World Book Day Recommendations

This year to celebrate World Book Day, I would like to share with you some of the books that I have recently had the pleasure of reading. Some of these may be useful for studying, but more importantly they're just a good read!

The Women Who Spied for Britain: Female Secret Agents of the Second World War by Robyn Walker.

The Women Who Spied for Britain: Female Secret Agents of the Second World War by Robyn Walker.

After recently visiting the Imperial War Museum's exhibition on spies, I picked up this book to find out a little more. I have heard of some of the amazing women before now like Noor Inayat Khan, but this book gives a great account of several different women who took on some of the most dangerous jobs during the war. Walker can make an effortless read, while also having all the elements I love in a history book (references I can use tan o research further, index for when I need to go back to check something and some sources, i.e. photographs which I like using in my classes). As a result, this is an interesting read to those who do not study history but have some interest in the world of espionage, WWII or the role of women. It is also good for those who are studying history, including how to write up a bibliography, and makes this often overstudied area much more interesting.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Complete Trilogy, by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

This fun, sci-fi book, or should I say, trilogy of five books, has been one of those that I have always meant to read but never got around to reading. I am so glad that I recently started it! Sci-fi isn't something I normally read, but this book is so funny that I believe anybody would enjoy reading this - even those who do not think sci-fi books are for them. Some of the humour may not land for younger audiences because of the satirical look on life as an adult, but the sheer ridiculousness of some parts will sure to make anybody laugh. I am obsessed with the depressed and superintelligent robot, Marvin! The first story is not too long, and may therefore suit on readers who would not consider themselves 'readers' and encourage them to read the whole trilogy (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; and Mostly Harmless).

Hercule Poirot: the Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot: the Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie

There are so many good stories that I couldn’t decide on one, so I have decided to recommend the whole book! I don’t expect everybody to read over 50 Agatha Christie stories in a row - I certainly didn't. Anybody who loves a murder mystery or who likes Sherlock Holmes will no doubt enjoy this character who, by Christie’s own admission, is based on the infamous Sherlock Holmes. Given that an individual story is extremely short, this may be a good way to get non-readers into reading a little more without committing to a really fat book (although 50 stories together is a really fat book!). It must be sent that the terms used are not always politically correct given that they were mainly written in the 1920s however, despite the cultural differences between now and then, the overall stories and structure of the stories make them a fascinating read. From an educational point of view, they are good examples of how to write a short story and can help with the structure for English language GCSE creative writing questions.