Things have been a bit quieter on the Headteacher’s Blog this year, as I’ve prioritised the weekly newsletter, the Academy website and my termly Headteacher’s Update letters. But I couldn’t let the year end without my annual “what I’ve read” post! Here are the best books I’ve read this year:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
I just love the world of “The Hunger Games” and I’m delighted that Suzanne Collins has chosen to dip into the history of Panem to give us snippets of the world that led up to the events of the original trilogy. I thought The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was just brilliant, and this latest instalment, telling the story of Haymitch’s Hunger Games, was a gripping page-turner. The fact that I already knew what happened, as Katniss and Peeta watch the video of the games in Catching Fire, meant that it wasn’t quite as gripping as Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but still a really enjoyable read. And I’m looking forward to the film next year!
Guilty by Definition by Suzie Dent
As an English teacher, the prospect of a murder mystery written by the resident lexicographer from Countdown where the clues to the crime are all coded in language, etymology and literary references was too exciting to miss! The novel itself was really rewarding, but there are slightly awkward moments where the characters – all of whom are professional linguists – explain the references and meanings of words to one another for the reader’s benefit, in a way that didn’t feel true to how they would actually speak to one another. That aside it was a terrific read!
The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howes
Emily Howes has found a really rich idea for a historical novel, imagining the lives of the two daughters of celebrated eighteenth-century portrait artist Thomas Gainsborough. Gainsborough painted six portraits of his two daughters, and Howes uses these portraits as staging posts to tell their story. The novel deals with mental illness in a time where such conditions were not recognised, the pressures of high society, and the challenges for women to have their voices heard in a world dominated by men. I loved the depiction of Regency Bath as well as Howes’ vivid re-imagining of what might have happened to Peggy and Molly.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
I was looking forward to this one, as I absolutely loved reading Babel when it came out – and Kuang’s latest novel didn’t disappoint. She imagines a world where you can study magic at university. Within the pressurised world of this academic field, two postgraduate students – desperate to complete their doctorates – journey to hell in an attempt to find their Professor, who unfortunately exploded when a spell went wrong. If you’re thinking it sounds absolutely crazy, you’d be right! But Kuang draws the reader into the increasingly frenzied and frantic quest with such skill that it all, somehow, seems quite believable. Brilliant!
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I know, I’m late to the party on this one, but it’s been on my “to read” list for ages and, this summer, I finally got around to reading the book that everyone was talking about a decade ago! You don’t need me to tell you just how brilliant Mantel’s depiction of Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Cardinal Wolsey and, later, King Henry VIII is. Accurate to the historical events of the Tudor period, Mantel fills in the blanks with incredible realism, conjuring the characters with such skill that they live and breathe on the page. Needless to say, I went straight on after this one to read the equally brilliant sequel, Bring up the bodies, which deals with Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn.
The Rose Field by Phillip Pullman
I think the His Dark Materials trilogy would be a strong contender for my “best books ever written for young adults” award, and I was so excited when Phillip Pullman decided to continue the story of Lyra and her daemon (soul-animal) Pantalaimon in the Book of Dust trilogy. If I’m honest, I found La Belle Sauvage a bit baffling, but The Secret Commonwealth really picked up the pace and I read this final instalment voraciously. Pullman’s imagination brings in gryphons, witches, and lodestone resonators to great effect, but the fantasy elements are really just a background to an exploration of what it is that makes humans human. It is no spoiler to say that the answer is, ultimately, our imagination. Just brilliant.
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This short novel was recommended to me by a Year 11 student in a Sixth Form interview, who reviewed it very enthusiastically! I admitted that I haven’t read as much Russian literature as maybe I should have done, so set about correcting that with this tale of thwarted love, youthful passion, and frustrated desire. It was every bit as good as my interviewee said it was!
The Witch’s Daughter by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Although my knowledge of Russian literature may be lacking, I did read this historical novel earlier in the year. Set against the backdrop of the 1917 Russian Revolution, this novel tells the story of Nadezhda, whose links to Rasputin and the soon-to-be deposed Romanov family give her a close-up view of the collapse of Tsarist Russia and the formation of the new communist state. I found it a fascinating read and a great insight into a vital period of history.
Looking back, I’ve majored in historical fiction and fantasy this year! Who knows what 2026 will bring. Happy reading!
The Headteacher's Blog 