The winter holidays are a great time to get cosy under a blanket with a hot chocolate and a good book. Need some inspiration, then contact the book doctors.
If you just want a round up of new books page 5. This includes a collection of recipe books that can be found in the LRC. We also have Christmas cookery books as well!
I would encourage everyone to read our new feature, My Life in Books on page 4. Thank you Cain for writing such a thoughtful piece If you would like to read Tilly’s interview with Ms Orr this can be found in our Middle School newsletter on the Accessit homepage Miss Pearce
P2. LOOKING BACK - THE LIBRARY IN OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER
P3. LOOKING FORWARD - THE LIBRARY IN DECEMBER/JANUARY
P4. “MY LIFE IN BOOKS” - STAFF INTERVIEW - CAIN NOLAN-HUTCHINSON
P5. NEW ARRIVALS
P6 BOOK CLUB & “WHAT WE READ IN THE LIBRARY”
Looking Back - The Library in November
On Display in the LRC Food and Nutrition
In Food and Nutrition U4 students create their own digital recipe books that combine precision, creativity, and culinary knowledge.
BookDoctor-
Book in to find your next read
November saw the launch of our new Book Doctor service.
If you’re stuck on what to read next, contact us to find the perfect book to get lost in over Christmas
library@lehs org uk
The Booker Prize Winner : Orbital
“Many students use the resources in the library to gain inspiration for their own recipes and include fascinating facts about the ingredients and techniques, offering an educational element that makes cooking an enjoyable learning experience.”
~ Ms Boczkowski
Head of Food and Nutrition
The LEH Book Awards 2024
Brought to you by L/U4 Book Club
The L/U4 Book Club decided that this year they would like to run an official LEH Book Awards
The club have chosen 9 categories to vote on, with three finalists in each.
Head down to the LRC to cast your vote for The Best Romance, Best Murder and Best Smelling Book amongst others!
- Author Samantha Harvey became the first woman since 2019 to win the Booker Prize.
Orbital is a novel propelled by the beauty of sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets Everyone and no one is the subject, as six astronauts in the International Space Station circle the Earth observing the passages of weather across the fragility of borders and time zones With her language of lyricism and acuity Harvey makes our world strange and new for us
~ The Booker Prizes Continue reading on their website
Looking Forward - Coming to the Library in December
Festive Support
As we move towards the festive period we know that social and family gatherings whilst lovely, can be challenging for some and leave us feeling tired.
Upper School Book Club
Next term we are looking to start an upper school book group You will be in control of the books we read and we will meet every other week If you are interested please contact library@lehs org uk
We have curated a set of books in the 6th form library that might help you prepare for some of the social challenges, family dynamics, or just the need for escapism! You can now renew your own books...here’s how!
Booky Podcast
Host LeVar Burton invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into great short fiction.
~ The Usual Santas
A sweet and whimsical Christmas story, perfect listening for when you’re knee deep in mince pie baking!
~ The Paper Menagerie
The incredibly moving short story from the collection of the same name by Ken Liu (available in the LRC) The only story ever to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards
Click on your name & ‘My
Hover over the book you want to renew and simply click ‘renew’
My Life in Books
Cain Nolan-Hutchinson -Data Administrator
Cain joined LEH in June 2022 as a Data Administrator which means he is on hand for dealing with any lesson cover as well as helping out with reports and timetables for both Junior and Senior School. He is an avid library user and is always on hand for an impromptu book-chat.
I have been reading for as long as I can remember
– mainly starting with very basic children’s books, but the first pair of series that I loved were written by Enid Blyton: The Faraway Tree series and The Famous Five. This started the love I have for Fantasy books and had a long-lasting effect on the types of books I tend to enjoy.
I remember being around 11 or 12 when my friend’s mum saw me reading a book and informed me that she worked for a publisher (UK Chicken House). She then asked if I would like to read books that she received first? As a young lad who adored reading new books, this was the best thing anyone could have asked me. As a result of this lovely friend, I got the opportunity to read books like Shade’s Children and Inkheart before they had even been released in bookstores! This started a period of avid reading that lasted until I was around 15 or 16.
I fell out of love with reading for a few years (I wanted to be a professional football/rugby player) and it wasn’t until my older brother’s friend handed me a book named “The Legend of Deathwalker” by David Gemmell, that my true love for Fantasy blossomed. After reading this book that included Gemmell’s most famous character, Druss,
I went to my local library and the school library and read absolutely everything I could find written by Gemmell.
Unfortunately, Gemmell passed away quite young, so I never got the opportunity to meet him and let him know how strong an effect his writing had had on me, particularly the characters of Druss and Skilgannon.
As a teen with lots of anger and no idea how to deal with it, reading about Druss and Skilgannon helped to teach me how to handle negative emotions in a positive manner, as well as helping to provide a code that resonated strongly with me (see bottom of page for quote). This then led to me reading the Lord of the Rings series, and again, the way in which men were written in those books had a profound effect on how I interacted with the world around me.
As I got older, I realised that reading was very much an escape I looked forward to and during periods of homelessness during my late teens and early twenties, the fantasy worlds in books were often my only source of happiness.
Luckily, no matter how miserable the world is outside, you can always find a friendly face in your favourite book.
I wanted to write this small piece as I wanted to let people know that the love of reading is one that waxes and wanes over the years and yet will stay with you as you grow older. It allows you to gain knowledge in areas completely alien to you, as well as helping to expand your vocabulary, increase cognitive ability and helps you to understand people and their actions.
As a young(ish) male reader, I find it exceptionally difficult sometimes to find other males of my age range that read much at all and this is something I miss, as I love to discuss themes and characters in stories all the time. On this note, I’d like to invite as many of the staff as possible to join us in the Staff Book Club! We are meeting on the 14th of January at 4:10pm to discuss a book called Kala by Colin Walsh and I would love it if I wasn’t the only male in there this time round!
The Iron Code of Druss:
“Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.”
StaffBookClub
Autumn Term Book 1 Spring Term Book 2
This term we read Our Wives Under the Sea by LEH Alumni Julia Armfield.
What We Read in the Library
The Battle Drum
by Saara El-Arifi
Our next book will be Kala by Colin Walsh
Meeting 14th Jan 16.10 in NF5
P
The Battle Drum is the sequel to The Final Strife which is set in a fantasy world where the Empire is ruled by blood Red bloods are the elite, those in control Blue bloods are the poor workers Clear bloods are the servants, invisible within society However there are plans to change this
“The Final Strife was one of the best starts to a new fantasy series I have seen, particularly from a debut author I am pleased to confirm that The Battle drum did not disappoint building the world from where the first ended
It can be interesting how real world issues are highlighted within fantasy novels This series looks at the struggle for freedom and equality with themes of classism and racism. Alongside these themes we have two strong female characters who grow throughout the story, bringing hope within a corrupt society “
Soar
by Lord Simon Woolley
Ms Hens
“After reading an interview with Lord Woolley around Black History Month I was moved to read his autobiography The theme of this years BHM was ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ and this novel certainly worked to readdress my understanding of politics through the lense of non-white voters.
The early personal biographical details provide a raw human element to frame the later in-depth politics of Operation Black Vote (a not for profit run by Lord Woolley and other volunteers to encourage voters from black and other ethnical minority backgrounds to vote) We journey through the Blair Years, Brexit, and Covid with an insight into Theresa May’s lesser-known contribution to minority ethnicities. Lord Woolley does an outstanding job of remaining non-partisan and showcasing how politics doesn’t have to be so polarised, whilst giving hope to anyone who feels marginalised in government and society ”
