Horizons Education Trust staff Share Their Favourite Reads Ahead of World Book Day!
As World Book Day approaches, we turn our focus to the enduring value of literature in shaping our understanding of the world. In this article, staff members across Horizons Education Trust have taken the time to share their no-nonsense book recommendations in a bid to share and inspire!
No frills, just practical insights into books that have left a lasting impact. Join us in acknowledging the significance of reading and the knowledge it imparts ahead of World Book Day, 2024.
Amy Spittle, Communications Executive – Horizons Education Trust:
I have too many favourite books, it seems, so it is hard to list one, but I can earmark favourite books from different parts of my reading life. I used to devour pony-books throughout school until my mum bought me Harry Potter the week it launched. She bought it to amuse me on a plane journey, and was somewhat dismayed to see me read it in one sitting, before we made it as far as the departure gate.
Later, I undertook an English Literature degree, and spent a few years wading through worthy books which started to affect my joy of reading – a hobby became a chore, and so I turned to old friends, Stephen King, Wilbur Smith and Jilly Cooper, who were all heavy hitters in their own right, but significantly less commendable in the lecture hall.
Now, I read most genres and try to change what I’m reading each time, so I never feel stale or like I am reading the same book twice in a row. A book that I always return to, however, is Stephen King’s The Long Walk (published as Richard Bachman). It’s a novella with a dystopian setting where 100 boys embark on a walk that you won’t ever forget. Think Lord of the Flies meets the Hunger Games – but no spoilers. Check it out!
I used to feel that all books must be finished, be it a pleasure or a hardship, otherwise one wasn’t “a reader”. Later in life I have learnt to give a book 20%. If you aren’t gripped by then, it’s ok to part as friends and try something else.
With that in mind, I would like to give an honourable mention to Life of Pi and White Tiger. I read both books in the same period of time, and I was blown away. Do you ever get that feeling when a book is so good, you can’t bear to start another? You are still in their world, and revelling in the story that sadly had to come to a close.
I hope that you find some inspiration in the list below compiled by our resident bookworms at Horizons Education Trust, and this opens up opportunities to talk about what you’re currently reading with those that you know and love. As the inimitable George R. R. Martin once said…
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
George R.R. Martin
Rebecca Bierton, Chair – Teaching, Learning & Welfare:
My favourite book is The First Twelve Lives of Harry August by Clare North. I really like Clare North as an author as she writes about a range of unusual situations but makes this really personal to the characters in the text.
She likes to think about the consequences of events and how they might affect individuals and society at large. I have also read The End of the Day, The Sudden Appearance of Hope, Touch and 84K, which were also written by her and very thought-provoking.
I am currently reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus as it was recommended by a good friend who I often exchange book reading suggestions with. We went to university together, so it is a long-standing habit to recommend things we have read to each other. I would recommend this book because it is humorous but also has a very real message about under-represented groups in society and how rights have had to be fought for over the decades.
I usually read on my Kindle; I love my Kindle! It goes everywhere with me. I also drive a lot for my job so I often listen to audiobooks as I drive. I particularly like to read in the evening before I go to sleep and a real treat for me on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is to curl up with a book and just get lost in the story. I don’t often have much time to do this, so it feels like a real luxury when I do.
I love books about time travel and people having the ability to reflect on their lives and go back and try things out again. I find it really interesting how stories can progress and authors can change events so subtly with tiny events or changed mind-sets. Other real favourites of mine are The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas, The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman and Replay by Ken Grimwood.
Billy Mollison, Chair – Finance, People & Premises
I have had a penchant for history and history books since primary school, but in my professional life, How Bad Are Bananas is always used as part of our carbon literacy training events, which leads to globally recognised accreditation for delegates. That is the main reason why eco books have been a part of my library for around ten years and, specifically, the aforementioned How Bad Are Bananas for five years.
I like to read to broaden my knowledge and understanding of the world and those who inhabit it, and I would recommend it to anyone with the same goals.
I read in all the available formats, Kindle, real books and Audiobooks, which supports my aim to read anywhere I can! Trains, planes, boats, football games before the game begins (and at half-time), in bed and in the study at home.
Jon Panther, Operations Manager – Horizons Education Trust:
My favourite book is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which I first read in 1998, but have then revisited it numerous times ever since. I now own the illustrated versions of these books by Jim Kay, and they are magnificent!
J K Rowling created a spellbinding world that every child from the 90s wanted to be a part of and that magic has stayed with me well into my adulthood and I hope to pass on this passion for the story and the Wizarding World onto my own children.
The story creates a world of escapism that brings me huge comfort and joy each and every time I read it. It’s a story I can go back to time and time again and every time I fall in love with it all over again.
I love an audiobook, and I especially love to listen to the book while following it in paper format at the same time (especially hard back!). The illustrations created by Jim Kay are beautiful and then, when they’re partnered with the comforting, familiar narration by Stephan Fry – Heaven!
I mainly read just before bed, but I love a good book on holiday, by the pool with a drink in hand. However, now I have a 22 week old baby, one of my new favourite books is Room on the Broom. I love it!
Karen Brown, Account Manager - Horizons Education Trust:
My favourite book(s) are the Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist and the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts
I first read Magician (the first book of the Riftwar saga) and the rest of these books about twenty years ago and recently, when on holiday, re-read them on my kindle. They were as captivating on the second read as they were on the first.
The books, for fantasy fiction readers, have it all. Drama, action, captivating plots and likeable, familiar characters that appear throughout both series in a plot full of twists, turns, magic, tension, intrigue and joy.
I would recommend these books if you would like to escape for a few moments and imagine what life could be like in a world with magic.
Andrew Armstrong, Head Teacher – Riverside Meadows – St Neots:
My favourite book of all time is Mort by Terry Pratchett. Who wouldn’t like a book starring Death, Binky (his horse), Ysabell (his adopted daughter), Mort (his apprentice) and Albert (the most powerful wizard in the universe, presumed dead). This is closely followed by Soul Music also by Terry Pratchett. In this book we follow the development of Music with Rocks, which is very loosely based upon the life of the musician Buddy Holly and how rock music became popular in the 1960s. I discovered it when I was 14, and I borrowed it from the school library.
Terry Pratchett combines real history and events into a book series where the world is a Disc and there are magic, gods and anthropomorphic personifications (natural processes turned into human form and given a personality).
Whilst it’s not the first book in the series, it’s the one that got me into them. The series is brilliant and I recommend any of the books (except Colour of Magic as your first book), as you get to meet:
Sir Sam Vimes – leader of the City Watch (police force), who has been promoted, so now he has to wear tights!
Capton Carrot – A 6ft 4in dwarf, who unknowingly is the actual king of the city he works in.
Rincewind the ‘Wizzard’ – A wizard who can’t use magic, has a walking trunk and should really be dead by now!
Death and The Death of Rats – bony guys with scythes and black hoods.
Arch-chancellor Ridcully – Leader of the Unseen University and a keen hunter.
Granny Weatherwax – The Discworld’s most Senior Witch and master of “headology”.
I mainly listen to Audiobooks these days as driving to and from work takes me an hour and a half. I can listen to two or three a week, and have just finished listening to the complete Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, all six books, in order!)
Since becoming a dad, I read every night with my children, Lucy (7) and Alex (6), just before bed. Otherwise, I only really get a chance to read in the school holidays or listen to audiobooks.
Caroline Place, Head Teacher Designate – Prestley Wood Academy:
My favourite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, which I discovered when I was travelling in my early twenties. I love it because it is packed full of adventure but also follows the transformation of the main protagonist’s personality and motivations in response to the momentous events which happened to him. I would recommend it as a swashbuckling adventure with a complex human side – so something for everyone!
As is the same for most people now, I read on my Kindle, but I do prefer the feel of a real book!
Claire Heseltine, Assistant Head – Riverside Meadows Academy – St Neots:
My favourite book is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It is the first ever real detective story and it is told by multiple narrators. I love this style of writing and will never forget my shock the first time I read it to discover that a diary had been discovered, read and written in by the last character who needed that information. (No names as spoilers would be unfair and just mean!) I love the twists and turns and different voices. I would recommend it as it's full of mystery, suspense and terrible crimes and lies.
My favourite copy of my favourite book was given to me at Christmas by my Mum when I was seventeen. My second favourite copy of my favourite book was given to me by my daughter when she was about six.
I read on a Kindle (other e-readers are available…)
I am currently reading the ABC Murders by Agatha Christie as I am currently in a Poirrot episode of my life and am loving the awful cast of characters who could all actually be capable of murder. Who can you trust? Christie doesn't make humanity look particularly good.
I read as often as I can, but definitely before I go to sleep. It's my escape.
Michele Lee, Teacher & Literacy Lead – Spring Common Academy
I love to read. Mostly murder mysteries nowadays. I have a kindle which I download lots of books on, but I am old school and prefer real books - I like the opportunity to look back if I have missed a clue!
One of my favourite authors is Anne Cleeves and the Vera series. I love them on TV too. A book that has stuck in my head though, is The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I saw the film later and, although it was good, preferred the book. I haven’t got a copy of it though - I think I borrowed that one from the library.
Joanna Tregent, Secretary – Prestley Wood Academy
My favourite books are the Harry Potter series and my favourite Harry Potter book would have to be Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.
I came to read the Harry Potter books later than most, so I probably read them for the first time about 7–8 years ago but have reread them many times.
I enjoy that reading can transport you to any place or time, and you really imagine the people and places you're reading about. I love that when I read the Harry Potter books they transport me straight to Hogwarts.
I tend to read in the evenings to help me unwind and relax.