Friday, September 11, 2009
Start of School Revisited
So... in my last post I said I would probably read about 5,000 pages this semester. Well, I was really bored, so I decided to do the math really quick. I've already read 2,140 pages this semester!! That doesn't include essays, articles, or text books. That's 2,140 of creative literature. So, I'm revising my estimate to 15,000 pages by Dec. 18.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Start of School
While for some people, the start of school may mean that they suddenly have no time to read, for me it means that I have no time to do anything but read. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it does get draining to intelligently read approximately 150 pages a night... and write papers on said reading. This semester is by far my most intense reading load. By December 18, I will have read at least 45 books and countless articles. I'm putting the estimate in at 5,000 pages of reading and about 100 pages of writing for the semester. Luckily I'm really excited about it all.
That being said, I probably won't have much time to update this blog. I'm taking The Bible as Literature (Great class! Take it from Steve Walker if you can!), American Literature from 1960-Present, 21st Century American Literature, and Literature for Adolescents. If you want to hear more about what I'm reading for my Literature for Adolescents class, you'll have to join Goodreads. I'm required to write reviews of the books I read for that class on there, so I mostly likely won't write about them here (especially since I have to read 2 books a week for that class!!). I'll try to update though when I finish a book for one of my American Lit. classes though.
I just finished The March, by E.L. Doctorow for my 21st Century American Lit. class. The best thing about this book, is that I didn't feel like I was reading a required book. Although I might not have picked this up off the shelf, there's a reason my professor chose it. He wants to expose us to books that will become classics (or at least that he hopes will become classics) and give us a chance to do some of the first writing on these texts. This was a very interesting look at Sherman's march through the South during the Civil War. One of the things that stuck me the most throughout this book was the question of morals.
Written after 9/11, this book talks a lot about the ethics of total war. Is it fair to kill civilians and destroy their property in order to beat your enemy? Everyone would say "absolutely not" if they were asked this in relation to terrorists. Most Americans believe that terrorism is wrong--even to the point of being cowardly. But how do you feel when you think about that question in terms of Sherman's march or the atomic bombs? They ended wars, but at what cost? Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and made homeless during these events... was winning a war worth the cost? Can it ever be worth the cost? I'm not saying that I condemn the United States for using either of these tactics in order to bring wars to a close. In fact, I have the utmost faith that the Presidents who ordered these things or allowed them to happen made the right choice and save the country and the world a lot of misery. It's just something to think about as our world gets more and more embroiled in wars and conflicts and as we get involved in the world around us.
That being said, I probably won't have much time to update this blog. I'm taking The Bible as Literature (Great class! Take it from Steve Walker if you can!), American Literature from 1960-Present, 21st Century American Literature, and Literature for Adolescents. If you want to hear more about what I'm reading for my Literature for Adolescents class, you'll have to join Goodreads. I'm required to write reviews of the books I read for that class on there, so I mostly likely won't write about them here (especially since I have to read 2 books a week for that class!!). I'll try to update though when I finish a book for one of my American Lit. classes though.
I just finished The March, by E.L. Doctorow for my 21st Century American Lit. class. The best thing about this book, is that I didn't feel like I was reading a required book. Although I might not have picked this up off the shelf, there's a reason my professor chose it. He wants to expose us to books that will become classics (or at least that he hopes will become classics) and give us a chance to do some of the first writing on these texts. This was a very interesting look at Sherman's march through the South during the Civil War. One of the things that stuck me the most throughout this book was the question of morals.
Written after 9/11, this book talks a lot about the ethics of total war. Is it fair to kill civilians and destroy their property in order to beat your enemy? Everyone would say "absolutely not" if they were asked this in relation to terrorists. Most Americans believe that terrorism is wrong--even to the point of being cowardly. But how do you feel when you think about that question in terms of Sherman's march or the atomic bombs? They ended wars, but at what cost? Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and made homeless during these events... was winning a war worth the cost? Can it ever be worth the cost? I'm not saying that I condemn the United States for using either of these tactics in order to bring wars to a close. In fact, I have the utmost faith that the Presidents who ordered these things or allowed them to happen made the right choice and save the country and the world a lot of misery. It's just something to think about as our world gets more and more embroiled in wars and conflicts and as we get involved in the world around us.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Just for you Andy...
Andy keeps asking me when I'm going to update my blog and write about the last couple books I've read, and I keep telling him I have no motivation. Mostly because I've been busy at work and I've been busy outside of work studying for the GRE (or justifying my reasons for why I don't need to study for the GRE to Andy) and school starts in a week and a half!!! Which means that I've been busy buying my books, searching for the perfect planner for the year (luckily I found the same one I had last year... only after spending a couple hours agonizing over the choices in the bookstore), and looking at my syllabi. In case you don't know me very well, I'm a compulsive organizer... and the beginning of the semester is a dream come true for me. I get to plan where I'm going to buy my books so I can get them for the absolute cheapest (if you want the best used books you have to go the day after book buy back ends!) and then as syllabi come on-line I get to make all sorts of lists (what readings I have for each day/week, what things are do on what days, etc.). It's basically a dream come true... and it's the last semester I get to really enjoy this! The sad thing about graduate school is that I only can take 2 classes a semester, so there's really not that much to organize. But I digress....
I've actually read one good book and one really good book. I'll start with the good book. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. This was a wonderful book, it really was. It's the story of a second generation Indian-American boy as he grows up and comes to terms with his heritage. The story is beautifully written, I just don't care for some of the plot elements. There's not anything crude or awful, I just wish some things hadn't happened that's all. But I guess in a way, that's why I did like it. The reason why I liked this book is that I think it's something that's applicable to everyone. Everyone has to struggle with finding their own way in life. Growing up as a member of the Church outside of Utah I was in many ways an immigrant in my own country. I came from a different culture than most of my friends (despite the fact that they are all awesome Christians!): I couldn't go do things on Sundays, I didn't party, my parents weren't divorced, I didn't swear or dress immodestly. Some of these seem like pretty small things, but when you're confronted with people constantly questioning every move you make... it sets you apart. Unlike the main character who distances himself from everything his parents hold dear only to come back to his Indian heritage years later, I've never left the Church. I've always believed it and known of it's truth, but the point I'm trying to make is that I could identify with the struggles of an adult who is trying to fit in with what the world expects and who he is deep down.
The other book that I've read recently was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down! It's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. This was such an amazing book. It's the story of two women (although it's told from the point of view from one of them) who were bound together as children (not literally, but figuratively) as laotongs or what we would call an arranged best friend. Here's a link to a synopsis of the book. I can't even begin to do it justice. It's such an incredible book that makes you really take a look at the relationships in your lives. This was an excellent book for me to read right now especially. Since getting married I've fallen into the newlywed trap of spending 99% of my time when I'm not working with my husband... not that it's a bad thing. But especially with school starting and everyone getting back from all their adventures, I really needed to stop and think about whether or not I'm putting enough emphasis on my relationships outside of my marriage.
In the book the laotong relationship is supposed to be put even above the marriage. When one of the women goes to visit the other the husband must leave his marriage bed and let the two women sleep together. While I'm not saying that putting that much emphasis on a friendship is good in our social structure now where we get to marry who we want instead of having an arranged marriage, I think it's something to think about. Who in your life would you be that excited to see? Is there any person of the same sex, besides a sibling, who you miss so much when they're not around that if given the chance you would tell your significant other that they're on their own for the night because you want to spend time with that friend?
I've actually read one good book and one really good book. I'll start with the good book. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. This was a wonderful book, it really was. It's the story of a second generation Indian-American boy as he grows up and comes to terms with his heritage. The story is beautifully written, I just don't care for some of the plot elements. There's not anything crude or awful, I just wish some things hadn't happened that's all. But I guess in a way, that's why I did like it. The reason why I liked this book is that I think it's something that's applicable to everyone. Everyone has to struggle with finding their own way in life. Growing up as a member of the Church outside of Utah I was in many ways an immigrant in my own country. I came from a different culture than most of my friends (despite the fact that they are all awesome Christians!): I couldn't go do things on Sundays, I didn't party, my parents weren't divorced, I didn't swear or dress immodestly. Some of these seem like pretty small things, but when you're confronted with people constantly questioning every move you make... it sets you apart. Unlike the main character who distances himself from everything his parents hold dear only to come back to his Indian heritage years later, I've never left the Church. I've always believed it and known of it's truth, but the point I'm trying to make is that I could identify with the struggles of an adult who is trying to fit in with what the world expects and who he is deep down.
The other book that I've read recently was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down! It's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. This was such an amazing book. It's the story of two women (although it's told from the point of view from one of them) who were bound together as children (not literally, but figuratively) as laotongs or what we would call an arranged best friend. Here's a link to a synopsis of the book. I can't even begin to do it justice. It's such an incredible book that makes you really take a look at the relationships in your lives. This was an excellent book for me to read right now especially. Since getting married I've fallen into the newlywed trap of spending 99% of my time when I'm not working with my husband... not that it's a bad thing. But especially with school starting and everyone getting back from all their adventures, I really needed to stop and think about whether or not I'm putting enough emphasis on my relationships outside of my marriage.
In the book the laotong relationship is supposed to be put even above the marriage. When one of the women goes to visit the other the husband must leave his marriage bed and let the two women sleep together. While I'm not saying that putting that much emphasis on a friendship is good in our social structure now where we get to marry who we want instead of having an arranged marriage, I think it's something to think about. Who in your life would you be that excited to see? Is there any person of the same sex, besides a sibling, who you miss so much when they're not around that if given the chance you would tell your significant other that they're on their own for the night because you want to spend time with that friend?
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