Desert Island Reads - Mary Hooper

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

Friday 25th of May 

 

Mary Hooper, author of the exceptionally popular Megan trilogy, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum and Velvet has given us her selections.

     

1. The London Encyclopaedia edited by Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert - A huge and fabulous  volume detailing every last piece of London, past and present. With this I can start planning the books I’ll write as soon as I get off the island.

2. Pepys Diary – I’ll have time to read the unabridged version.

3. Lost London by Philip Davies - moving and evocative photographs of London taken from 1870 onwards.

4. The Quincunx – Charles Palliser - it’s an epic book, fascinating and detailed, but oh-so-difficult to work out what’s going on. On the island I shall put sticks in the sand and work out everyone’s relationship to everyone else.

5. Just William - Richmal Crompton - after all the heavy stuff above I shall be glad of a little light relief, and William always makes me laugh.

My CD: I shall go for one of the musicals: South Pacific, say, learn all the songs and sing them around the island.

My luxury:  I’ll need a top-class moisturiser.

Mary Hooper's website is: http://www.maryhooper.co.uk/  

Her books are available in the school library.

If you would like your choices to be posted in this column you can email them to me at lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk

Desert Island Reads - Sophie McKenzie

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

Friday 18th of May 

Sophie McKenzie, author of The Medusa Project series and Girl Missing has chosen her desert island reads. Sophie would also like to say hi to all those girls she met when she came to visit us a couple of years ago.

 

1. Little Women by Louisa M Alcott One of my favourite books as a child. I named my son, Joe, after the main character (though he wasn’t very pleased when he found out the ‘Jo’ in the story was a girl!)

 

2. The Kingdom by the Sea by Robert Westall I read this YA novel after I started trying to write my own books and before I got published. It begins and ends brilliantly and I still find it truly inspiring.

3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen I’ve re-read this many times and always adore it. When I was younger I was mainly drawn to the romance between Elizabeth and Darcy but now I enjoy the economy and wit of Jane Austen’s writing just as much.

4. The Secret History by Donna Tartt This is one of my comfort reads! It’s a modern tale about a group of students who become embroiled in a murder. I love the believable characters and gripping plot.

5. Pretties (Uglies Quartet) by Scott Westerfeld The start of a great sci-fi adventure series that makes you think about society’s obsession with youth and beauty. Like all the books here, this one really challenged some of my preconceived ideas about life and writing.

***

My luxury would be my computer (and an endless supply of electricity to power it!) so I could keep writing stories.

I wouldn’t need a CD because if I had my Macbook with me, I’d have access to its entire music library!!!

Sophie McKenzie's website (from where I borrowed the pictures) is: http://www.sophiemckenziebooks.com/   

Her books are available in the school library.

If you would like your choices to be posted in this column you can email them to me at:

 lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk

 

Desert Island Reads - Gemma Malley

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

 

Friday 11th of May 

Gemma Malley, author of The Declaration and The Returners has sent us her selection.

 

1. Camping for Beginners

2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - never read it, seems like the idea opportunity!

3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - one of my favourite books, and it can take a lot of re-reading.

4. A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell - this one I have read, but again, I'm going to have time on my hands to chew over some big questions and this is a great place to start.

5. All Men Are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir - a brilliant book that will remind me of the importance of living each moment.

CD would have to be all of Mozart's symphonies (I know that might sound like I'm cheating, but you can get them on one CD, I promise!). Exquisite.

And my luxury would be sunglasses. So I can read without squinting. But I also really, really want a notebook. And a pen. Or, even better, a computer.

With email.

Okay, fine, just sunglasses...

Gemma Malley's website (from where I borrowed the pictures) is: http://www.gemmamalley.com/

Her books are available in the school library.

If you would like your choices to be posted in this column you can email them to me at lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk

Desert Island Reads - Mr McCaulay

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

Friday 4th of May 

This week LSA Mr Macaulay gives us his selection:

1. Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie 2. The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith 3. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy 4. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley 5. The Killing by David Hewson There's a bit of everything - all different genres  CD – MF Doom "Mmm...Food"  Luxury – A pack of cards

If you are interested in having your choices featured in this column, please email them to: lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk

GCH Top Authors - Spring Term 2012

Here is a list of the most borrowed authors from the Grey Coat Hospital school library for the Spring Term:

1 Jacqueline Wilson

2 Malorie Blackman

3 Robert Muchamore

4 Louise Rennison

5 Sophie McKenzie

6 Meg Cabot

7 J K Rowling

8 Charles Dickens

9 Jeff Kinney

10 Mary Hooper

11 Agatha Christie

12 Michael Morpurgo

Jacqueline Wilson and Malorie Blackman maintain a seemingly unbreakable hold on the top spots, but Robert Muchamore and Sophie McKenzie have advanced a number of places. New to the list from last term are J K Rowling (I suspect some people have been to see the HP studios) Charles Dickens and Jeff Kinney (Wimpy Kid).

Desert Island Reads - Mr Cooper

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

Friday 27th of April

This week Drama/English/Film Studies teacher Mr Cooper gives us his selection:

1. Watchmen by Alan Moore - There’s just so much to it I could read it 100 times and still discover new things. 2. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - The funniest book I’ve ever read. 3. Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown - Filled with stuff about how the mind works, with this much time on my hands I might understand it!!! 4. Dracula by Bram Stoker - Because it rocks! 5. The Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard - The book that got me into card magic and I really should read again to perfect my techniques! CD – The recording of the Pandemonium Tour by the Pet Shop Boys – 1. Awesome concert, 2. You can hear me whooping in it, as I was stood by the audience mic when they recorded the concert!!! Luxury – A pack of cards - because no-one can be bored with a  pack of cards on them!

If you are interested in having your choices featured in this column, please email them to: lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk

Desert Island Reads - The Librarians

 

If you knew you were to be stranded on a desert island and you could take 5 books (not including the Works of Shakespeare and the religious text of your choice), 1 CD and 1 luxury item, what would you take? This is the question we ask in our new column, based on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks. Each week a member of staff, a student or a person of interest will put forward their choices.

Friday 20th of April

A bumper opening edition, we have the choices of all three librarians:

Mrs Swan 1. The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies (single volume edition - so not cheating)  - because it's truthful but optimistic about human nature. 2.  Adam Bede by George Eliot - because it's beautiful and contains a very brilliant sermon. 3. Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Goudge - because, although a little sentimental at times, Goudge really understands spirituality and the complicated byways of the human heart. 4.  The Complete Short Stories of HG Wells - because, since my father gave to me in1979 it's always been my essential bedside book. 5. A poetry anthology - but I'd have to put it together myself because the Oxford is good, but doesn't have my favourite Donne, and Other Men's Flowers - Wavell is lovely, but not enough moderns (I want Norman McCaig) CD - Rachmaninov Vespers, Opus 37 [The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir version] Luxury - an unlimited supply of paper, an unbreakable fountain pen and unlimited ink

Mrs Finch 1. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard 2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier 4. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 5. Star Island by Carl Hiassen CD - Help! by the Beatles Luxury - A big feather bed

Mrs Saint-Smith 1. Persuasion by Jane Austen - a tale of love, hope, constancy and patience; all things required if you are stranded on a desert island I should imagine. 2. The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett - I can always count on Pratchett to make me laugh. 3. Gertrude Bell: A Biography by H.V.F. Winstone - Gertrude Bell was an incredible woman, if you don't know who she is then look her up, and this book inspires me every time I look at it. 4. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones - it has been one of my favourite books since I was a tweenager, it is a delight to read. 5. A history of the geographic region in which the desert island is situated - whenever I travel I like to learn as much as I can about the place I am in. CD - the soundtrack to the film Swingtime, sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Luxury - a large rolltop bath with an inexhaustable supply of hot water

If you are interested in having your choices featured in this column, please email them to: lsaint-smith@gch.org.uk