National Year of Reading - Exploring The World Through Books
As part of the National Year of Reading, we are delighted to celebrate our teachers and the book they read. This month, we are featuring Miss Carter, our lead teacher for international trips and a passionate traveller.
Over the years, she has given our students the opportunity to experience the wider world, leading adventures to Peru, Borneo, Malawi and Iceland, with exciting plans currently underway for a trip to China. When she’s not travelling Miss Carter continues to explore the world through her reading - discovering new places and cultures from the comfort of her armchair.
Why I Read (and Why I Read the Way I Do) By Miss Carter
I love getting lost in stories from somewhere else. I naturally drift toward foreign literature because it lets me step into another culture or another moment in time. Reading becomes a kind of travelling, sometimes even better than the real thing. I’m also someone who reads a few books at once. It means I can switch depending on my mood or how tired I am. If one book takes a while to get going, having something lighter on the side keeps me reading. Recommendations are one of my favourite ways to discover new books. There’s something special about reading something a friend or family member loved. And honestly, nothing beats the airport bookshop. That little pocket of time before a flight, browsing shelves, spotting new titles, choosing a story to take with you feels like a ritual. In a world full of stories, it’s nice to share the ones that stay with you.
Reading My Way Through Japan
Over the past month, I’ve been reading books set in Japan after travelling there over Easter. I love reading about places I’m visiting (or have just visited) because it adds another layer to what you see. Usually I start with recommendations from Lonely Planet, but this time friends came through with some brilliant suggestions.
What I’ve Been Reading ...
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Butter by Asako Yuzuki
This was my first deep dive into Japanese fiction, and I had no idea what to expect. It’s technically crime fiction, but nothing like the crime novels I’ve read before. Instead of fast‑paced twists, it focuses on relationships, emotions, and the slow, careful development of its characters. The descriptive style took a little getting used to, but by the end I didn’t want it to finish. The characters felt so vivid. I’ve since discovered there’s a sequel, which is definitely on my list for this year.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
This one is set in Jimbocho, the district in Tokyo where I stayed, completely by accident. It’s known as a booklover’s paradise, full of second‑hand bookshops. Reading this after wandering those streets made the neighbourhood feel even more alive. It’s a short book but surprisingly impactful, especially in how it captures the pressures, contradictions, and beauty of Japanese culture.
Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad
Written by an Englishman who moved to Japan to teach after university, this book has hints of Bill Bryson’s humour. Within twenty pages I was ready to pack up and go teach in Japan myself, and the nostalgia took me straight back to finishing university and living abroad. Reading it while actually being in Japan even changed parts of our itinerary, nudging us toward some lesser‑known places and experiences we might have otherwise missed.
Llama Drama by Laura McDuff
I’m currently reading this one, recommended by a friend. It’s an autobiography about two women cycling across Central America, full of adventure, challenge, and curiosity. What I love about travel and travel writing is how it nudges you to be brave, to trust in the kindness of strangers, and to step into life a bit more boldly. I’m not planning to cycle the Andes anytime soon, but I am definitely planning a trip to Bolivia and maybe a cycling adventure this summer.
