“At Books and Biscuits we do what it says on the tin, we read books and enjoy a biscuit or two. The aim of the club is to engage the Sixth Formers in reading for pleasure. We deliberately want our readers to read outside their chosen or familiar genres, ensuring we expand our knowledge of the world around us, nurture empathy and solidify our culture capital. All qualities that are transferrable to every career out there.” – Mrs Fouché

One of our members, Gavin, wrote this review about our chosen book of last term:

“These last few weeks we have been reading July’s People. A book published in 1981 by Nobel Prize winner, Nadine Gordimer; it focuses on an alternate history in which the oppressive system of Apartheid leads to the outbreak of violent war between the mistreated black people and their white oppressors in South Africa.

The story focuses on the Smales, an upper-class white family who have been forced into hiding in the village of their servant (July) because of the war. While their children manage to adapt to this new life, the couple find themselves struggling to cope with the sudden change in living as well as the souring of relationship between July and themselves.

While this riveting story was out of my preferred book genres to read, it still nevertheless felt of value to me. To interpret the rich and layered story encouraged me to change my perspective on various ideas, even if I couldn’t fully understand them because that was the point: you can’t go into something new expecting to know where it will take you or how you’ll get there. The uncertainty shouldn’t stop you pushing through anyways and seeing what comes next.”