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Celebrating World Book Day
World Book Day is celebrated across the globe every year to inspire a love of books and reading. At Lancing College our aim is to instil in pupils a lifelong passion for learning, which perfectly aligns with World Book Day’s mission to inspire a love for reading.
Celebrate World Book Day with Lancing College as we explore titles recommended by our staff and pupils.
Staff Picks
I chose Julian Jackson’s France On Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain. Pétain was an unusual figure – a hero of the First World War and a villain of the Second World War. This is a captivating history of a key figure of the C20 and alongside the (often grim) events it explores the narrative is laced with moments of the absurdly humorous. Highly recommended.
Dominic Oliver, Head Master
I have just taken a deep dive into the works of the poet, novelist, short story writer, farmer, activist and agriculturalist, Wendell Berry. Berry’s work inspires me because it is rooted in a strong sense of place and of community. His whole work centres on the relationship of a small group of families in the fictional Port William, reflective of Port Royal, Kentucky, a place that shares much of Lancing College’s beauty and rural setting. It’s deep spiritual commitment is similar too, rooted as it is in intense practicality – kindness in his novels, just as here, is based on people’s actions not their preaching. Start with the short, intensely lyrical Nathan Coulter, recounting the early life of one of the central characters of this community. It is warm, funny, earthy and deep writing.
John Herbert, Deputy Head
Annie Proulx Barkskins is a multi-generation epic which has the (declining) forests as its central character but which is also full of astonishing individuals and a sense of how place and history shape individual lives.
The story opens in the 17th century, in New France (which will become Canada) where colonists see it as their destiny to tame an environment that the indigenous population hold in respect – and understand. French labourers, René Sel and Charles Duquet, chop trees for a settler who promises them land in return for three years’ unpaid service. While René labours, Duquet escapes, surviving against the odds to establish a logging dynasty.
The book traces the bloodlines of these two men in a chronicle of deforestation, cultural erasure and international commerce. Sweeping, majestic, grim and darkly funny at points, the book traverses Canada, New Zealand, Holland and London and is richly peopled. Whilst made up of moments, it manages a superb arc – and one which points towards a darkening future.
Hilary Dugdale, Senior Deputy Head
My recent favourite read is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus which is an amazing feel-good read, although, there is some slightly dubious Chemistry in the Apple TV series based on the book!
A great story with an incredible female protagonist, a brilliant chemist, who is treated very badly in the male-dominated laboratories of 1960s America. She never gives up though, and through her weekly cooking programme, teaches and inspires a whole generation of women that they are capable of more than they think.
“Whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do.”
Fern Britnell, Sankey’s Housemistress and Teacher of Chemistry
This World Book Day I struggled to choose a single book to recommend, so I have chosen three. Firstly, Great Expectations; I have read it more than any other book, as I get something different from it every time. It’s my go-to book in a crisis as it contains so many life lessons. In my opinion, it is the greatest example of story craft and narrative and one of the few books I have studied where putting it under the microscope made it better, not worse.
Secondly, One Day, which is having a resurgence right now because of the Netflix adaptation but it would have been on this list regardless. This is the only book that has ever made me miss my stop on the tube and it also made me ugly-cry in public. A modern classic, Nicholls created two characters who are everyman and everywoman and that is the simple beauty of it.
Finally, Patchwork Girls by Rachel C. Hyde who is a local author. Set in a modern-day, small UK seaside town but combined with Arthurian-era European history, this story is told from the point of view of four school friends and is a blend of fantasy, thriller and mystery with a smidgen of romance thrown in for good measure.
Julia Nixon, Head Librarian
Student Favourites
My book recommendation is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This novel is the story of three friends who start a successful video game company. It is a vivid and long read, which dives deeply into identity politics and relationships between those both on and off the computer screen. I recommend this novel because it changes how you see the world. It plays with your perspectives, and — along the way — teaches you about what makes a great video game.
Hannah C, Manor House
My recommended read for World Book Day is Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole.
The book follows a Nigerian’s (in diaspora) return home to Nigeria after many years. We are taken on a journey of self-discovery in the face of change in Nigeria. Through a series of pictures of ‘every day’ life in Nigeria, Cole gives a fresh and candid take on the ‘homecoming’ experience.
Ayomide SDP, Handford House
I am currently re-reading ‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert, as it has also been released recently as Dune 2. I can recommend this for any Sci-Fi fans as the world building and the political messages are extraordinary.
John H, Head’s House
I would like to recommend the book Bluets by Maggie Nelson. It is a prose poetry book that shows a philosophical and personal exploration of what the colour blue has done to Nelson. It is by far my favourite book at the moment, as there are just so many individual quotes that are very heavy hitting and influential.
Oscar L, Saints’ House
I would strongly recommend the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson.
The series follows a girl called pip who lives in a small town where the only interesting thing that happened was 5 years prior, when Andie Bell went missing, and Sal Singh was found dead in the forest near the town. Everyone thinks Sal Singh killed Andie and then himself, but Pip isn’t convinced. So, for a school project she decides to look into the case and she ends up uncovering lots of secrets that someone doesn’t want her to know.
An incredible book with two sequels, a prequel and a TV adaptation coming out! I highly recommend it.
Issy C-B, Sankey’s House
I would like to recommend the book Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. It is a story following a man with a heightened sense of smell, leading to about a third of the book to be pure in depth descriptions of scents, bringing a completely different view to the fragrances of the world that are often ignored. With dark twists and one of the most shocking endings I think I’ve ever read, it is a book that has the reader gripped from the start.
Kayleb M, Saints’ House
The Defense by Steve Cavanaugh. Intense, fast-paced and addicting. What’s not to love? If I could marry a book, it would be this one. The plot was really well-written, and the characters were just superb. There were twists, but all of them were foreshadowed, and didn’t seem out of the blue at all. The main character is quick-on-his-feet, extremely street-smart and charismatic. I was rooting for him through and through. This is a must read for thriller fanatics.
Mabel C, Handford House
