Mrs Cummings

This week BookSoc met and voted for the Shadower’s Award. This involved a lot of impassioned discussion, a fair amount of agreeing to disagree, but we got there in the end. In time-honoured St Paul’s style, we voted for the book we think should win (the Shadower’s Award) and for the book we think will win. The last had us looking up the judges’ biographies and trying to second-guess their interests and biases.

The Shadower’s Award – St Paul’s vote goes to… 

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys.  This moving novel tells the story of the Christian who is forced to choose between betraying his family and risking everything during the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Aimed at an older reader this book really highlights the hardships of the dictatorship. You can read our review of it here.

 
The scores were…

• I Must Betray You  49
• The Eternal Return of Klara Hart 38
• The Blue Book of Nebo 38
• The Light in Everything 23
• When Shadows Fall 15

The book we think will win was much closer with The Light in Everything and I Must Betray You getting the same score. 

After a run-off between the two books, The Light in Everything just nudged ahead (by 2 votes).  

The Light in Everything is a book about blended families and about learning to trust again. Aimed at a younger reader it is nonetheless a good read for all ages.

 
The announcement of both the Shadower’s Award and the Carnegie Medal for Writing is on the 21st June. We’ll be hoping the right book wins!

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari, illustrated by Natalie Sirett

Mrs Cummings

Thanks to SPJ exam week only seven of us were available to meet today. The shifty expressions and unwillingness to start a conversation said it all. We really did not like this book!

When shadows fall tells the story of Kai and his friends who spend happy days playing in a patch of wilderness near their homes. Kai's family is hit by a devastating tragedy. As he tries to cope with his own and his family's grief he makes some bad choices and is drawn into a dangerous crowd. He watches his dreams fade until it seems like there is no hope. Can his friends help him back?

Told through a mix of prose and poetry, and with beautiful illustrations, we were all hoping for so much from this book. Sadly, most of us failed to finish it, finding it relentlessly depressing. The author told us the ending at the start of the book so there were no surprises to draw us on. At the same time there is a lot of repetition and we felt the book should have been a lot shorter. Most of the characters felt two-dimensional with the exception being Kai's refugee-survivor friend Om whose story we wanted to see much more of. There is a raven theme which we found clunky and confusing, particularly when they take over the narration. There is a very worthy message about the value of talking about emotions but it felt laboured – 'like an assembly' in one rather pointed comment.

The Carnegie Medal's mission is 'recognizing outstanding reading experiences created through writing and illustration in books for children and young people'. We had four who Did Not Finish and three who forced themselves through, so we have to say no, not this time.

Average score : 4.85

Recommended reading age 13+

If we haven't put you off, it is available on the catalogue here.

The author talk is here.

You can download a chapter free here. 

After half term, we will be voting for the book we think should win the Shadower’s Choice award, and for which book we think will win the Yoto Carnegie medal.

Book of the Week: Carnegie Shortlist (4)

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros

Mrs Cummings

Translated from the Welsh by the author this is a slim, eerie novel. It tells the story of Dylan who was six in 2018 when the nuclear bombs fell and the electricity went off for good. Now 14 he lives with his mam in remote North Wales where they have to learn to be self-sufficient and live off the land in order to survive. They find a notebook and use it in turn to record their thoughts and experiences. The reader watches their relationship change as they try to cope with the pressure of their life and realise that each is keeping secrets. 

This book generated so much discussion! Was it too short, or a perfect length? Was it too bleak, or realistic? And what about the ending? We all loved the Welsh setting and the references to Welsh culture which are woven through the story. The librarians were thrilled to see that the correct first response to sudden apocalypse is to get all the self-help books out of the library. The descriptions of The End feel believable and the characters are fully rounded. We were all caught up in their lives and the relationship between Dylan and his mother which forms the core of the story. The isolation and the moral questions they face – is it acceptable to steal if everyone’s dead – drew us in and the descriptions of the landscape are beautiful. 

Some of us loved this spare, thought-provoking story while others would have liked a longer book that explored the background further. Read it yourself and see what you think of the ending.

Score 7.9 out of 10 

Publisher's recommended age range: 13+
Can be reserved on the catalogue here
Author interview is available here. 

Book of the Week - Carnegie Shortlist (3)

The Light in Everything by Katya Balen

Mrs Wilkinson

Last year's winner of the Carnegie Book Awards, Katya Balen, has once again been nominated for the award for her book The Light in Everything. This book is geared at 9 + reading age and is the youngest book in the shortlist. Even though it is geared at a young reader it deals with some tricky issues very sensitively.

Each chapter is told from alternating perspectives: the first is Zofia, a loud and wild girl whose family life consists of her and her dad, while the other is Tom, a quiet fragile boy whose life (and that of his mother) has been turned upside down by his destructive father. Their lives are thrown together as their families join and a new addition to this family helps unite them.

This book challenged our readers' first impressions of Zofia and Tom and we grew in sympathy as we got to know and understand their back story. Some readers liked the back and forth nature of the chapters, some found it frustrating. A difficult book to compare to the other books as it is geared at a much younger audience. Some also liked the origami crane instructions on the end covers although the they were not easy to follow (try our link below!). 

Here are some thoughts from one of this year's Carnegie Shortlist Shadowers, Armaan Motiani (U3), who writes: 'I liked how the author was able to effectively recreate childlike characters in the first person and capture the tone and style of writing of children, and I liked the contrast between the two perspectives, each one giving a different insight and relaying part of the story in their own unique perspectives. Katya Balen has written a relatable and moving book that is definitely suitable for younger audiences, and is still enjoyable for adults in turn. 

The hardships experienced by the characters proves to be a big theme throughout the story, and the importance of family also plays a central role. This book will certainly resonate with anyone who has experienced loss or struggled to find their place in the world, and I give it a solid 8/10. The reason why I personally would knock off a few marks is due to my own individual enjoyment of the book. Overall I find it to be well written and authentic, but I found the childlike perspectives to be a little bit boring, and there was not much action going on besides the personal conflicts of the characters.'

So - you've heard our reviewers' thoughts, and our combined score is 7.35 out of 10. Is Katya Balen successful in conveying children’s emotions and drawing you into their story? If you'd like to make up your own mind, The Light in Everything can be reserved from the library here .

Publisher’s recommended age range: 9=. An interview with the author is available here.

How to fold a paper crane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC_Szxdqh2Y

Book of the Week: Carnegie Shortlist (2)

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch
Mrs Cummings

Spence and Anthony have been friends for years. When there is what looks like a tragic accident at Anthony's house party Spence finds himself caught in a time loop. He wakes to the same day and it's clear he has been given a second chance. As he relives the same 24 hours again and again he has to re-evaluate everything he took for granted to break the spell and save Clara.

A hard-hitting coming-of-age novel about toxic masculinity and the value of friendship, this really divided our readers. A couple of people did not finish it and others gave really low scores. At the same time, some of us really enjoyed it and gave it high marks.

The publishers call it 'unflinching' and it is written from the perspective of a disenchanted 18 year old and the language reflects that. Some of our readers found this off-putting and thought it was overdone, others thought it felt realistic and drew them into Spence’s dilemma. There are moments of dark humour and some great characterisation, especially of the young women.

'Boring Groundhog Day' or required reading? You’ll have to read it and decide for yourself.

Our score : 6.7 out of 10.  

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart can be reserved on the catalogue here. Publisher's recommended age range: 13+. Our recommendation: 14+.  There's an interview with the author available here.  

Next week we are discussing Katya Balen's The Light in Everything.  

 

Book of the Week: Carnegie shortlist 2023 (1)

Booksoc Carnegie: shadowing the Carnegie Medal 2023
Mrs Cummings

The Carnegie Medal was established in 1936: it's the UK's longest-running and best-loved children's book award, and recognises 'outstanding reading experiences creates through writing in books for children and young people.' Previous Medal Holders include CS Lewis, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman.

Every year thousands of young people around the country 'shadow' the Carnegie Medals, reading, discussing, and voting on which books from the shortlist should win the award. The Medal itself is awarded by children's librarians but there is also a Shadower's Choice Award which authors vie to win. BookSoc Carnegie is a joint U3/4th Form society and we'll be reading, arguing, and voting for the book we think should win. Our first read is I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys who was also nominated in 2021 for the excellent The Fountains of Silence.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Publishers recommended age range : 12+

Cristian has lived his whole life under a repressive dictatorship. The people are governed by fear and silence, and the personality cult of Nicolai Ceausescu, Romania's 'Beloved Leader'. When Cristian is approached by the secret police he faces an impossible choice - try to save his sick grandfather's life by informing on his family, or resist and risk all of their lives.

This historical thriller is set during the revolution of December 1989. It is a claustrophobic story and the reader is drawn into the webs of secrecy and suspicion between the characters. The Romanian revolution was a brutal affair and this is reflected in the story - some readers thought this was justified and helped us understand the cruelty of the state, while others felt it was too grim. It certainly would be too graphic for a younger or more sensitive reader. 

The author uses short, punchy chapters and different viewpoints to move the story along quickly. Many of the readers were completely gripped by the plot and one said he read it in a single sitting. The characters are satisfyingly complex and we really felt their dilemmas. The suspense builds throughout and after a number of shocking twists it has a really satisfying conclusion.

Ruta Sepetys specialises in historical fiction and emphasises the quality of her research. I Must Betray You contains an appendix of photographs from the period plus research notes and a bibliography. A number of readers commented that this was a period of history they had known nothing about had gone on to further research. They were shocked by how brutal the regime was, and also how recent it was.

 
Overall, a great read.
Voting : 8.8 out of 10 (Range from 8 to 10)
 I Must Betray You can be reserved on the catalogue here, and you can read an interview with the author interview here.  

Our next read is The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch. If any 4th Formers want to join us at our Tuesday meeting please see one of the library team in the Kayton Library.

Book of the Week

Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang

Recommended by Mrs Cummings

Babel is a dark academic fantasy set in Oxford in the 1820’s. It is a time of industrial revolution but rather than coal driving the economy it is the magic of translation.

The story is told through the eyes of Robin Swift who is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. Lovell trains Robin in Ancient Greek, Latin and Chinese in preparation for entrance to Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, also known as Babel. Babel is the world centre for silver-working, the art of enchanting silver bars with translated meanings which has given the British Empire unparalleled power. Babel’s research in foreign languages is critical to the Empire’s success.

At 500+ pages this is not a short read, but if you take it on you will be richly rewarded. It deals with ideas of belonging, friendship, languages, racism, colonialism and political revolution, and has a gripping plotline too. And as the author clearly knows Oxford and the University well, it gives a fantastic alternative view of the city of dreaming spires.

Shelved in the Fantasy Fiction section at KUA. Can be reserved on the catalogue - see here.  

World Book Day Quiz - the answers ...

In the last post of this term, we're bringing you the answers to this year's World Book Day Quiz - and (even more importantly) announcing the winners ...

In Round One, Mr Harris wondered whether you could identify five books by their covers. By and large, it turned out that you could.  The first cover - 

belonged to Mario Puzo's The Godfather: 

Most of you knew this, although Noughts and Crosses was a popular alternative, plus titles along the lines of 'Pinocchio', 'Muppets or Puppets?' and (sigh) 'The Installation of the Ceiling Mounted Fan'. It's a visual metaphor, people. 

Book of the Week

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Recommended by Aman Parekh

A Study in Sherlock?

It’s a Sherlock Holmes book! If I had to convince someone to read A Study in Scarlet, that's all I’d say. In fact, I could probably make this a one sentence recommendation. I won’t. In all seriousness, the best thing going for A Study in Scarlet is simply that it is a Sherlock Holmes book, one of the most popular and influential series of books in the history of English literature. It is no coincidence that Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed human fictional character in all film and television.

Rathbone, Cushing, Brett, Downey Jr, Cumberbatch, McKellen ...

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - the results!

One of the highlights of last week's World Book Day celebrations was the Kayton Library's 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' quiz. In today's post, Mrs Cummings reveals the answers, as well as the lucky winners of those Nando's chicken dinners ... 

'We set the table for 8 and put props at each place setting so you could work out who our literary guests were. Did you work them all out?

International Women's Day

It's International Women's Day on Wednesday, so today's 'Book of the Week' post features recommendations of books in relation to this year's theme, #EmbraceEquity, and to women's writing and writers in general.

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill
Recommended by Mr Dormandy

Sarah Lam, Lesley Sharpe, Lesley Manville and Deborah Findlay in the Royal Court's 1991 revival of Top Girls 

The best known and most influential play by England's greatest living playwright (sorry Tom Stoppard!), Top Girls is at once a theatrical and human delight - rich, layered characters; effortlessly natural dialogue; exhilaratingly unpredictable tone - an endlessly intriguing exploration of female experience and gender politics, responding to the complex challenges posed to feminists by Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, and an epoch-making series of experiments in dramatic form.  Its influence, especially on contemporary European dramatic writing, is hard to overstate.  An all-male school version of this all-female play would be a blast!

World Book Day Quiz

 This week it's World Book Day!!!! (on Thursday) - so that means it's time for the Book Blog's annual World Book Day Quiz.  

This year's questions have been devised by Mr Harris, Mr Kemp, Miss McLaren, Mr Dormandy, Mr Gardner, Miss Muir, Mr Green and Dr McDonnell: huge thanks to all of them for contributing. So - time to test your literary knowledge, with questions on book covers, theatre slang, scifi, clifi, nature and animals, literary chronology, a cryptic Shakespeare crossword and a splendour of literary moustaches.  There's a link to the quiz here - it's open until 9.00 am next Monday, so feel free to submit your entry at any time before then.  The answers, and the winner, will be revealed in our post in the final week of term. 

And if one quiz isn't enough for you, the Kayton Library is running another one later this week. Mrs Cummings writes: 

'You’re invited to Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – outside the Kayton Library on World Book Day Thursday 4th March and Friday 5th March. 

Can you guess who the guests are from the clues we’ve put at the table? Extra points given for the author and book title we are thinking of. Two Nando’s vouchers for the two best entries.'

With a fabulous prize like that, how can you resist??? Happy World Book Day, and happy quizzing!