Well, that was interesting! As ever, Bookclub threw up some interesting discussion points. The Day of the Triffids was a surprising hit with a number of people liking both its genetically modified crops plot and its local setting (Devizes!). Running Girl was also a popular choice although there were a few dissenting voices. The most contentious book was Marcus Sedgwick's She is Not Invisible which seemed to be rather a 'Marmite' book - a number of people found the ending rather disappointing. As for next term's book, try out some of these. It is a bit of a mixture of modern and classics.
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Tuesday saw a tremendous turnout of 'Bookies' (as Mrs George has christened us!). There was a lot of discussion about a whole range of books: Dorothy Must Die caused quite a bit of debate as we felt it was a good book (on the whole) but had a poor ending. There was quite a bit of discussion about how books are now setting themselves up as trilogies far too often and, as for dystopias...no more, please!
The next meeting will be after Christmas. We decided to suggest one book that EVERYONE should read, one book with which you can challenge yourself and four others into which you can dip. The books are: The book for EVERYONE: Running Girl by Simon Mason The challenge: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham The others: She is Not Invisible - Marcus Sedgwick Stone Mattress - Margaret Atwood (short stories) The Young Elites - Marie Lu Paper Towns - John Green ...Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman. If you read this, post a comment below and let us know what you think.
Well, that was great! The Book Club has seen out its first year and we ended with a blustery barbeque by Thomas Arnold Hall. There was a lot of discussion of the Carnegie Shortlist and our favourite seems to be...Tinder by Sally Gardner and David Roberts. There was a lot of discussion on almost all of the books with many being singled out by various people. It'll be interesting to see what wins. The announcement is due on Monday June 22nd. As for our next books, there is a huge reading list that you may want to attempt over the summer. Don't feel you need to read them all! I've missed off A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston as it is not published until October! Have a good summer of reading.
June's Book Club will allow us to discuss the shortlisted books for the Carnegie Award. You can see them all below. You might also like to look at the Carnegie website which gives you more details and allows you to discuss the books with other schools. It can be found at: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/home/index.php The books are: The last three: Buffalo Soldier, When Mr Dog Bites and More Than This are really recommended for aged 14+.
We had a great Book Club session at lunchtime today with some new members as well as regulars. The 'most read' book was Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls which was responsible for more than a few tears - Mr Robertson was amongst those who confessed to 'getting something in his eye' when reading the end. Wonder was also voted to be a good read but, sadly, The Wall had not been very well perused.
Next Book Club will be in the middle of June when we will discussing the shortlisted books for the Carnegie Award. More details to follow. If you are reading Wonder you might be interested in watching this YouTube clip. Unfortunately, Weebly won't let me post the URL but, if you access YouTube and search for Wonder by Natalie Merchant you will find it as the top entry. It is the song that gives the book its title as well as being quoted on the title page:
"Fate smiled and destiny laughed as she came to my cradle." These are the next three you might want to read. The meeting will be after the Easter holidays so you have loads of time. A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness
WONDER by R. J. Palacio THE WALL by William Sutcliffe We had a great time discussing our three books. Amongst the comments were: "Really enjoyed it, but it took a while to get into. Really looking forward to reading the next book." James Caldwell "It took a while to get into but when I did it was really good, very gripping and exciting. A really enjoyable book." Katherine Caldwell "Reminded me of a book I have read recently, 'The Girl with all the Gifts' (by M. R. Carey) which was very disturbing. I was really gripped by this novel although I found the 'love element' drippy and too long!! Quite violent too." Mrs Parrack "I really enjoyed this book. It was full of exciting plot twists and creepy pictures. The book was unbelievably well-written and I was enchanted by the story throughout." Ben Pearson "Very well written. I loved the links between the beginning and the end." Lexie Drake "I like the fact that the photos reflect the story and they work together to create an intriguing read." Tabitha Gulliver Lawrence "Very well written. His writing style is fantastic. I don't want to put it down." Alfie Dackombe "Extremely clever, fascinating and, overall, an excellent read." Josie Drake "Beautiful, intricate descriptions. Original, engaging characters and a captivating plot full of fantastic twists!" Miss Richards |
AuthorThe Warminster School Book Club is run by the English Department in collaboration with the School Library. CategoriesArchives
February 2016
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