Bookworms of Elias

In the autumn of 2007 we started up an English bookclub at Mikael Elias Teoretiska Gymnasium of Gothenburg. The club has had great success and many long, philosophical sessions on the novels we have read and about reading in general. We have read novels such as; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Slam by Nick Hornby and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The second year our bookclub has grown even bigger and it is going very strong indeed thanks to all the lovely students participating in it. Below a few of the members have been kind enough to present themselves a bit as well as to recommend a novel they like.

Hi! My name is Mikaela Andersson. I’m doing my first year at METG. I’m a proud member of the Bookworms of Elias, even though I find the name a bit silly. During my time I’ve so far only read The Bookthief and Slam, but I’m looking forward to reading more books. I love reading and I believe that a book deserves to be read in its intended language, which is why I read so much in English. That is, besides the fact that the English language is very beautiful. On my to-read list right now are Shakespeare, Douglas Adams, Oscar Wilde and H.P. Lovecraft. Some of my favorite books which I recommend everyone reading; are Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the Holmes and Russell series by Laurie R. King (starting with the Beekeeper’s Apprentice) and The Princess Bride by William Goldman.  

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
16-year-old Mary Russell is an intelligent young lady in the early 1910s. One day, she happens to actually walk into the person who’d come to change and influence her entire life. One mister Sherlock Holmes, by then retired and settled in a little country cottage. By coincidence they discover that Russell might be one of the very rare matches for Holmes’ brain, and he takes her in as his apprentice. Turns out that old Sherlock might not be as retired as he would like to seem.

About The Princess Bride:
I’m not sure if the reason I like this book so much is because of my undying love for the movie version made in 1987, but it is an amazingly humoristic book about... well, I can’t put it better than author William Goldman. It’s got: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." Go read it.

Hi! I’m Maria, a first grader here at METG. I’m a big fan of books and I use a lot of my spare time to read. I mostly read books written in Swedish but I do love to read English literature as well. It’s not too surprisingly then, that I’m a member of the English book club that we have in school, called “The Bookworms of Elias”. Since it’s my first year we’ve only read Slam by Nick Horny and recentlyThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I don’t have any particular favorite books, although I can read theTwilight Saga and Pride and Prejudice over and over again. Currently, I’m reading Moby Dick since I really love the classics. If I were to recommend any book I would probably go with Pride and Prejudice, seeing that it’s a book one must have read!

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most loved and read
novels and is also the most famous one by the author Jane Austen:

Elizabeth Bennet is one of five daughters of a country gentleman in the 19th century’s England. Her mother’s goal is that all her daughters marry rich and she’s therefore thrilled when a young gentleman, named Mr. Bingley, settles in an estate near them. He brought his best friend Mr. Darcy (whom is even richer than Mr. Bingley himself) along with him. Elizabeth’s first impression is that Mr. Darcy is a very proud, arrogant and conceited man and after their first encounter she’s sure that she absolutely loathes him. He dislikes her as much as she dislikes him but in time they find themselves wrong about each other and also their feelings towards one another start to grow…

Hello! I’m Sandra, a second grader at METG. Among other interests I really love to read. Therefore it might not be very surprising to find me as one of the founding and active members in the Bookworms of Elias. We’ve read books like the Slam, Pride and Prejudice, and my personal favourite; the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I recently read all four books of the Twilight Saga and I’m currently reading Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama. I don’t have a favourite book that I think is much better then all others, but I lately read Sara’s Face by Melvin Burgess and it is truly a book worth reading.

Here’s a short review of what the book’s about:

Sara’s a 17-year.old girl who suffers from anorexia and schizophrenia and is self-harming, and who’s obsessed with her looks and the idea of beauty. She is good looking as well as a talented singer and actress. Her vision in life is to become famous, so when she meets the legendary singer Jonathon Heat and is given the opportunity to become a star she doesn’t hesitate. However, Jonathon is not only famous for his career as a singer, but is also known as the man of a thousand faces. He has done several face surgeries which have resulted in a messed up face beyond hope of reconstruction, unless… Jonathon Heat doesn’t want Sara’s talent; Jonathon Heat wants Sara’s face.