MUSIC

•     No thank you , by Little Simz . Recommended by Mrs Rauch

It is the 5th album by British rapper Little Simz, released in December 2022.  Watch her performing her track ‘Heart On Fire’ on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert', joined by the Harlem Gospel Choir, B String Quartet, and members of the Late Show Band HERE. Stunning!

•     A hero's death, by Fontaines DC . Recommended by Mrs Rauch

The second album from Dublin band Fontaines DC , recorded in LA. The band got their name from a character in the movie The Godfather called Johnny Fontane, a singer and movie star, godson of Vito Corleone. Originally they were called The Fontaines, but they added the initials "D.C." when a band in Los Angeles had the same name. The initials D.C. stand for "Dublin City".

I love the poetry suffusing both music and lyrics. HERE is  my favourite song , the title track A hero's death .

BOOKS

• "This is going to hurt" by Adam Kay. Recommended by Mrs Bucher                      
    Wish to become a doctor? You might review your opinion when you read this hilarious book;it  might put you off going to hospital altogether. It is a scathing analysis of the NHS. If you're not squeamish give it a try! 

• To kill a mocking bird  by Harper Lee  Recommended by Mrs Rauch
  

 Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression, but Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society.

To the consternation of Maycomb’s racist white community, Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticus’s decision, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children.

• LaRose  by Louise Erdrich.     Recommended by Mrs Rauch
  

Can a person do the worst possible thing and still be loved? A man named Landreaux accidentally kills his best friend's son. Faced with his guilt, he and his wife decide to follow their Indian ancestors' customs, and to give their own son LaRose to the dead child's parents. LaRose was named after his ancestors, known for their gifts of healing,and the story goes back and forth between what happened to the first LaRose in 1839, and the details of the exchange in the years following the accident. A story of redemption and love, and a great insight nto Indian traditions and beliefs.

FILMS

Blinded by the light, by Gurinder Chadha; Recommended by  Mrs Jordache .       In England in 1987, a teenager from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen. Find out more Here;