The Big Jubilee Read

The Big Jubilee Read

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee the BBC has compiled the ‘Big Jubilee Read’ listing 70 great reads from across the Commonwealth and spanning the seven decades of her reign.  Ten books for each of the seven decades of the Queen’s reign were selected by a panel of librarians, booksellers and literature experts from readers’ recommendations spanning 31 countries.

It must have been some task to whittle down all the excellent books published in the last 70 years to 70 titles and naturally there will be some big omissions and it won’t please everyone. There is no William Golding (many would have expected to see ‘Lord of the Flies’ on this list), nor any novels by Graham Greene or J. R. R. Tolkein. However, I regard this list as an opportunity to highlight works by lesser known authors and encourage us to diversify our reading. Harry Potter and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy really don’t need any more exposure and remain hugely popular. Nor does this list seem to be intended for children. However, it would make an excellent reading list for 6th Formers broadening their reading horizons.

You can read more on this subject here and The Metro article does state:

A panel of independent librarians, booksellers and literature specialists chose the titles from a readers’ choice longlist, with a focus on ‘celebrating great books and shining a spotlight on lesser known books and authors who deserve recognition’, according to the BBC.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction has selected  fourteen books from exceptional women that we’ll be reading from The Big Jubilee Read.

Some of my favourite recommendations from the list are:

*Life of Pi* – Yann Martel (2001, Canada)

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood (1985, Canada)

*Small Island* – Andrea Levy (2004, England)

*Wide Sargasso Sea* – Jean Rhys (1966, Dominica/Wales)

*The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* – Douglas Adams (1979, England)

Death of a Naturalist – Seamus Heaney (1966, Northern Ireland) (I’ve loved these poems since studying them for A Level English Literature many years ago!)

Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie (1981, England/India)

*Picnic at Hanging Rock* – Joan Lindsay (1967, Australia)

Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2006, Nigeria)

*The Book Thief* – Markus Zusak (2005, Australia)

White Teeth – Zadie Smith (2000, England)

Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart (2020, Scotland)

Looking at my favourites I have to confess I haven’t read any of the books from 1952 – 1961 – so I’ve got some exploring to do of the the first decade of reading.

The titles with asterisks I consider more accessible for younger teens 13+.

Reading round-up

Books and reading news from the Library

 A person who won’t read has no advantage over the person who can’t read

Mark Twain

After the joys of holiday reading, one of the delights of returning to school is hearing staff and students talk about what they’ve read and recommending books to each other.

I encouraged all our staff to try a Young Adult book over the summer as a way of connecting with what their tutees and our students of all ages are reading for pleasure. I created a Padlet with some book suggestions and was delighted to hear that one of our Geography teachers, a 6th form tutor, re-read Holes by Louis Sachar, read ‘After the Fire’ by Will Hill and ‘Rivers of London’ (not strictly of the YA genre but popular with teens and adults alike)

On Monday 3rd September, we saw all the new 3rd form and new students in the 4th form and L6th for Library induction. In tutor groups we had an interesting discussion of their attitudes to reading.

Our survey gives a snapshot of some of our students’ attitudes to reading.

  • The 3rd form boys enjoy fiction more than non-fiction (although they also expressed a liking for autobiographies). Two of the boys in The Hill animatedly told us about their love of Manga comics. However, the L6th boys strongly prefer non-fiction.
  • The majority of 3rd form girls prefer fiction – especially dystopian novels such as the ‘Divergent’ series.
  • E-books: Although many have a Kindle e-reader almost all prefer the real thing, with some listening to audio-books. If you have a long drive with the family I thoroughly recommend the audio-book of Trevor Noah’s biography ‘Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood’ It is narrated by the comedian himself and is hilarious, informative and entertaining. We also have the book in the library.
  • The majority of the 3rd form enjoyed reading ‘The Territory’ our summer read and a number of them went on to read book 2 & 3 of the trilogy during the holidays or asked for the other books at the start of term.

A key aim this year is to encourage reading and it has been heartening to see many students in the library borrowing books to support subjects new to them in the 6th form such as Psychology and Politics.

Here are a few teacher recommendations for the start of the new school year. Mr Tapley recommends ‘A day in the Life of the brain: The Neuroscience of Consciousness from Dawn Till Dusk’, by Susan Greenfield. Economics teachers are suggesting their students read ‘Talking to my daughter about the economy: a brief history of capitalism’ by Yanis Varoufakis. Mr Atherton proposes ‘Thinking fast and Slow’ by Daniel Kahneman and Mr Hendrick ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ by Yuval Noah Harari. I urge people of all ages to read ‘Factfulness: ten reasons we’re wrong about the world and why things are better than you think’ by Hans Rosling. It challenges all our assumptions about the world, will make you question everything you ever believed and includes fascinating and honest anecdotes about his life as a doctor in rural Africa.

 

Great new diverse reading list for 6th formers! Read around the world

English teacher Ms Kirby has just discovered an excellent new reading list created by The English and Media Centre

Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors: Book List for Sixth Formers and Confident Older Readers

(Image from EMC)

(Image from EMC)

EMC explains: This list has been compiled from texts revisited, discovered and explored while putting together an EMC course last term about teaching diverse literature. It is by no means definitive and apologies in advance for any glaring omissions. In part, this is unavoidable because we have limited each author to one entry…. look out for a companion list later this term, aimed at younger secondary readers.

It includes many books already stocked in the Library and we will be filling any gaps. Amongst the titles are old favourites, such as, ‘Between Shades of Gray’ by Ruta Sepetys which became one of our most popular books when it was shortlisted for the Carnegie Book Award in 2012. We gave the moving and inspirational true story of 10 year old Enaiatollah Akbari’s escape from Afghanistan  ‘In the sea there are crocodiles’ to all our new Y9s to read during the summer before starting at Wellington a few years ago. Many interesting discussions were sparked by this book. The Library also stocks graphic novelsaya book covers including Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and the humorous and enlightening Aya books set in the Ivory Coast.

The list ranges around the world encompassing classics such as ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison and recent Man Booker Shortlisted novels. I’ve always wanted to ‘read around the world’ and this list is a wonderful starting point for that journey of literary discovery! Why not widen your horizons with books set in other countries and cultures and by less mainstream authors?

If you like this idea then visit Ann Morgan’s blog. She set herself the task of ‘A year of reading the world’ This was a remarkable project and started a dialogue with readers and writers all over the world – including more obscure, hard to reach areas!

Of course this list isn’t restricted to 6th formers so when Y10 and Y11 fancy a break from those 19th Century novels try one from this reading list!

Astronauts, algebra, smarter siblings and quiet entrepreneurs in the Library News Digest this week

Weekly News Digest brought to your inbox every Friday by the Library Team

Here is the latest News Digest – covering stories published from Friday 6th – Thursday 12th November.

This is primarily intended for staff and students at Wellington College, (as an educational and current awareness bulletin) so a number of links to stories on our databases will not be available to the general public.

 Last week’s most popular story was Could humans swim quicker by imitating eels and jellyfish?

What will you read this week?

  • Want to be up to date with current affairs?
  • Like to be more knowledgeable about developments in your favourite subjects?
  • Need to know the latest hot topics in Law, Medicine, History, Science, Art etc for University interviews?
  • Debaters – want to sharpen up your knowledge of topical issues?

Then don’t ignore the Library News Digest!

Look out for this weekly email every Friday.  The News Digest is created for you by the Library Team to save you time and bring together the most interesting and useful news stories of the week. We look through the main broadsheets for interesting news stories along with the BBC News website, JSTOR Weekly Digest, The Conversation and a range of other authoritative new sources.

You can use the subject area navigation menus at the top to just dip into your favourite subjects.

Let us know what you think by emailing feedback to the Library email.

 

Are you incurably curious?

‘The free destination for the incurably curious’ and a must for students keen to study Medicine

After an interesting day visiting Westminster School Library and talking to other school librarians I made a quick dash to the Wellcome Collection before it closed at 6pm one Saturday last month. What a jaw-dropping place! You don’t have to be a budding medic to find this collection fascinating – it’s equally appealing to anyone interested in art or science too. The whole centre is free and you can wander in, take a leaflet to lead you on a trail, pick up an audio guide to dip into a range of exhibits which pique your interest or sit down and become absorbed in a book. Many of the galleries blend art and creativity in the exhibits alongside the medical information.

chromosomes (2)

Sock chromosomes!

I found myself engrossed in viewing a collection of tools for the amputation of limbs over the ages whilst listening to surgeons’ accounts of operations now and in the past on an audio guide.

experiences sign

Choose your experience and follow the trail. From ‘pulse racing’ to ‘toe curling’

 

I love the ethos of the Wellcome Collection. This sign in the Reading Room says it all.

wellcome sign

 

The reading room is a delight. As their website describes it:

‘Come and experience the new incarnation of our Reading Room. An innovative hybrid of gallery, library and events space, the Reading Room is designed to encourage you to indulge your curiosity and explore more than ever before.

With over a thousand books and 100 objects – including contemporary sculptures, paintings, medical artefacts and manuscripts – the room is an open invitation to dig a little deeper into what it means to be human.

Settle down with a book from our shelves on a comfy sofa, contemplate life quietly or strike up a conversation with a stranger. You will find plenty here to inspire you. Drop by to spark connections and new ideas.

Located on level 2, the Reading Room is open during gallery opening hours. Just come whenever you have a moment – you may even chance upon one of our pop-up Reading Room events.’

So much to learn and amaze and I didn’t even have time to explore the shop!

whole human genome

Browse the whole Human Genome!

 

Back to our school library:

Don’t forget we have a collection of physical books on medicine in the Library as well as a growing collection of e-books. Here’s the current medicine reading list of printed books in the Library.

medical books

Lower 6th: Why not try the 6 Book Reading Challenge during the long summer break? Fuel your curiosity and invigorate your intellect for your final school year. You could try reading the same book as a group of your friends and discussing your responses when you come back in September. More excellent science books on the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science website and the Wellcome Book Prize too.

The Wellcome Library is free to join and you can access their wide-range of resources and read fascinating blogs.

As an interested layperson here is my suggested recipe for a medical summer:

  • A trip: The Wellcome Collection
  • Read 6 books: From the Library or our e-book collection or public libraries, or bookshops or anywhere!
  • A lecture: Listen to The Reith Lectures by Dr Atul Gawande on The Future of Medicine (on Radio 4 iplayer)  ‘Surgeon and writer Atul Gawande explores the nature of fallibility and suggests that preventing avoidable mistakes is a key challenge for the future of medicine.’ (Radio 4 iplayer)

4 lectures on:

  • Why do doctors fail?
  • The century of the system
  • The problem of hubris
  • The idea of wellbeing
 We welcome your suggestions and recommendations for Library stock.

Revision Tips and websites – Do you know the Gojimo app?

The exams are just around the corner! Good luck to all our IB students who start their exams on 4th May – Bank Holiday Monday – when many of us are enjoying a day off. IGCSE exams commence on Tuesday 5th May. Best of luck to all of you.

I’m sure many of you know the following websites but here’s a reminder of useful revision places:

Gojimo I’ve recently come across a free revision app called gojimo It was created by a student for students and is available for Apple and android devices and also via the website to use for online study. It covers the major subjects at IGCSE, GCSE and A Level. Gauge your current knowledge of a subject by trying a quick random test or revise topics.

Memrise claims to “make learning languages and vocab so full of joy and life, you’ll laugh out loud.” It does seem to be a way of making vocab learning less painful and more game-like.

Quizlet  “Study Tools – Quizlet’s flashcards, tests, and study games make learning fun and engaging for students of all ages.”

If you are as obsessed as Mr Atherton with improving your knowledge of the Geography of countries of the world try these tests of your knowledge.

Do you know Africa? ( quick quiz from the Washington Post)

World Geography Games – This fun interactive quiz improves your knowledge of countries and continents

Here’s some useful advice from The Student Room website about good study and revision habits.

and more Top Tips for Revision from http://www.prospects.ac.uk/

Don’t forget to use the Library! The librarians are here to help you – with book suggestions, inter-library book and article loans, assistance with the e-library online resources, essay research and referencing and lots more. We always welcome your questions.

The Spiritual Room (the former Auchinleck Room) is a designated silent area so this is the place to go for getting solid individual work or revision done. If you are working together – talking over topics and testing each other then the glass pods are the place to be. Please leave the Library quietly and do think of others by taking all your books and files etc with you when you leave for lunch and breaks to free up space for others.

 

 

 

More reading suggestions and book lists

Avid readers and pupils keen to read a wide range of styles and genres this summer have a look at Mr Wayman’s Middle School Reading List. There is something for everyone here, from incoming 3rd form to U6th in fact. How many of the books have your parents read? Fahrenheit 451 is on my “to be read” pile!

Mr Wayman also includes some excellent advice on how to choose the ideal book for you.

Don’t forget to re-visit the Wellington Top Ten reads, chosen by the academic departments and designed to help you extend your subject specific reading. The lists are structured so that the first book is the most accessible to younger pupils and the final book the most challenging.

A reminder of a stylish website which is a fantastic source of reading suggestions – Five Books.

Five Books asks authors and experts to recommend the best books in their subject. In an interview they then discuss why the books are important and what they are about. You can browse by topic or interview or search for a particular book or author/expert. It covers a huge range of subjects range from Espionage to The Mind and Comedy to How to Be Good.

Try Tom Holland on Ancient Rome, Jo Nesbo on Norwegian Crime Writing or Marcus du Sautoy on The Beauty of Maths. There’s a whole section on Being a Parent and plenty of Fiction suggestions too. Definitely something for everyone on this very attractive website.

Happy Reading!

Here’s a fun infographic proposing routes to finding the perfect book.

summer reading

Spice up your sources! College-wide access to JSTOR and Connell Guides now available

We have a reJSTOR buttonally exciting addition to our extensive e-library resources for the pupils and staff to access for research and school work. We now have whole school access to JSTOR’s impressive  academic journal databases. JSTOR is a digital library including more than 2,000 academic journals (50 million pages have been digitized with around 3 million added each year). It is an excellent resource, particularly for the 5th and 6th form and particularly strong in the fields of English, Classics and History. It is used comprehensively by university students and becoming familiar with it in College is good preparation for higher education and for developing independent study skills.  All our pupils can use it without the need to login, from any computer on the college network. Instructions are given on the e-library page of the Intranet for accessing it remotely. The librarians are very happy to help with any questions about this.

4th form – give it a try for your IGCSE English projects as you are currently gathering reliable and varied sources for your articles.connell guides2

We have also recently subscribed to Connell Guides. These are attractive, well-written pocket guides to English Literature. They cover a number of the texts taught in English such as The Great Gatsby, Othello, T.S Elliot’s Wasteland and many other classic novels, plays and poetry. The online content (available via the e-library) consists of a monthly quiz, fortnightly essays and monthly reviews. The content is informative and engaging, written by experts in the field of literature.