What I'm Reading Spring Semester 2015

Welcome to the semi-annual school book list extravaganza! Okay, so it's not that exciting. But I'm proud to say that this semester I have the extremely reasonable number of 11 books for the next three and a half months. MUCH better than 31. It helps that I only have three courses this semester (I'm trying to make my blog like a fourth class, but so far I'm rather failing at that...) and that only one is an English class.

Liberal arts for the win my friend.

So, let's get started:

New Testament

This was a last-minute addition to my class schedule after Modern Latin American almost put me to sleep...on the first day. Having made the mistake of staying in a class I hated last semester, I escaped immediately. Sadly, I couldn't pick up another history class, but I'll make up for it next year.

BUT ANYWAY. New Testament books:

• New Oxford Annotated Bible: NRSV. Because it wouldn't be a Christianity class without it.
• Parallel Gospels: A Synopsis of Early Christian Writing, by Zeba Crook. So how similar are the gospels after all?
• A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, by Bart D. Ehrman. Just your classic 100-level textbook.

Gender Across Cultures

I return to the anthropology world to learn about gender, one of my favorite subjects (if you get the chance, PLEASE take a women's studies class. It's such an important learning experience). Since this class discusses all types of gender, I look forward to learning more about societal influences on people's everyday lives.

• Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, by Caroline B. Brettel and Carolyn F. Sargent. Just the one textbook...what is this department??

Playwriting

I branch out of my writing comfort-zone into playwriting, where apparently acting is required. I'm nervous, but I think it will be good for me to put myself out there and do more public speaking. Since this is an English class, the book list is more extensive than the others:

• The Clean House & Other Plays, by Sarah Ruhl. I read this for a class two years ago (I'm SO OLD) and really enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it again!
• Topdog/Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks. Apparently it's quite a big deal--lots of people in the class have read it before.
• 4000 Miles, by Amy Herzog. But I would walk 4000 miles, and I would walk 4000 more...
• Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Alegria Hudes. A play that introduces the Internet to the real world. Say no more--I'm intrigued.
• An Almost Holy Picture, by Heather McDonald. One-man show with lots to say.
• The Pillowman, by Martin McDonagh. Judging from the back of the book, this does not include a pillow fight.
• Take Ten II: More Ten-Minute Plays, edited by Eric Lane and Nina Shengold. To inspire me to write my future ten-minute play.

I think all the plays sound interesting; I don't know much about them yet but since Topdog/Underdog comes recommended, I think I'll put it at the top of my list. Which book sounds the most exciting to you?

---

Below the Line:

• Recruitment starts today. You know what that means...sleepless nights and lots of food. And that's just for the sorority women.
• Since this week has been so Greek focused, it's hard to believe I'm back in the school groove. I have to admit, I miss my internship. I loved the work I was doing, plus coming home and not having to worry about anything was a good life!

Last Books of 2014 | The NINTH Day of Blogmas!

On the ninth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me...six final to-reads My Goodreads goal is 45 books and I'm still six short, meaning Christmas is going to involve lots of reading. So I thought I would share with you those six books I must read in an incredibly short amount of time.

(Or I will have to accept failure, something I am not apt to do).

So here it is, the six books I will (attempt) to read in the remaining days of 2014:

1. Miracle on 34th Street, by Valentine Davies. I've read this before, but it was awhile ago and I want to dig into it again. It's the novella version of the film, written by the screenwriter, and released only shortly after the movie. (Yup--a book based on a movie. It really does happen!)
2. Indy Writes Books: A Book Lover's Anthology, edited by M. Travis DiNicola and Zachary Roth. I've already peeked at a few of the selections in here, and I'm already super pumped.
3. Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. Recommended by a friend and my mom, I'm looking forward to reading this "historical" fiction.
4. Flappers and Philosophers: Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is my one true writing love and I'm interested to see how his short stories add up.
5. First Fig and Other Poems, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Yes, I totally picked this poem collection because it's 46 pages long. Also, Edna St. Vincent Millay has written the only poem I love, "Recuerdo," so I thought maybe her other poems would help thaw this icy blockade between poetry and me.
6. Looking for Jack Kerouac by Barbara Shoup. I'm really excited to dig into family friend Barb Shoup's latest novel. It's on my Christmas list, so fingers crossed it comes my way in the next couple days!

What books will you be reading before 2015?

On the ninth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me:

Six final to-reads, decked halls a-twinkling, a Christmas tag of sorts, two Christmas book reads, FIVEEEE FESTIVE MOVIES! Memories filled with snow, one blog tag, the best study tips, and 10 Christmas songs to sing!

Christmas Books | The SIXTH Day of Blogmas!

On the sixth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me... two Christmas book reads Halfway through Blogmas, and I'm finally writing a book post. I don't read for fun during the school year, so today was the first day I could pick up a book I wanted to read. To get in the holiday spirit, I decided to read two Christmas books: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd (the stories that inspired the movie).

Some of my favorite Christmas books of the past have been Miracle on 34th Street, The Polar Express, and The Legend of Holly Claus (and this book about a little girl meeting Santa and wanting her friend's dad to be cured from cancer...Googling, Googling... On Christmas Eve! Sad but heartwarming...but there's cancer in it so you knew that). But Christmas books are such a tricky genre. I don't go for the cheesy love story or sudden overcoming of hardship that Christmas makes better. I like my Christmas books like I like all my books--realistic and, at least a little bit, humorous.

Both Holidays on Ice and A Christmas Story seemed to fit the bill.

I'll have reviews up on both of these soon, but for now I just wanted to share what I'll be reading the next couple of days!

What are your favorite books to read at Christmas?

On the sixth day of Blogmas, Leeann's blog gave to me:

Two Christmas book reads, FIVEEEE FESTIVE MOVIES! Memories filled with snow, one blog tag, the best study tips, and 10 Christmas songs to sing!

Let's Talk About Books | Guest Post!

This week let's give a big welcome to my friend Amanda! She is an avid book reader (110 books read so far this year!) and aspires to be a future librarian. A sophomore in college, she is thinking about majoring in Spanish and minoring in Math and Educational Studies.  

Hello everyone!!  I’m Amanda, substitute Leeann for this week :) Leeann has crazy amounts of work to do for school, so I’m filling in for her.

So let’s talk about books.  I love ‘em.  Books can take you to other worlds.  They can help you walk in the footsteps of people you would normally know nothing about.  They show you that you’re not alone – that other people feel and think the same way you do.  That is why I love reading.  Reading connects you to the world.

As Leeann mentioned, I think I want to be a school librarian when I grow up.  As a college sophomore, my future is both a long time from now and closer than it seems.  My love of reading stems from two main people – my mom and my school librarian.  My mom is a librarian and shared with me a love of reading from an early age.  She and my dad both read aloud to me and my siblings when we were little, showing us how reading holds the key to other worlds.

I hung out at her library all the time and still do.  It’s almost like my second home, and a good majority of the people who work there have known me since I was baby. One lady, Claire, shares a birthday with me. I remember sneaking up on her at the reference desk whenever we visited the library.  She, or someone else in my mom’s department, would then give me a piece of Hershey’s chocolate.  Fun fact: It has gotten to the point where whenever I eat a piece of plain chocolate I think of the library.  Chocolate + books = great memories.

In addition, I went to the same school from kindergarten to 8th grade and had the same librarian.  Sister Elizabeth always had book recommendations for me along with new and exciting bookmarks.  I kinda have a bookmark collection…I’m up to over 700 now…yeah, don’t judge.  Anyway, she was the main person who influenced what books I read and we shared our thoughts and opinions with each other. We still do to this day, mainly on Goodreads – only the best social media site out there.  Part of the fun of reading is being able to share books with other people and learn from what they think about them.  It’s such an amazing feeling when you find someone who loves a book just as much as you do.

That is why I want to become a librarian.  I want to share this with other people.  Some people aren't “readers."  They say they don’t like it, it takes too long, books are boring, blah, blah, blah.  Crazy people! The way to turn someone into a reader is to start them at an early age with books tailored to their interests. Books are one of the best inventions in the world!  So right now that’s my goal for if/when I become a school librarian.

On another note about reading, I started keeping a journal of all the books I read starting in 2009, when I was a freshman in high school, along with marking them on Goodreads.  As of right now, I’m about halfway through filling the journal up.  I write down the title, author, dates I read the book, and stars out of 5.  It’s really cool to see how my handwriting changes throughout the years and what books I read and loved.  It’s like taking a trip down memory lane, bringing to light where I was when I read something and what was happening in my life at the time.  Now, 6 years later, I am so glad I started this journal.  It’s documentation of my love of reading.

So what do you guys love about reading?  How do you keep track of what you've read and what you thought about it?

Thanks for having me write a guest blog, Leeann!

---

Below the Line:

• Thanks so much to Amanda for writing today's post! If any of you would like to contribute, please let me know in the comments or email me at scribblemargins@gmail.com. I'd love to have you!
• We had a tornado warning last night, as in an actual tornado was spotted. Fortunately there was just heavy rain, but nothing like some excitement to spice up a Tuesday evening.
• Less than two weeks until Fall Break!