World Book Day Quizzes: Round 2

Thanks very much to all those of you who had a stab at Mr Kemp's questions yesterday: answers in a moment ... 

But first, today's questions, which have been set by Mr Hudson, and feature books whose titles are quotations from another writer: can you figure out which one?  Have a go here.

Yesterday's questions from Mr Kemp, on cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare, got many of you off to a good start. Film 1 was Forbidden Planet, a sci-fi classic from 1956:

World Book Day Quizzes: Round 1

It's World Book Day on Thursday, and as usual, SPS is celebrating this with an abundance of quirky, book-themed quizzes. The Kayton Library is once again extending an invitation to its annual 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' quiz - can you identify the literary guests from their place settings?

And here on the book blog, we'll be running a short daily quiz. Today's round is brought to you by Mr Kemp. As teacher i/c of FilmSoc, he's devised a series of questions about films based on the works of William Shakespeare: can you figure out which film is adapted from which play?  Enter the quiz here - and the answers will be revealed tomorrow: have fun!

Book of the Week

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Recommended by Rayyan Nasir

'Our knowledge of life is limited to death' - Erich Maria Remarque

Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a powerful piece of historical fiction, vividly depicting the horrors of the First World War through the eyes of a German serviceman, Paul Baumer, who in stark contrast to the typical war hero stories of the Great War is only a misled young serviceman, as were many of the soldiers consigned to life in the trenches.

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week are recommended by Freddie Hammond Giles.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey, completed by Jane Austen in 1803, was her first fully finished novel. Austen always features ironic, sometimes mocking undertones in her works, and this novel is no different, featuring Gothic satire, particularly referencing the works of Ann Radcliffe. 

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week are both by the Russian author Nikolai Gogol.  

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Recommended by Theo Brovin

Dead Souls follows the journey of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Having recently arrived in town, Chichikov quickly makes a name for himself among the inhabitants of Town N as a likeable, knowledgeable man. Soon enough, Chichikov embeds himself within the upper ranks, revealing his aptitude for persuasion, and gets to know some of the wealthier inhabitants. Once a little time has passed, our hero begins to receive letters of invitation from his new acquaintances, asking him to experience their hospitality.

Books of the Week

Happy New Year, and welcome back! Our first post of 2025 features reading recommendations from 5J.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Recommended by Julian Bone

Catch 22 chronicles events in the life of Captain John Yossarian, a US airman who is stationed on the imaginary Mediterranean island of Planosa during the second world war.  Yossarian is honest, and against what people usually think of war. Many of his friends die and in a desperate attempt to stay alive, Yossarian tries to be certified as ‘insane’ but is caught in a paradox called Catch-22. 

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.'