Book
of the Month
Summer Holiday Recommendations
From some of the teachers and other PGS staff who went on the International
Baccalaureate Diploma Programme training course in Athens in June
this year. You may notice an international flavour – as befits
the venue and the IB itself
Joanna Godfree, Librarian
One of my recommendations is ‘I’m
not scared’ by Niccolo Ammaniti.. This is
a wonderful, spine-chilling, touching book, beautifully translated,
which lets you see the darkness of evil through a child’s
eyes. The author creates a sensuous evocation of a hot Italian summer
and the deepening unease which slowly poisons it.
The other choice is Jean-Dominique
Bauby’s ‘The Diving-bell and the butterfly’..
Another fine translation, this book illuminates the inner world
of memory and imagination which is all that is left to the author
after a catastrophic stroke. The creation of the book was a miracle
in itself, and the writer’s unselfpitying account strangely
brings humour and optimism out of the worst imaginable circumstances.
Wonderfully written, and now a stunning film as well
Ben Lister, Head of Classics and Modern Languages
One book for summer reading is ‘The Yacoubian Building’,
by Alaa Al Aswany.. It deals with the interweaving lives of inhabitants
of an apartment block in Cairo. It is not quite as good as the rave
reviews displayed on the cover would suggest, and a little grim
in places, but the characters and setting are unusual and the story-telling
assured.
For anyone interested in the Classical world, Robert Harris’s
‘Imperium’ is definitely the book to read.
Mark Smith, Director of Drama :
My suggestion is ‘If on a winter’s
night a traveller ...’ by Italo Calvino –.
a book about reading and about the reader. It’s funny, it’s
mind-bending and it’s very clever. It’s also one of
the most important post-war books.
This is indeed a classic and wonderful book ; Salman Rushdie writes
of Calvino : 'I can think of no finer writer to have beside me while
Italy explodes, Britain burns, while the world ends.’, and
Lorna Sage of The Observer says : ‘A devastating, wonderfully
ingenious parody of all those dreary best-sellers… take it
with you next time you plan to travel in an armchair.’
Jo Okell, Head of Learning Support :
‘The Time traveler’s
wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger. was one of the recommendations
made by the English Department on World Book Day in March this year,
and is essentially a love story with a twist! The narrative moves
backwards and forwards through time to different stages in the lives
of the two main characters, Henry and Clare. They first meet when
Henry is 36 and Clare is 6, but on other occasions the age gap is
less. Read on to find out why ... Quirky and moving, it hits just
the right mark for a holiday read.
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