I love to read! Every December I look back at the books I have read over the course of the year, and do a run-down of my favourites. If you’ve read any of these, let me know what you thought – and if you like the sound of any of them, please give them a go. I also love getting book recommendations from students – so please let me know if there’s a book you think I’d enjoy!
Babel by R F Kuang
This was an incredible book. Set in a fictionalised past, the novel explores the legacy of colonialism through the imaginative idea that the gap in meaning between translated words in different languages generates powerful magic. Those that control words, control the world. It’s hard to explain – you have to read it to believe it – but I was totally gripped by the whole thing. It was stunning.
Recommended for KS4 and 5 or adults.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
This book has been on my “to read” list for ages – and in 2024 I finally managed it! It didn’t disappoint. It tells the compelling story of Theodore Decker, who is caught up in a terrorist attack at the age of 13 with life-changing consequences. His life spirals out from this event, as his fate becomes intertwined with a famous painting – the Goldfinch of the title – with unexpected, funny, and tragic consequences. It’s a love story, a coming-of-age story, a thriller, a mystery, and a novel about the far-reaching impact of grief. A tour de force of brilliant writing.
Recommended for KS4 and 5 or adults.
A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
I really enjoyed the BBC adaptation of Holly Jackson’s novel this year, starring Emma Myers (from Wednesday), so I picked up the book – which was even better than the series! It was so good, I read the two sequels (Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead) immediately afterwards. It tells the story of Pip Fitz-Amobi, the “good girl” of the title, who sets out to investigate the disappearance of a girl from her school five years earlier. Everyone thinks they know what happened – but Pip’s investigations reveal that things aren’t always as they seem.
Recommended for KS3 and above.
Grace by Cody Keenan
Cody Keenan was President Barack Obama’s chief speech writer. In this incredible memoir, he tells the story of ten crucial days with the President in June 2015, as the United States tried to come to terms with a mass shooting in a church and huge votes on marriage equality and healthcare reform. Between them, Keenan and Obama have to write the words to celebrate America’s progress and capture the nation’s grief and divisions. But nobody expected that, as he delivered the eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the President would start to sing.
This unforgettable book gives a peek inside Obama’s White House, and made me cry!
Recommended for anyone interested in politics or writing or history.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
I was gripped by Wicked fever this winter, and in preparation for the movie of my favourite musical I picked up another re-imagining of the events of the Wizard of Oz. Danielle Paige’s book, the first of a trilogy, tells the story of Kansas teenager Amy Gumm, who is caught in a tornado and whisked off to Oz. She’s seen the Judy Garland film, but the land she finds herself in, and the Dorothy she meets, are not at all what she was expecting. Before long, she is in training to harness the magic of Oz to accomplish a terrible mission: to assassinate Dorothy Gale.
This was a fun read – not as good as Wicked, but Amy Gumm is a great narrator.
Recommended for KS3 and above.
You Are Here by David Nicholls
David Nicholls writes brilliant love stories. I really enjoyed his previous books, especially One Day and Sweet Sorrow, and his latest didn’t disappoint. It follows Marnie and Michael as they set out with a group of mutual friends on a coast-to-coast walk across the north of England. The story is funny, sad, beautiful, poignant and utterly believable – his characters and their journey is absorbing and just wonderful to read. Another triumph!
Recommended for KS4 and above
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
This was a really unusual book! Set in a version of ancient Britain, it follows the journey of married couple Axl and Beatrice as they set off to see their son. But their memories, and those of everyone around them, are patchy and fragmented. Why can they not remember their past? What have they forgotten? Part fable, part allegory, part folk tale, this is a haunting and puzzling story which hints at huge, universal ideas through veil of enigma. For a book about amnesia, it was oddly memorable!
Recommended for KS4 and above
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