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 most enjoyed reading in 2024 ...  

We're kicking off with Mrs Cummings: 'Can I please recommend James by Percival Everett? I’m sure I won’t be the only one. This wonderful book was robbed of the Booker Prize this year. As you probably already know, it is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the viewpoint of the enslaved Jim. 

Unlike Ishan, who presented the novel for our Predict the Booker event, I have not read the original book but I never felt it was a problem. James is funny and brutal and very moving, and is genuinely one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. I listened to it on audio, narrated by the wonderful Dominic Hoffman (The Shield, Gray’s Anatomy), and it is a brilliant use of 7 hours 49 minutes.'

Review: The Real Inspector Hound

 Gabe Joseph

“A rattling good evening out. I was held.”

The average school play is an exercise in emotional range. Coming out of a production, I once heard ‘it was interesting to see that side of the pupils’. Whilst that is true, the 6th form production of The Real Inspector Hound was not full of emotional monologues or the exploration of some hero’s tortured psychology, in fact, it was a farce and a piece of meta-theatre. 

Arnav as Magnus Muldoon

Book of the Week

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Max Clapham

Stephen King’s 11/22/63, a novel about a man who attempts to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy, by entering 1958 America through a portal in the back of a burger restaurant, is as far removed from reality as any other time-travel story. Despite being mainly a science-fiction novel, however, the story can also be viewed as part historical fiction and part alternate history, bringing with it some fascinating insights into the nature of historical memory. 

And the SPS Predict the Booker Prize 2024 goes to ...

Yesterday evening, the Kayton Library hosted our annual 'Predict the Booker Prize' event: five Pauline readers bravely volunteered to tackle this year's shortlist and persuade a live and online audience that their book should (or shouldn't) win. But did they get it right? 

Fred, Ishan, Freddie, Alex and Tom with their books

Our history so far is dismal: for six successive years, we have consistently failed to correctly predict the winner - a track record of complete, utter and abysmal failure. But this year - for the first time ever - we were holding the event on the very same night as the Booker Prize itself. Would such synchronicity make a difference? Would there be another first - our first ever correct prediction? Read on and find out …

Booker of the Week

Tonight sees the announcement of this year's winner of the Booker Prize for fiction: you can find out more about the shortlist here as well as interviews with the authors here.  And you can watch the announcment on follow the Booker livestream here. 

Even more excitingly, for the first time ever, we've managed to schedule our annual 'Predict the Booker Prize' event for the very same evening as the real thing. For those of you unfamiliar with 'Predict the Booker', it's a bit like a balloon debate. But with books. Six books, six readers, five minutes each: our Pauline readers present each of the shortlisted nominations before the audience votes for the one that the SPS community thinks should win this year's prestigious Booker Prize.  

Will the serendipitous synchronicity of this year's event affect our five year track record of getting it absolutely, 100% wrong, we hear you ask? Quite probably not. But if you'd like to find out, you can register to join virtually here or book an in person place here.   

We'll be reporting on that event later in the week, but meanwhile, today's post.  After Donald Trump's first election victory in 2016, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four rocketed up the best-seller charts, especially after Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway coined the phrase 'alternative facts' to defend false claims the Trump administration made about the supposedly high turnout for Trump's first inauguration.  Last week, the phenomenon was repeated, with a 250% increase in the novel's sales since last week, although this time round, Orwell's dystopia has been eclipsed by Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, sales of which increased by a 'whopping 6,886%' according to CNN.  But is it right to connect contemporary events to this particular label? Noah Kasolowsky considers how popular usage can redefine a legacy.  

Creative Writing

It's the 450th anniversary of the death of John Milton (OP), and we're using this as an opportunity to publish some of the work of contemporary Pauline creative writers, all of whom took a creative writing EPQ.  Today's post features a short story by Finn Johnsson, whose project focussed on creating a series of short stories, each from a different character's perspective, narrating the events leading up to a murder, and drew on the influence of writers including Agatha Christie, Joan Lindsay and Donna Tartt.  'To ashes' is the first story in the collection, with themes of passion and revenge in the world of art forgery.  The story's illustrations include Finn's sketches of some of the different characters.  

'To ashes'

Finn Johnsson

That painting. It was just an ordinary, f***ing painting. He had never understood his father's obsession, but lately, in the back of his mind, it loomed. Frozen in delicate brush strokes, her visage stared off into the distance. He could hear the horse's panicked scream, the thrill of battle, the blood pounding against his ears. He spent his dreams frantically chasing her across the canvas, and the scene flashed across his eyes when he was awake. His jaw clenched in a silent scream before he slumped back against the seat in resignation.

Creative Writing

This week, SPS is celebrating the work of John Milton, who died 450 years ago this coming Friday.  Here at the blog, we're using the occasion to shine a spotlight on some contemporary Pauline writers, all of whom took a creative writing EPQ. Today, we have 'Pianoman', a short story by Sanil Ganguly, and an extract from an epic poem by Max Swinnerton.  

Play of the Week

The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard

Dr Pryce

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re turning it into a complete farce!” 
For this year’s 6th form play, The Milton Studio will be transformed into a 1960’s style theatre as we enter the world of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound. This hilarious play is a parody of the stereotypical parlour mystery. The play follows two theatre critics, Moon and Birdboot, who are watching a nonsensical setup of a typical ‘whodunnit’. By chance, they become involved in the action causing a series of events that parallel the play they are watching. In this preview, I will take you through some of the central theatrical conventions that the play explores, particularly focussing on the styles of comedy which Stoppard utilises.

Book of the Week

The Sea by John Banville

Recommended by Sasha Georget-Roukline

The Sea is a hauntingly introspective novel; Banville transports us to the foggy memories and twisted corridors of Max Morden’s inner psyche, exploring grief, the grip of the past and the complexity of remembrance. Winner of the 2005 Booker Prize, Banville showcases his masterful control of prose, indulging in lyrical and rich language at the melancholic rhythm of Morden’s narration.

A recently widowed art historian, he returns to the seaside village of his childhood vacations in order to confront and rediscover the traumas of his past. An anonymous coastal town, it becomes alive in both Morden’s present and in his memories, a character in its own right that embodies the untamed and dangerous beauty of the sea. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In our second post celebrating Black History Month, Adam Seydo considers the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most well-established Nigerian postcolonial writers, having begun her writing career in 2001. 

For many students at St Paul’s, their only encounter with Adichie has been through the far-from-adored Purple Hibiscus, a novel which, while GCSE-suitable and open for effective thematic analysis, has sometimes failed to gain the fondness of the English students I’ve spoken to. Perhaps its simple narrative style doesn’t read as exciting literature, or the subject matter fails to grab the attention of some. 

I personally don’t hold the same opinion of the novel, finding its directness to be an asset. Adichie’s simplicity of language enforces the raw honesty of the novel, particularly with regards to the stark portrayal of religious tyranny and physical abuse. It also reflects the world through the eyes of Kambili, the innocent fifteen year old protagonist, whose world view is yet to be fully developed. The representation of family in the novel seems deeply authentic thanks to the clarity and detail Adichie furnishes her descriptions with, and it is clearly written with a love for Nigeria and its customs. However, the criticism I’ve heard for the book is understandable, and as Adichie’s first published work, it shouldn’t be too surprising that it isn’t her strongest piece of fiction. The ending, while shocking, feels like it lacks build-up or reasoning, and as a result ends up destabilising the flow of the narrative. This may certainly be an intentional decision, but it still feels as though the unpredictability of the final few chapters is unnecessary. 

BHM SPS: poem of the week

To celebrate Black History Month, this week's posts feature writers engaged with this year's theme, 'reclaiming narratives'.  Today, Alex Frydas introduces poet Lee Mokobe.

Lee Mokobe's slam poem, What It's Like to Be Transgender, offers a touching exploration of the experience of growing up transgender and the struggle to embrace one's identity, particularly within the confines of a deeply religious community, like the one Lee was raised in South Africa.

Desert Island Books

In today's post, Eli Joseph and Rory McConnon choose the five books they'd take with them to a desert island. First of all, here's Eli's selection:  

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A compelling story of four friends growing up from college, tracking their lives into adulthood. The central question of the novel is how does someone go from years of suffering and shame to live out the rest of a life?

The depth of the characters Yanagihara creates is what makes this book so brilliant yet also so difficult to read. I also really appreciated the grammar and narrative structure which mirrors the psychological state of Jude the protagonist. In nearly every section, a present-moment scene is interrupted for dozens of pages by elaborate flashbacks, mimicking the way Jude’s past erupts into his present. In the novel, we are watching Jude, not being Jude. For me, this reflected wise editing, because Jude is a spectator too. He cannot control his memories — they control him. A lengthy emotionally brutal read but one I would definitely recommend.

Book of the Week

In today's post, Edmund Ashworth Jones (4A) and Ru Marcroft (4C) tell us what they thought of Klara and the Sun, the novel that all the fourth form read over this summer:

Edmund:I think that this book was perfectly suited to my age although the surface themes and the main plot might appeal to slightly younger children. However, to understand the hidden meanings and storyline, it would ideally be read by teens/ young adults. Although the book fits into the science fiction and dystopian genres, it is not conventionally a dystopian book. All these features are subtle, yet present and apparent to more mature readers. I enjoyed reading Klara and the Sun, and I was drawn in by the evolving story. I liked the fact that Kazuo Ishiguro withheld some information from us by using Klara as the narrator. I found interesting the relationships between Josie and the mother, Klara and Rick. The questions raised by Klara were also raised by the reader.

The story is set in a futuristic and dystopian time, and although at first when reading the blurb, I thought that it may be difficult to imagine and picture the scenes, I was happily surprised. I found it very easy to connect with characters, especially Josie. I could picture the scenes easily, because this setting was not too unlike where I used to live. This dystopian world is, in many ways, similar to the present day, and almost seems plausible. For example, current conventions still apply like adults caring for children, and going to work all day, and family units are in line with the current times.

Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's Globe

Reviewed by Max Swinnerton

Last Friday, the U8 English cohort went on a trip to watch the latest production at The Globe: Antony and Cleopatra. Having studied the text in the Lower Eighth we were excited to be able to finally see Shakespeare’s words delivered onstage, and gain some extra A03* marks that had been lacking throughout the previous year. However, as we made the pilgrimage into the city, the group learned that this would be no ordinary production: the play was bilingual. The Roman characters would perform the original English and the Egyptians would act in British Sign Language. Even after Ms McLaughlin told us that we had standing tickets, and after reading a review by Time Out magazine which described it as ‘cumbersome’, we were ready to go in with an open mind. However, having now watched it and having had a week to digest, it’s safe to say the message behind the production fell flat.

Book of the Week

Yesterday saw the publication of the shortlist for this year's Booker Prize. The winner will be announced just after half term, and as always, we're giving Pauline readers the chance to predict who it's going to be with our annual Predict the Booker evening on Thursday 16th October. Six Pauline readers each recommend one of the novels on the shortlist and lobby for the audience vote as we decide who'll be the winner. Our track record so far is dire: but could this be the year we finally get it right?  You can read our report on last year's Predict the Booker evening here, and if you'd like to be one of this year's readers, contact Mrs Cummings in the Kayton Library.  Meanwhile, here's our book of the week.  

Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

Recommended by Tom Baughan

“I expect you'll be becoming a schoolmaster, sir. That's what most of the gentlemen does, sir, that gets sent down for indecent behaviour.”

So go the closing lines of the opening scene in Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Decline and Fall. Published in 1928, four years after he came down from Oxford, Decline and Fall was the first of Waugh’s successful novels. It was written as a satire of the British establishment and society in the 1920s, especially the type of society that Waugh became acquainted with through his time at Oxford, where he befriended both literary figures and aristocrats.

It follows the misadventures of Paul Pennyfeather as he traverses his way through teaching at a minor public school, a romance with a wealthy widow, and a brief stint in a prison, to name a few situations he finds himself in. Waugh uses the literary device of victim as hero, with Pennyfeather having seemingly no control over the events he found himself in. He is surrounded by grotesque caricatures, often based on Waugh’s friends or enemies. These characters are often dark, such as Captain Grimes, a deeply dubious schoolmaster. Their behaviour creates the comic effect in the novel, such as the characters’ indifference to the death of the schoolboy Lord Tangent, accidentally shot on sports day. Characters often recur as Paul progresses through the novel, in wildly different citations, adding to the comedy.

The world that Waugh creates is part real, part fantasy. It has autobiographical elements. Waugh taught at the Welsh prep school Arnold House, which becomes Llanabba Castle in the novel. He depicts a chaotic world, and with fantastical elements, such as Paul not knowing why he is put on trial. These elements are comic but also give an idea of a world out of control. It is Waugh’s satire of the contemporary culture that he found himself in, the post WW1 generation of The Bright Young Things and their chaotic behaviour. This was further satirised in his second novel Vile Bodies.

This was Evelyn Waugh’s debut novel and, alongside later works Scoop and Brideshead Revisited, helped make him one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

Book of the Week

Welcome back! We hope you've all had a fabulous summer, with plenty of time to relax (and read). It's the start of a new term, and here to kick off this year's posts is our first book of the week.  

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Recommended by Austin Burks

I recently finished reading Murakami's Kafka On The Shore, and it is certainly a journey. I did not know what to expect, and initially thought I was in for another tale of a slightly insufferable teenager running away from home. However, my perception of the novel was immediately warped by its unpredictable nature, directed by Murakami's style of blending the real with the surreal. 

The protagonist, Kafka Tamura, and his journey, seem to be 'normal', or at least his story could fit into our own world seamlessly, with geographical specifics even being pointed out. That is until Murakami brings in Nakata: a character who can talk to cats and make fish fall from the sky. We also meet a villain who plays the souls of cats in a flute, and a ghostly version of Colonel Sanders, who happens to be a hustler, deploying Hegel-spouting escorts. This list sounds ridiculous, which it is, and it does not even cover half of the strange events or characters. 

Leavers' Post

It's our final post of the year, and sadly, at the end of this term, we're saying goodbye to Dr Field, Mr Madden, Mr Gazet, Ms Malhotra, Mr Thompson, Mr Roberts, Ms Trepanier and Ms French: but - with typical generosity - they all paused while packing up their books to answer the book blog's leavers' questionnaire.  

What were you reading when you were a teenager?

Dr Field: Reading was a real struggle when I was a teenager, I’ve always found words to be quite tricky but I love stories. I had to read Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mocking Bird because they were our GCSE set texts and I loved them – gaining confidence by being made to read books in school really opened up reading for me and now I am rarely without a book.

Mr Madden: I wasn’t a great reader in early adolescence but my love for books was rekindled when I was twelve when my dad passed me down his copy of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. I watched the Richard Burton movie shortly afterwards and was then hooked on Le Carré novels for most of my teens.

Book of the Week

The Song Walker by Zillah Bethel

Mrs Wilkinson writes: We read the last book in the Carnegie Book Club this week. It was The Song Walker by Zillah Bethel set in Australia. Without knowing it we left the best until last!

The Song Walker is an extraordinary new story of friendship, discovery and courage.

"There are three questions that I need to find the answers to:
    Where am I?    

    What am I doing here?

    And... Who am I?"
When a young girl wakes up in the middle of the desert, she has no idea who she is. She's wearing one shoe, a silky black dress, and she's carrying a strange, heavy case."

We all thoroughly enjoyed this book which had a definite air of mystery to it. Why was this girl (a girl who can’t remember her name) in the desert and what was in her silver case? She meets a First Nations girl who saves her life from a deadly snake and they begin a journey together. The girls meet many interesting people along the way and learn difficult truths about themselves and about how to survive in the desert. Throughout the story we learn about the traditions and beliefs of the First Nations people and their respect for the land. The climax is a sudden and unexpected twist that none of us were expecting at the end.

We gave this book a resounding 8 which made it our stand out winner of all the books. We will meet together for the final time on 20th June to eat pizza and watch the awards ceremonyawards ceremony together.  Will the judges agree with us?

Some interesting facts about Australian First Nations people can be found here .

Book of the Week

Today's book of the week is Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher, the latest book under consideration by the Carnegie Medal Reading Group. Mrs Wilkinson reports: 

'The Carnegie reading group read Crossing the Line this week, a powerful verse novel exploring how teenagers can be swept into drug running across county lines.

Erik's life has been falling apart ever since his dad died. Homework and being good at school stop feeling important when you're the new man of the house. When Erik's bad behaviour attracts the wrong crowd, he's sucked into a terrifying new world of drug dealing, trap houses and violence. Making money feels good but Erik soon learns that a small favour can become a huge debt. And when his sisters' lives are threatened, Erik will have to cross one more line to save them.

While we felt this book was fully engaging, it wasn’t a pleasant read. Seeing the terrifying world that Erik has found himself embroiled in made it uncomfortable and disturbing. The group didn’t know much about County lines. We talked about the fact that often young people such as Erik who are vulnerable for various reasons can be targeted by drug gangs. They are tasked to move drugs or money from one part of the UK to another as they tend to stay under the radar of the law. People exploited in this way are often exposed to physical, mental and sexual abuse. We didn’t know how prevalent this problem actually is in the UK, so we found that the Parliament website shows that 'As of July 2023, the Children’s Commissioner for England believes that at least 27,000 children are County Lines gang members, with 4,000 in London alone.'

Crossing the Line scored 7/10.  A gripping read if you want to learn a little more about this world. We felt this would be suitable for 13 + age range. Kayton Library have copies of this book if you would like to borrow it.'

Carnegie Book Club

Mrs Wilkinson writes about the latest Carnegie Book Club meeting.

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron

This week Carnegie Book Club discussed Away with Words by Sophie Cameron. The book has an unusual concept - it is set in a world where words appear physically when people speak. 

Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from home in Cataluña to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. The two girls find their own ways to communicate, which includes collecting other people's discarded words. They use the words to write anonymous supportive poems for their classmates, but then someone begins leaving nasty messages using the same method – and the girls are blamed.

We liked the idea of words being visible and enjoyed the description of the variety of colours, fonts and sizes depending on the emotion and intensity. The print of the book also displayed this with words falling to the bottom of the page, slipping and twirling.

The group were not particularly convinced by the idea of sending and receiving encouraging poems and felt it was “a bit weird”. Nevertheless we enjoyed the book and enjoyed the fact that it didn’t come with a moral agenda that many of the other Carnegie Shortlisters do. A good book for ages 10 – 14.

It scored a safe 7/10

Carnegie Book Club and Death of a Salesman

In today's post, Mrs Wilkinson brings us an update on the latest meeting of the Carnegie Book Club, and Adrian Sevanot Davis reviews last term's production of Death of a Salesman.

Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has dreams of water, of its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. He has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, West Africa, where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. But when the unthinkable – a sudden death – occurs during a festival between rival villages, Kofi ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves. Yet Kofi’s dreams may be the key to his freedom…

Carnegie Book Club and Books of the Week

In today's post, we have Mrs Wilkinson's update on the latest meeting of the Carnegie Book Club, plus some more book recommendations from 5B.

'This week, the Shadowers were discussing Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan. In World War II, as war comes to the streets of Paris, Safiyyah’s life changes for ever. Her best friend’s family have fled, and the bombing makes her afraid to leave the mosque where she lives. But when her father is arrested by the Nazis for his secret Resistance work, it falls to Safiyyah to run the dangerous errands around the city.

Carnegie Medal and Book of the Week

Our first post of the term looks at the Yoto Carnegie shadowing scheme, and features some book recommendations from 5B.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal is an annual prize awarded for writing aimed at children and young people. Yoto Carnegie invite schools to set up their own group of Carnegie 'Shadowers', who shadow the judging process, reading, discussing and reviewing the books on the list, and voting for their favourite to win the Shadower's Prize.  

The 2024 Yoto Carnegie shortlist was published in March and last week, the SPS group of Shadowers, made up of SPS 4th and 5th formers and SPJ U3rds, held their first meeting. Mrs Wilkinson reports on how it went.

'The Carnegie Shadowing group met for our first session over a Hot Chocolate and a Kitkat. We were discussing Nathanael Lessor’s funny yet poignant debut novel Steady for This.

 

Wannabe rapper Shaun (aka MC Growls) is ready to drop his best bars and smash the competition at Raptology, but he has many obstacles to overcome before he gets there. Facing humiliation, missing his best friend and even eviction, we see how Growls gets help and just keeps going.

Leaver's Post ...

Sadly, at the end of this term, SPS is saying farewell to Miss Muir, dedicated supporter of all things environmental and literary, founder of EcoSoc (and its excellent blog) and generous contributor to many of our posts over the last six years. After Easter, Miss Muir is returning to her original career as an English teacher: she very kindly paused in her preparations for next term's teaching to answer the book blog's leaver's questionnaire.   

World Book Day Winners ....

In our penultimate post of this term, we're bringing you not just the answers to the final Shelfie quiz, the Heads-of-House Head-to-Heads, but also the answers to the Kayton Library's 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' quiz AND - even more importantly - revealing who won those Nando's vouchers ...

If we were presenting the results of the final Shelfie quiz in the form of a House Points table, it would look something like this: 

World Book Day: the Final Shelfie Quiz ...

Congratulations to all those of you who did Thursday's quiz: we'll reveal the answers in a moment, but first, our final quiz. It's a veritable clash of the titans, as Mr Blurton, Dr Field, Dr Gilks, Miss Gill, Mr  Harrison, Mr Nilsson, Mr Stewart and Miss Warner go Head to Head. You know them as leaders - but do you know them as readers??? Click on the link - Friday's Shelfie Quiz - and find out ....

World Book Day: Shelfie Quiz Number 4 ...

Thanks to all those of you who had a stab at matching yesterday's tomes to their English teacher owners. We'll let you know if you got them right in a moment - but now for our penultimate Shelfie Quiz. Today, our shelfies have been kindly donated by teachers from the Art, Film & Video, Economics, Sports and Philosophy Departments, plus - as today actually IS World Book Day -  our sixth shelfie is from the Kayton Librarian herself (and if you haven't yet visited the Library's 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' quiz, do check it out: it's great fun, and there's a Nando's voucher in it if you win!).  

So - click on the link if you want to guess which books belong to Mr Grant, Miss Khan, Miss McGreevy, Mr Maguire, Mr Mahmoud and Mrs Cummings - Thursday's Shelfie Quiz - and in the meantime, here are the answers to yesterday's.

World Book Day: Shelfie Quiz Number 3 ...

 Well - we must confess: we think we made yesterday's quiz too easy.  We'll reveal the answers in a minute, but first of all, our third Shelfie quiz of the week. This one might be trickier. Today, all our shelfies come from the same Dept: English. Mr Gardner, Dr Pryce, Mr Pirrie, Miss McLaren, Mr Harris and former English teacher Miss Muir have kindly sent in their snapshots, and now it's your turn to work out which books belong to who. So - where does Madame Bovary rub shoulders with Flaubert's parrot? Who's kept their Christmas lights up, and whose bookshelf is shrouded in gloom? Did we realise English teachers were such fans of Mike Brearley?? and whose cactus is that??? Click on this link - Wednesday's Shelfie Quiz - if you'd like to take part.

World Book Day: Shelfie Quiz Number 2 ...

Thanks to everyone who had a go at our first shelfie quiz yesterday. The results were impressive, and you can find out the answers below. But first, today's quiz, which features teachers from the Modern Languages, Science and ICT department. So - you tell us: which teachers arrange their books by colour? Who's working their way through this year's Booker Prize Winner Prophet Song? Who has a lot of books about Bladerunner and who has three copies of Bonjour Tristesse?  Click on the link to take part - Tuesday's Shelfie Quiz - and see if you can identify the shelfies from Miss Byrne, Mr Tofts, Miss Cotton, Dr Holmes, Mr Green and Miss Squire.  

IWD and World Book Day Quiz

There's a lot to celebrate this week. It's International Women's Day on Friday - 

and there are loads of fantastic events taking place, including today's Classics Society presentation on Female Writers in Antiquity (it's not just Sappho, you know), Wednesday's Senior English Society meeting, with Miss Trepanier discussing feminism and narrative form, and Thursday's Sci-Fi/Filmsoc mashup, on women film directors to watch. You can find out more about all the events taking place here.  And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one week, Thursday is World Book Day!!!

This year's festival of all things book-related includes the Kayton Library's second 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' quiz (you can find out more about last year's here). The library also asked teachers some book-themed questions - including 'which book would you save from a burning building?', 'which book influenced you as a child?', 'which book did you throw across the room?' and 'which book have you always wanted to read?' Watch out for the posters based on people's answers: they'll be popping up all over the school.

 
Here on the book blog, we're running a week of 'match the teacher to the shelfie' quizzes.  What is a 'shelfie'? we hear you cry. Well, this photo can probably help you figure it out:

Every day, we'll be posting some shelfies and challenging YOU, the Pauline reader, to work out which bookshelf belongs to which teacher.  Today, Maths, Geography and History go head to head: Miss French, Mr Allon, Mr Isaac, Mr Poyner, Mr Fagan and Miss Milanova have bravely sent in their shelfies.

So, click here to try today's quiz: on whose bookshelves do George Orwell and Pat Barker stand side by side? Where does Alex Bellos hang out with Laura Bates? Ben Stokes and Robert Webb jostle with nineteenth century explorer Richard Burton? Who delivered our first ever digital shelfie? And who hasn't taken their Christmas decorations down yet???

Answers will be revealed tomorrow ... !

8th Form Book Club: A Single Man

Eli Joseph

Before half-term we met once again for our second Lower Eighth form book club – this time joined by some eager Upper Eighths! For the evening, we turned our attention to Christopher Isherwood’s classic novel A Single Man.
 

Books of the Week

Today's book recommendations come from 4A.  

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 
Recommended by Julian Bone

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a ground-breaking work about societal control through genetic manipulation, subliminal conditioning and socially acceptable drug use. 

In this world you are not born, you are decanted; the institution of the traditional family has fallen apart, and is even considered obscene. Children run about naked and wild, experimenting with sex from a shockingly young age. This is a world where everyone's body belongs to everyone else. Promiscuity is encouraged as well as mass consumption and instant gratification. Men and women take a drug called 'soma' to mellow any pesky emotions. It is also used in religious-like ceremonies and public gatherings to create a kind of ecstasy. A strict caste system is in place from the moment a baby is decanted. Societal values are whispered into children's ears thousands of times per week while they sleep. So, when they grow up, they fit seamlessly into the role that the world has chosen for them from conception. But not everyone is happy in this world. Can you imagine that? Perhaps they just need more soma...

Books of the Week

Today's recommendations are linked to this week's celebration of LGBT+ History.  

A Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh by John Lahr
Recommended by Mr Harris

I don’t read much non-fiction (life is too short), and I confess to not having read all of this, but that which I have read is excellent. An enthralling, if not punishingly lengthy, biography of the great Tennessee Williams. I’d recommend downloading this as an ebook; the hard copy has caused irredeemable damage to my spine having been lugged around in my backpack. 

8th Form Book Club: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Theo Frankel

This week marked the very first session of the English Department's new  Eighth Form Book Club. Having been postponed from the week before as everyone forgot to read the book over Christmas, the ten of us, joined by Mr Gardner, Dr Pryce and Miss Warner, met to discuss our opinions of Sylvia Plath's semi-autobiography (or perhaps work of fiction, as I'll get onto later) The Bell Jar.

Poems of the Week

In honour of yesterday - Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing day of the year - our first post of 2024 celebrates (if that is the right word) the morose, misanthropic, melancholic and often downright downbeat Philip Larkin.  

Philip Larkin (photo: Rogers/RBO)

4C have been studying Larkin's poetry, and capturing his bleak vision and disenchanted voice beautifully in their own writing. Many thanks to Mr Harris for curating their contributions.