Mike left me for a man named Kevin and a tent up in Yosemite. It's really hurting my self-image as a wife. So, to console myself I'm planning on breaking out a piece of cheesecake, watching Doc Martin and thinking about what to do next on the short story I'm writing. (It's due Wednesday! YIKES!)
I did want to leave you with my booklist for the year. Now, these are the books I'm determined to read this year, and if I have time I'll stick some more on the end. But I'm not a particularly fast reader, despite being an avid one. I think it's cause I stop to re-read things all the time and take notes in the margins. I used to feel really embarrassed about that, until just recently I was reading an article that said "deep reading" was going the way of the dodo bird. (For those of you who don't know, the dodo is extinct.) They mentioned things like re-reading, making connections to previous parts of the book, and taking notes when they described deep-reading. I was so relieved! I thought I was just slower than everyone else! But now I realize I'm probably just doing more than a lot of people when they read. It's great to just read for pleasure, without analyzing deeply, etc. But I just find that kind of thing a lot of fun. It's like when I watch a movie: I need to talk about it with someone so we can discuss the artistic qualities of it and the acting and the plot, etc., and if there is a moral, what it is, etc. I guess it just makes it more fun for me.
Anyway, on with the list!
Non-Fiction
The Last Empty Places by Peter Stark (Already started it. It is sooooo good so far!)
Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal history of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
Classical Tradition by Anthony Grafton
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Fiction
Room by Emma Donoghue
Solar by Ian McEwan
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
Bloodroot by Amy Greene
Poetry
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon (I'm really excited about this one!)
God Damsel by Reb Livingston
Plays
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
What are you reading?
Showing posts with label I Was Doing Some Light Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I Was Doing Some Light Reading. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My Paradoxes Concerning The Future of English
I just finished reading Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue: English And How It Got That Way. It was a fun read, even though I had to set it down for a while to finish some projects before the year's end. Bryson is very entertaining and the book shows a lot of research. Perhaps his most insightful chapter however is the very last: "The Future of English." He discusses the perceptions of English speakers on that topic--particularly Americans. He gives people's reasoning behind their thinking and finally ends with his own thoughts and reasoning.
I admit I have been one to voice the necessity for immigrants to learn English and how we should really just make it mandatory and how unfair it is that any other nation would not conceive of bending over backwards to accommodate an immigrant who doesn't learn the native language of that place, etc, etc. And at the same time I have often thought how cool it is we don't actually have a specified official language; how free that makes us! We bend and twist, because we can. We are able to change as necessary (theoretically).
I have also thought about how sad it makes me that English--particularly American English--seems to be taking over the world. Dialects are disappearing and British and American English are moving closer and closer toward one another. All too soon there won't be anyone who uses Mexican relish anymore; we'll all just use salsa. How piteous will be the world then! It is rare that the grandchild of immigrants from any culture to America are fluent in their ancestral language. My mother is the granddaughter of immigrants, and I have often felt a slight pang of resentfulness towards my ancestors for not speaking strictly in Lithuanian at home so I could know it now. It is a portion of my ancestry that is lost to me and not likely to be regained. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, which is exactly what regulating foreign languages in the United States would do. There are who groups of people who push for this very thing, arguing that it would decrease the differences between cultures. Bryson's counter-argument is sublime: "It is interesting to speculate also whether the member of U.S. English would be so enthusiastic about language regulations if they were transferred to Quebec and found their own language effectively outlawed." He also points out that the countries with the biggest problems between immigrants and the natives are those that strive to suppress qualities of the immigrating culture (240)--and it's easy to see that language is by far the most significant cultural quality.
See, I love English. That's what it really comes down to. I love all dialects of English, and the most correct, precise, academic forms as well. I love all types of English literature and the sound of it when it's read out loud. So to think that English might one day be disposed of frightens me just in the same way it does to think it would dispose of other languages. But after reading Bryson's book I realize that thinking English is going the way of Latin must be an irrational phobia. (In fact, I'm sure it is, and it kind of embarrasses me to think that it took reading a book for me to actually realize that fact. That's how obvious it is.) As Bryson says in his last two sentences, "If we should be worrying about anything to do with the future of English, it should be not that the various strands will drift apart but that they will grow indistinguishable. And what a sad, sad loss that would be" (245).
I admit I have been one to voice the necessity for immigrants to learn English and how we should really just make it mandatory and how unfair it is that any other nation would not conceive of bending over backwards to accommodate an immigrant who doesn't learn the native language of that place, etc, etc. And at the same time I have often thought how cool it is we don't actually have a specified official language; how free that makes us! We bend and twist, because we can. We are able to change as necessary (theoretically).
I have also thought about how sad it makes me that English--particularly American English--seems to be taking over the world. Dialects are disappearing and British and American English are moving closer and closer toward one another. All too soon there won't be anyone who uses Mexican relish anymore; we'll all just use salsa. How piteous will be the world then! It is rare that the grandchild of immigrants from any culture to America are fluent in their ancestral language. My mother is the granddaughter of immigrants, and I have often felt a slight pang of resentfulness towards my ancestors for not speaking strictly in Lithuanian at home so I could know it now. It is a portion of my ancestry that is lost to me and not likely to be regained. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, which is exactly what regulating foreign languages in the United States would do. There are who groups of people who push for this very thing, arguing that it would decrease the differences between cultures. Bryson's counter-argument is sublime: "It is interesting to speculate also whether the member of U.S. English would be so enthusiastic about language regulations if they were transferred to Quebec and found their own language effectively outlawed." He also points out that the countries with the biggest problems between immigrants and the natives are those that strive to suppress qualities of the immigrating culture (240)--and it's easy to see that language is by far the most significant cultural quality.
See, I love English. That's what it really comes down to. I love all dialects of English, and the most correct, precise, academic forms as well. I love all types of English literature and the sound of it when it's read out loud. So to think that English might one day be disposed of frightens me just in the same way it does to think it would dispose of other languages. But after reading Bryson's book I realize that thinking English is going the way of Latin must be an irrational phobia. (In fact, I'm sure it is, and it kind of embarrasses me to think that it took reading a book for me to actually realize that fact. That's how obvious it is.) As Bryson says in his last two sentences, "If we should be worrying about anything to do with the future of English, it should be not that the various strands will drift apart but that they will grow indistinguishable. And what a sad, sad loss that would be" (245).
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tribute to the Livermore Library
Although I just wrote this post, I have been thinking about writing it for a while now. It seems today, April 23, is World Book and Copyright Day (thank you, Lucy), which means it also seems like a very fitting day to publish it!
We have an awesome library here in Livermore. It's amazing. Really, I think the most incredible library I have ever seen accessibility- and resources-wise. (Although I am not seeing "The Wizard of Oz" in their movies collection, but it might just be checked out.) It's also a beautiful library, inside and out. The best part is we live only a three minute walk from it through a lovely little park.
Madie loves this mosaic on the outside walkway of the entry. It has characters from history and stories--old and new--all over it. And it's surrounded by a stone bench which is supported by stack of stone books.
Woah, Dad! Check it out!
It's ME!
The library has story times for "lap-sitters" and toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners during the week. Madie and I went on Wednesday this week and she thoroughly enjoyed watching the other kids. It's nice for her to see kids crawling, etc. Hopefully it will motivate her.
Another cool aspect of the library is a cafe in the east wing with a little outdoor area too. Mike and I keep meaning to try it, but we haven't yet. There's also a used-book room where you can buy any of the books, magazines, movies, and audio books the library no longer needs or wants. My favorite feature though is the large selection of foreign language children's books to choose from, all conveniently located in one sweet little section of the children's area. It's exactly what I've been looking for since I've started learning Russian, and now Madie and I read between three and five short Russian stories or poems every morning. We look at the pictures, translate what we understand, and then pull out the dictionary and translate the rest.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Secret of Kells
I want to see this movie. It's up for best animated film, and I hadn't even heard about it until this week! It uses a method of art called illumination. For those of you who don't read Old English texts, illumination is when the text is accompanied by decoration (kind of like this blog border). In its strictest sense, it is inlaid with gold and silver. I'm sure everyone has seen it in one place or another.
My understanding is that The Secret of Kells is based on an old manuscript that was transliterated and illuminated by Irish monks. The film follows a young boy named Brendon who lives in the monastery and an older monk named Kells who is known for his illuminations. But enough of my blabber, here's the trailer!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Climbing Out of the Classics Crisis
Great Books by Authors Who Aren't Dead Yet, I think, should catch some attention. It's written by a professor of mine here at BYU-I--he teaches my American Literature class. And don't worry, he's not so egotistical as to tell me about it himself, I actually found out from a friend who is in another class of his. Apparently, he has a competition going between him and his students in that class (individually) to get the most followers. I told him I had found out about his blog, but I had promised my friend not to officially follow his blog until after the semester since he is already winning the race.
So, not all good books were written by dead authors? Fascinating! Who knew!
I was recently in a debate with my boss, who has a number of degrees, one of which is a doctorate in classics - which means he studied lots of Latin, Greek, old literature, and ancient politics and humanities. I told him I had tortuously forced my way through The Iliad but thought it was one of the most boring books I have ever read, and aside from that, poorly written. He was astonished at my feelings.
"How could you possibly think that?! The Iliad is a masterpiece!"
"The Iliad is pointless. But if you insist on liking it, I wont hold it against you."
After a little of this back and forth, we finally broke into formal debate. He argued that The Iliad had proven itself over millennia, which is evident in the literal plethora of readers who have "enjoyed" it over that time.
I gave him the "Are you kidding me?" face and asked, "So, because a lot of people - most of whom are dead - love it, it's great writing?"
"Well, you can't argue with them, can you?"
"Yeah, I can. A, they're dead. B, they have been told to like it and for centuries the teacher was always right. C, who says half those people even know what "good" writing is, if, indeed, it is definable?" (I believe it is definable, but I tend to avoid the argument because it is nearly impossible to prove due to the varying values people hold.)
Eventually he did acknowledge that basing the quality of a book on its age or by the number of people who have read it was inaccurate and unfair, but he stuck to his opinion that the book was phenomenal.
I'm not saying if you like The Iliad you obviously have no sense of what good literature is, I'm only saying that we can't allow ourselves to be wrapped up in the world of classics when there is great literature being written right under our noses! Let's broaden our horizons!
So, not all good books were written by dead authors? Fascinating! Who knew!
I was recently in a debate with my boss, who has a number of degrees, one of which is a doctorate in classics - which means he studied lots of Latin, Greek, old literature, and ancient politics and humanities. I told him I had tortuously forced my way through The Iliad but thought it was one of the most boring books I have ever read, and aside from that, poorly written. He was astonished at my feelings.
"How could you possibly think that?! The Iliad is a masterpiece!"
"The Iliad is pointless. But if you insist on liking it, I wont hold it against you."
After a little of this back and forth, we finally broke into formal debate. He argued that The Iliad had proven itself over millennia, which is evident in the literal plethora of readers who have "enjoyed" it over that time.
I gave him the "Are you kidding me?" face and asked, "So, because a lot of people - most of whom are dead - love it, it's great writing?"
"Well, you can't argue with them, can you?"
"Yeah, I can. A, they're dead. B, they have been told to like it and for centuries the teacher was always right. C, who says half those people even know what "good" writing is, if, indeed, it is definable?" (I believe it is definable, but I tend to avoid the argument because it is nearly impossible to prove due to the varying values people hold.)
Eventually he did acknowledge that basing the quality of a book on its age or by the number of people who have read it was inaccurate and unfair, but he stuck to his opinion that the book was phenomenal.
I'm not saying if you like The Iliad you obviously have no sense of what good literature is, I'm only saying that we can't allow ourselves to be wrapped up in the world of classics when there is great literature being written right under our noses! Let's broaden our horizons!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Freshmen Say the Darndest Things
The following are actual lines from an English 101 class I TA for. I have all the papers I'm taking these from right here with me, except one, but believe me, I remember exactly what it says. The prompt isn't always important, but I'm including it anyway for the ones that do. I'm also including my comments and, in rare cases, the comments I wish I could've written. I have made NO variations to what they've written in these quotes.
Prompt: What do you think the difference is between an educated person and an uneducated person?
"For all intensive purposes..."
I believe it's, "for all intents and purposes"
Prompt: What is your favorite book and why?
Sheila B. Favorite book: Bloody Jack, by L. A. Meyer
"You can always tell if a book was well written because it will be turned into a movie."
"Always" and "will" are absolutes. I advise you not to use these.
"I bet if every story had a character this loveable, there would be better books around so you wouldn't have to resort to classics for good reading."
I don't think people really "resort" to classics. I think they just like them. Also, there are some great contemporary novels. I bet you'd love them.
Cherie L. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
"The love in this love story feels so real, the feelings that the characters feel instantly grows onto the reader."
LOTS OF FEELING GOING ON HERE.
Jennifer G. Favorite book: Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
"This is a type of fairytale that isn't for 5 year olds, but it is a kind of fairytale that's only found in the super natural world."
How do these two clauses relate at all?
Jake R. Favorite book: Sahara, by Clive Cussler
"Then in the present day Dirk and Al are trapped between some terroriests and an evil corporate Executive are polluting the Nile, which is spreading towards the ocean."
What exactly is going on? And who exactly is involved?
Rebecca K. Favorite book: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Anne Brashare
"Turns out her father was preparing to be remarried to beautiful blonde woman and her two children."
(Aside from the grammatical corrections): He's going to marry her two kids?
Kayla B. Favorite book: The Chamber, by John Grisham
"...it makes since that this fear will be different for each individual..."
AND THE WINNER IS...
Jon W. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
His closing sentence is: "A book that will leave you crying at the end to finding out that you are not actually Bella."
So, you didn't want to be like the main MALE character of the book? You want to be like Bella? (This one left me in utter perplexity, but I refrained from making any actual comments.)
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