by: Lola D.M. (Grade 11)
Not sure what to read next? Looking for some good book recommendations? The Halcyonite has got your back!
Who better to ask for book recommendations than our literature-loving English teachers? We emailed Halcyon’s English department for book recommendations, and below are the suggestions made by Ms. Sandra Stoneman, Ms. Farah Ahmed, and Ms. Lindsey Fairweather. Enjoy!
Ms. Sandra Stoneman:
“The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson is a non-fiction book about Churchill’s leadership during the blitz of World War II. Now I usually do not like non-fiction, but Larson is an expert storyteller, bringing drama and intrigue to even the most mundane details of daily life during the bombings. I learned, I laughed, I cried. 5/5 stars.”
“Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (translated from Swedish by Neil Smith) is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Despite the implications of the title, it is very low stress, funny and –SPOILER– it has a happy ending. It tells the story of several individuals who find themselves in a hostage situation, and we learn about how their lives intersect. A great summer read.”
“Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid was long listed for the Booker Prize in 2019. It is about a black woman who is babysitting a white child and gets accused of kidnapping. Reid looks at race from all angles, and it forces the reader to confront preconceptions, no matter their skin tone.”
“The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Before you watch the series on Amazon Prime you MUST READ THIS BOOK! It turns the figurative underground railroad – the route Black Americans took to escape slavery – into a literal railroad. It is not an easy read, as the subject matter is challenging to face, but it is beautifully written and well told.”
Bonus Book: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – “SO GOODDDDD”
Ms. Farah Ahmed:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – “This is a classic, but the fun kind. Pride and Prejudice is basically a Regency-Era romcom that has a fun romance plot in the centre, but is also a clever satire of the British upper classes. I read this every summer and never get bored – there’s always some new way to look at the characters, who are complex, interesting and very flawed. It’s also interesting to look at the lives of upper-class women back in the late 1800s, to see how similar and different our society is to back then!”
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – “I read this book in High School and was obsessed. The book has a wild structure – you get partway through the first story of the book to have it abruptly end, and a new story begin. Then that story ends partway through, and another begins. After the fifth time this happens, the book goes in reverse, so you read the end of the 4th story, then the 3rd, then the 2nd and finally finish with the original story. Somehow it all comes together in a way that will blow your mind. The stories themselves start in 1850 following the lives of British merchant traders, and end in a sci-fi future where the earth has been destroyed and all memories of human kind are stored in a Siri-like robot. David Mitchell has been called a “visionary” and I would say I agree.”
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson – “This book does not really resemble Harry Potter, but it kind of gives me Harry Potter vibes. There’s adventure, magic, and an amazing protagonist – but it is set in the Middle East, in a mythical time where technology and magic co-exist in weird and wonderful ways. It’s accessible to all ages, and it will grip you from the beginning. The writer is a Westerner who converted to Islam, so there’s some cool Muslim religion and lore worked in to the plot (and, interestingly, she went on to write Ms. Marvel and work on Marvel movies). However, the best bit about this book is the plot – a fun adventure where the protagonist has to save his world from evil.”
Ms. Lindsey Fairweather:
City of Thieves by David Benioff – “Before he co-created and wrote a little series called Game of Thrones, Benioff wrote this exceptional work of historical fiction (and I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, so that says something). It is set in Russia during the siege of Leningrad (which happened in World War II); it is a thrilling quest and a convincing coming-of-age story. Apparently it inspired the video game The Last of Us.”
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf – “When I was in high school, this one floored me. Woolf does exceptional things with language and narration that I had never seen before – sentence for sentence, she is my favourite writer. Don’t come to this one for the plot – come for the linguistic wizardry.”
Dracula by Bram Stoker – “This Gothic horror story is amazing. It’s an epistolary novel – so it takes the form of documents, diary entries, etc. – and the story is so much weirder and more wonderful than you might think. Part of it is set in Transylvania, of course, but look out for Whitby (in the UK) as a key setting as well – and go visit sometime to see what inspired this classic.”
Bonus Books: Beloved by Toni Morrison, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
The Halcyonite would like to thank our amazing English teachers for their wonderful contributions 😊
Do you need more recommendations? Check out these websites:
What Should I Read Next – Instant book recommendations based on previous works you’ve enjoyed.
Literature-Map – Author recommendations based on writers you enjoy.
Read any of the books mentioned? Got any of your own recommendations? Leave a comment below!
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