SGS reading list.pdf

Books …
Every Student Should Read

These suggestions are some books that you
might like to read. It is certainly not an
exhaustive list but we hope it will give you some
inspiration. We hope it will make you think. The
right book at the right moment can change the
way we think about life, about ourselves and
about the world. These books have been
important in the lives of those who have
recommended them. We hope that they will
become important to you.

This is not a list for English students.
This is a list for every student. Everyone
should read. It is the most powerful thing
you can do.
‘The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a
thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — that you'd thought special,
particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've
never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out
and taken yours.’
Alan Bennett, The History Boys

Recommended by Mr Thomas
Even though I am an English teacher and I read regularly, my regret is that I have not read enough and I did not start reading widely, early enough. In fact, I did
not really like studying English until I was about 14. I thought it was dull, all about spelling and grammar! Then, I had a new English teacher. She was scary but
brilliant and completely changed my thinking. That’s when I started to understand what reading and literature is about. Students sometimes ask me what my
favorite book is. I can never answer because I don’t know. So, here are a couple of suggestions to get you started.
As a child, my favorite books were the Narnia stories by C S Lewis. Even if you have seen the films, you should still read them, especially The Lion, the Witch and
the Wardrobe. I returned to the stories as an adult and saw the allegory – Aslan as the Christ figure who is crucified and resurrected, Edmund the traitor who is
forgiven and the lamppost – a strange half-way beacon between two worlds. When I was little, it was the magic and the battles that captured my imagination.
Now it’s the allegory (the ‘other’ story) that fascinates me because that’s the magic of reading deeply: finding something new, illuminating, rich.
Although many students at school will have read my next recommendation, I have to include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I did not read this book until I
was an adult and I wish I had discovered it earlier. I have now re-read it countless times and I always see something new. The more I read this novel, the more I
am moved most deeply by the story of the shadowy Boo Radley: the ‘malevolent phantom’ who, with beautiful synchronicity, emerges from his house on
Hallowe’en as the children’s guardian angel. His is the story of the victim who becomes the savior, the silent and misunderstood watcher in the background. This
character speaks only five words in the entire novel: ‘Will you take me home?’ Read the book yourself to find out why they are heartbreaking. My final two
recommendations are Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (the first novel I had to read at university and a wonderful story) and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
The message of Frankenstein is timeless: a nameless creature, rejected by his creator and corrupted by society. Readers cannot forget the surprisingly eloquent and
heartbreaking words of the Creature, so opposite to his hideous form. His words reverberate in the reader’s mind long after he is ‘lost in darkness and distance.’
The more I read, the more I am starting to realise that there is only one story. Only one. Ever. It has always been going on and it is everywhere around us, and
every story you’ve ever read or heard or watched is part of it. Hamlet. Harry Potter. Wuthering Heights. Rapunzel…one story. If you’re not sure what I mean, just
keep reading as much as you can and think about it!

Their Darkest Hour: People Tested to the
Extreme in WWII by Laurence Rees
Recommended by Mrs Griffiths
I came across this book a couple of years ago and it changed the way I teach, and think
about, history. Laurence Rees is a historian renowned for his work on the world wars
and the Nazi era. As part of his decades of research he has interviewed countless
individuals. In this book he discusses 50 of those people, who were pushed to their
limits during World War Two. He recounts his meetings with, among many others, Nazi
murderers, kamikaze pilots, Japanese soldiers and concentration camp survivors.
Each chapter is short and historical context is provided. You don't need to be a history
student to appreciate this book. It is remarkably easy to read, but extremely hardhitting.
Psychology students might particularly find this book interesting. It will make
you question yourself, your understanding of people and our capabilities. In that way it
is quite an uncomfortable read. I was particularly affected by the story of "Erna
Krantz", who was an ordinary German girl who lived during the Nazi regime. Her
honest and blunt explanation as to why she and others did not speak out against the
Nazi atrocities forced me to confront the uncomfortable question - what would I have
done? In our comfortable world of safe democracy it is easy to condemn the inaction of
German people, but is it that straight forward? Give it a read and tell me what you
think.

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
Recommended by Mrs Robson
This book was first published when I was an undergraduate studying Zoology and Botany at the University of
Sheffield. I found it completely absorbing: this idea that the whole point of life is to beget more life and that
DNA [genes] programming an individual to outbreed others in the population [be better adapted to survive], will
be propagated at the expense of others was implicit in Darwin’s concept of
Natural Selection. However, its application to the behaviour of individuals, in
particular to apparent acts of altruism amongst animals, and the construct of an
Evolutionary Stable Strategy [ESS] was, to me at that time, a revelation. I later
went on to study the genetics and behaviour of social insects [ants, bees, and
termites] in greater depth, along with the reproductive strategies of a range of
mammals. In every case the ESS shone through to illuminate my understanding.
Others have written more eloquently than Dawkins, but I can honestly say that
this book was my epiphany and its ideas remain with me to this day.

Recommended by Mr Kirsch:
I strongly recommend 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. It
covers the 'nature' side of the nature - nurture debate and is quite a
humorous account of the basics of genetics. As a direct counterargument
I recommend Stephen Rose's 'Lifelines', which purports
a more interactionist view of the complex interplay of genes and
environment. Both are available from the library. For 'advanced
thinkers' that want to challenge the
question of the nature of
consciousness, you might want to try
'Consciousness - a User Illusion' by
Tor Noretranders (I have a copy
which I am happy to lend to
students).

Recommended by Dr Johnson
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein
I assume that everybody has already read this but just in case you have only seen the films, I cannot recommend this to you too strongly.
This book has been frequently voted the best book ever written. It is a fantastic tale of heroism, friendship and the victory of good over
evil. (You need to get through the first 50 pages - it starts a bit slowly!)
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
A hilarious and tragic story set during World War II. The basic premise is this: If you are declared insane then you will be discharged
and sent home. However, anybody that tries to be discharged for any reason is clearly not insane. Get out of that!
Dune by Frank Herbert
An epic science fiction novel with a twist. Dune is set in the far future where mankind has fought and won a battle against the thinking
machines that sought to take over the universe (yes, terminator was not the first!) A feudal system has been created with some very
original methods of overcoming the limitations necessitated by the lack of computers. Witness the birth of a new religion as Paul
Muad’Dib takes control of Dune.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
This is a science fiction epic. I cannot pretend that this is an easy read, but it is very rewarding if you persevere. Even trying to
summarise the story is rather a challenge so I have cheated and used Wikipedia! ‘In the 28 th century, humanity has spread across the
galaxy, first aboard "Hawking drive" ships and then through "farcasters", which permit nearly instantaneous travel between them
regardless of the distances...’

Ender’s game by Orson Scott Card
Recommended by Mr Robson
This tale has recently been made into a film starring Harrison Ford, although it was originally
written long ago in 1985. A whole series of books follow this epic story of war and conflict in
the galaxy against alien beings. Having long been a science fiction fan, reading authors like Isaac
Asimov and John Wyndham, this was a very different sort of tale, featuring children, although it
is not really a children’s book. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread when I read it
and I have read it again several times. The urgency of the situation for mankind steadily
increases throughout and the plot has unexpected twists and turns with a great ending. The
second volume, Speaker for the Dead, is also one of my favourites. The style is a little different as
the author has aged a little. For anyone who reads this book, ‘aging’ has a very interesting part to
play, linked to time and space according to Einstein...

1984 by George Orwell
Recommended by Mr Green
Written in 1948, George Orwell's prediction of the future political
oppression is incredibly thought-provoking and still as relevant as it was
then.
The book provides a frightening vision of the future and convincingly
presents a 'negative utopia' with a governing 'Big Brother' and its
imposition of 'Newspeak'.
I was really captured by the author's imagination and I am still
impressed by his ability to write a futuristic book that seems timeless
and forever relevant.

The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford
Recommended by Mrs Shakesheave
Tim Harford is an Oxford graduate and highly acclaimed prize winning author, economist and journalist, residing in London. He is the author
of four economics books and writes his long-running Financial Times column, ‘The Undercover Economist’, from which this book was
created. (His work in the FT on Sunday is also well worth a look!)
In this light and witty analysis, Tim Harford examines a number of everyday phenomena such as traffic jams and high cappuccino prices at
Waterloo station and why we would not walk a hundred yards to save 30p on that coffee! Reading this book will provide you with an insight
into how economists think. After learning how to think like an economist, you will never again view the world around you in the same way.
Contemporary issues are considered and ‘The Undercover Economist’ provides a fresh explanation of the
fundamental principles of the modern economy, illuminated by examples from the back streets of London to
the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai. Leaving behind jargon, irritating acronyms and equations, Tim Harford
will reveal the games of signals and negotiations, contests of strength and battles of wit that drive not only the
economy at large but the everyday choices we make. He answers questions such as that poised by a soviet
official: ‘Tell me …who is in charge of the supply of bread to the population of London?’ with the strange
but true ‘nobody’ as an answer, and enlightens us as to whether we should be concerned.
What is rational insanity anyway? Like a magician, Tim Harford looks at invisible forces and makes us laugh.
Put it on your bucket list!

Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
Recommended by Mr Anderson
The title is ironic. The world is not brave and is rather a scary prophecy for the future
of Earth. The World State is a dictatorship, not along the lines of Mussolini or Stalin’s,
but one where benevolence and superficial satisfaction is tempered by rules like no
procreation and euthanasia at 60. Restrictive, de-humanising and controlling, alongside
a rigidly enforced caste system. Fornication is encouraged as 70% of females are
sterilised but is solely for hedonistic pleasure, as is the use of ‘Soma’ the soporific drug
of the masses (often imbibed in ‘church’). The story follows Bernard Marx, a classic
malcontent (with whom I identified due to his depressive, inferiority complex and his
lack of stature) and Lenina Crowne a content hatchery worker (indeed hatchery….for
humans) and their interactions with outsiders who change minds and lives through
their independence and vitality for life: really rather thought-provoking.
Originally drawn to this book as it was purported to be analogous to Shakespeare’s The
Tempest (which I was studying at the time), I picked it up with no real expectations but
was amazed and enthralled from the first page to the last. As I was reading it I was
constantly flicking back to the front of the book….written in 1931…..How? It is such a
staggeringly accurate depiction of a future society with some insistently powerful
messages and, as I saw it, warnings of what we were, and perhaps still are, heading
towards!
How can someone have written something so relevant and pithy without the influence
of films like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ or, knowledge of computing, automation and
technology? Happy endings there are not, but the journey is a rollercoaster of the
psychological and sociological with a generous helping of the scientific. Highly
recommended - and Aldous is a cool name too!

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
Recommended by Mrs Saxon
My favourite book is Hardy's Return of the Native. I still love the novel in spite of taking it to pieces in a
literary sense when it was one of my A-level texts.
I was hooked by the end of the introduction. From the panoramic view above Egdon Heath, the reader is able
to zoom in gradually to view a speck on the land surface. This speck turns out to be my favourite of all of
Hardy's characters: Diggory Venn, the reddleman. He is such a decent person with a social conscience!
I love the geographical context, have visited many of the locations written about, and will no doubt go back to
them all again in the future.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Recommended by Mr Beauchamp
My 'book that everyone should read' (other than the Gospel of Luke, obviously) would probably be Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, for political
awareness, but my favourite book of all time is the English translation of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. I first read this book in 1986 and I am
very grateful to the lady who gave it to me. I tend to skim-read a book first to get an idea of the story and whether I really want to read it 'properly'
a second time. The story here is a fairly standard detective mystery, but I must have re-read it well over fifty times now, and I am still finding
something new in it each time. It is so beautifully written that I have to keep reminding myself that it is a translation from Italian - I find it hard to
imagine how wonderful it must be in the original. There are some descriptive passages that I simply have to read aloud as they are so poetical; the
very sound of the words is extremely evocative.
Around the story is woven a fabric of history, religion, philosophy, literature, alchemy and science. It is set in the time of William Ockham, and just
after that of Roger Bacon, two of the first proponents of the scientific method taken on later by Galileo and Newton, and at the height of the
Inquisition, which was their intellectual antithesis. The action takes place in a monastery, which is a centre of learning for the area, so all that
knowledge and wisdom is brought to bear on solving the central mystery (tracking down a serial killer, of course!).
I find the connections it makes between disciplines and subject areas fascinating. This is a book that speaks of other books; a library in a single
cover - the library in the story plays a central role too - and an entertaining read as well. This is an intelligent book. Its underlying philosophy is an
interesting mix of Christian theology and the idea that nothing can be known for certain - it certainly makes one think about one's own ideas!

The Double Helix by James Watson
Recommended by Miss Hackett
I read this book several times. James Watson and Francis Crick
worked out the structure of DNA in 1953. The book tells us
how they did it from Watson's point of view. It reveals what it
was like to be a research scientist and also what he thought of
some of his associates. It is not written in too scarily a scientific
way, so is easy to read at A-level.

Watership Down by Richard Adams
Recommended by Mrs Patrick
My copy has yellowing pages that are falling out in clumps and was published in 1986 (despite being first published in 1972).
I remember sitting on the floor of the book shop having read half of it over a period of several ‘walk-homes’ from school
before I decided I would buy it. I never saw it as a ‘life-changing’ book with profound meaning, but if I think about it I can
easily relate it to relationships and factions from the world we live in.
It encompasses one of my childhood fantasies - talking animals (see also The Rats of Nimh) with almost their own language (I
was always happy to note the use of Latin when the foreign nouns were made plural). The book draws on the relationships
within a community of rabbits (the warren), reflective of any community. There is a leader (Threarah) with whom not
everyone agrees, or likes. We have good, law-abiding citizens rabbits, dissenters, people rabbits with special needs (Fiver
would probably come out as being on a spectrum) and those who would lead the alternative ‘party’. It deals with immigrants,
democracy, communism and travellers. To analyse it in this way, however, seems wrong.
This book is about a set of rabbits that ups and leaves, follows adventures, suffers trauma and ultimately builds a new life. It
has sections of tranquillity – Dandelion’s story telling (the legends of El-ahrairah*), sunlit evenings eating clover. It has
sections of drama, avoiding cats and hrududu (cars). There are fights – Efrafa, General Woundwort and Bigwig are the key
place and players. There is love and sadness (forever to be linked with Art Garfunkle’s song ‘Bright Eyes’), death and new
life. I would urge you to read it as escapism and enjoy it for what it is – a delightful story about the life and times of Hazelrah
Rabbit. You can also watch the movie (according to Wikipedia - the sixth most popular film of 1979, which also features
the voice of John Hurt and was the first animated feature film in Dolby surround sound).

Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources by Marcel Pagnol
Recommended by Mrs Hinton
In a rural French village an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property.
They need its spring water to grow their own flowers and crops, so are dismayed to hear that a new owner is moving in. They
block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour, Jean, tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield throughout
the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they turn a
blind eye as events reach a tragic conclusion.
Although his work is less fashionable than it once was, Marcel Pagnol is still generally
regarded as one of France's greatest 20th-century writers and is notable for the fact that he
excelled in almost every genre - memoir, novel, play and film. It is a beautiful and touching
story (you might need tissues at hand!) and once you have read it, watch the films and
appreciate the beauty of the Provence area.

Recommended by Mr Jones
My suggestions for books that everyone should read would have to include:
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
The Road by Cormac McCarthey
God of Carnage (play) by Yasmina Reza
Fear of Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson
Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamada Ngozi Adichi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Don’t forget about poetry…
Mr Thomas
In addition to novels, I would urge you to read some poetry. Don’t be put off by
difficult words and phrases: it’s a difficult life and it needs a difficult language to
express it! Think about the words and the sounds. As a teenager, I remember
hearing a recording of T S Eliot’s ‘Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’ read by the poet.
I had no idea what it was about (having since studied it I’m still not certain, but I’m
getting closer). The words and sounds arrested my interest. A useful anthology is
‘The Best Poems in the English Language’ edited by Harold Bloom.
‘Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides’

General Suggestions
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark
Haddon
The A bsolutist by John Boyne
The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Flowers For A lgernon by Daniel Keyes
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Far From the Madding Crowd,
Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Books linked to History
Years 7 – 9
Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Years 10 – 11
Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard
When the Wind Blows by Raymond Biggs
Some Other War by Linda Newbury
Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Books with a sense of Place
Years 7 – 9
Gulf by Robert Westall
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor
Years 10 – 11
No 1 Ladies Detective by Elizabeth Laird
Talking in Whispers by James Watson
Bury the Dead by Peter Carter
Books and Science
Years 7 – 9
Z for Zachariah by Robert O’Brien
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Eva by Peter Dickinson
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert O’Brien
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Years 10 – 11
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Brother in the Land by Robert Swindells
The Death Grass by John Christopher

Sixth Form Reading Suggestions
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Butcher’s Crossing and Stoner by John Williams
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Atonement and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas
Adams
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Howards End by E M Forster
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D H Lawrence
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Reading around your subject in the Sixth Form 1
Biology
Homo Britannicus by Chris Stringer
Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould
Psychology
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives by
Leonard Mlodinow
Chemistry and Physics
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
Everyday Practice of Science by Frederick Grinnell
Molecules of Murder by John Emsley (and anything else by Emsley)
The Flying Circus of Physics by J Walker
Six Easy Pieces by R Feynman
Black Holes and Uncle Albert by R Stannard
Drama
An Actor Prepares by Stanislavski (and anything else by Stanislavsky)
The Year of the King: An Actor’s Diary by Anthony Sher
Being an Actor by Simon Callow
Not Even a Game Anymore by Helmer and Mazacher
The Theory of the Modern Stage by Eric Bentley

Reading around your subject in the Sixth Form 2
Economics and Business Studies
The Welfare State We Are In by Will Hutton
Scroogenomics by Joel Waldfogal
Freakenomics by Steven Levitt
The Economic Naturalist by Robert Frank
Almost Everyone’s Guide to Economics by J. K. Galbraith
The Affluent Society by J.K. Galbraith
English
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C Foster
How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom
The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
Shadow and Act by Ralph Ellison
French
La Peste by Albert Camus
Le Mythe de Sysiphe by Albert Camus
http://www.lesclesjunior.com/ French news for AS/A2
http://www.zut.org.uk/index.html Interactive exercises
www.synonymes.com French synonyms
Geography
Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg
Tripping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The Dragon and the Elephant by David Smith
The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny and Globalisation’s Rough
Landscape by Harm de Blij
On the Map: A mind-expanding exploration of the way the world
looks by Simon Garfield

Reading around your subject in the Sixth Form 3
German
Der Vorleser (or The Reader) by Bernard Schlink
Graphic Design
Just My Type by Simon Garfield
Great Works by Tom Lubbock
Shock of the New by Robert Hughes
History
Last of the Empires: A History of the Soviet Union by J Keep
ICT
The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick
In the Plex by Steven Levy
The Code Book by Simon Singh
Music
History of Western Music by Grout
Mathematics
The num8er My5teries by Marcus du Sautoy
Alex’s Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos
Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart
To Infinity and Beyond: A Cultural History of the Infinite by Eli Maor
Religious Studies and Philosophy
Talking Philosophy by A W Sparks
The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
Language, Truth and Logic by A J Ayer
Applied Ethics by Peter Singer
An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Ethics by Mary Warnock
Christian Ethics by Robin Gill
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaardner
Rethinking Life and Death by Peter Singer

This booklet is not meant to be an exhaustive list. It is simply a starting point, something to get you interested. The more you read, the better.
Particularly when you are in the Sixth Form and start thinking about applying to university, you will need to begin…
Exploring your subject beyond the syllabus
Exploring a subject you want to study further is exciting and you should develop a real intellectual appetite for it. Here are some suggestions as
to how you can do just that:
• Look at the ‘Staircase 12’ website and follow them on Twitter. It is run by a group of students at Oxford
University for A-level students and has short interesting pieces on a range of academic subjects.
• Listen to the Oxford University podcasts and lectures. They are aimed at first years and so ideal for A-
level students. These are available on the Oxford University website and iTunes and completely free!
• Radio 4 programmes can be a great resource. Listen to relevant programmes on-line, such as those by Melvyn
Bragg, Laurie Taylor and ‘The History of the World in 100 Objects’.
• Listen to relevant TED Talks.
• Look at university reading lists for your subject. The Oxford and Cambridge websites have these for every
subject. Don’t read everything, be selective and then ‘follow a footnote’ on something that really interests you.
• MOOCS – Massive Open Online Courses. Free courses on a wide range of subjects. These are ideal for the long
summer holiday between the first and second year of A-level. Look at www.coursera.org, www.futurelearn.com and
www.edx.org.

I read because one life isn't enough, and in the page of a book I can be anybody;
I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;
I read not for happy endings but for new beginnings; I'm just beginning myself, and I
wouldn't mind a map;
I read because I have friends who don't, and young though they are, they're beginning
to run out of material;
I read because every journey begins at the library, and it's time for me to start packing;
I read because one of these days I'm going to get out of this town, and I'm going to go
everywhere and meet everybody, and I want to be ready.