Currently reading? (Distraction thread.)

[qt_dnvr]

I'm out of school so I have no finals to throw my anxiety into as I wait for decisions. Instead I checked out a few library books, currently reading Dark Money Jane Mayer. Helpful to panic about the state of election financing instead of my school/career choices.  What about you? What's everybody reading to keep their brain busy?

[GeorgeC07]

=。=I'm a RA at a research institute so there's always work for me. I also want to buy a kindle and resume reading again. 

Edited December 30, 2016 by GeorgeC07

[eternalwait]

Cool topic! I just finished reading a book called Lancelot of the Lake. Next I think I'll read Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius.

[speechfan222]

I'm currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It's a great book. I really enjoy how it's written. I'm a little behind in having a chance to read the book once it was published, but reading it now. About half way through and trying to finish it as soon as I can. Classes start in 11 days and I'm pretty sure I won't have much time for reading fiction books. If I don't finish it in time, I will definitely read at night before bed.

[ellieotter]

I am looking for something to read to keep my mind off applications so if anyone has any suggestions for thrillers (crime, psychological) I would really appreciate it!

[scarvesandcardigans]

Currently making my way through V.S. Ramachandran's Tell-Tale Brain. I have read his work Phantoms in the Brain and was so fascinated by the way his writing style is reflective of his thought processes and really captures his fascination with his work. What a neat thread!

[GeorgeC07]

5 hours ago, psychlife4me said:

I am looking for something to read to keep my mind off applications so if anyone has any suggestions for thrillers (crime, psychological) I would really appreciate it!

The Devotion of Suspect X by Higashino Keigo, a fantastic reasoning novel if you're interested. Should keep you engaged for some time coz it's long.

[TK2]

I read "Dear Committee Members", which is a short novel written entirely as a series of overblows and inappropriate recommendation letters from a crotchety professor. I thought it was hysterical, but I would appear to be its target audience right now.

I slo developed a weird hobby lately of reading critical take-downs - the more venomous the better - of the whole western higher education industry as some sort of coping mechanism, but have run through what seem to be the main pillars of American-College-Is-Broken literature (The Price of Admission, College (Un)Bound, Excellent Sheep, The Gatekeepers) (All of which are almost entirely about Undergrad admission and have little to do with me...just reading for disdain and catharsis) and I'm now tentatively eyeing more academic work on higher education in general.

 

[Neist]

16 hours ago, eternalwait said:

Next I think I'll read Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius.

That's strangely particular. What do you study?

I post in a thread similar to this one in the history subforum, but currently, I'm reading The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel. It's not bad, and I'm usually a fan of Sobel, but it's not really a topic that I enjoy reading. Glad I read it, though.

Not sure what I'm going to read next.

[yaybrains]

I am reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's pretty good so far (I'm about half-way through). I guess it counts as historical fiction. It follows two main story lines, which I think are supposed to converge at some point. One follows a blind French girl and the other follows a German boy, before and during World War II.

[eternalwait]

19 hours ago, psychlife4me said:

I am looking for something to read to keep my mind off applications so if anyone has any suggestions for thrillers (crime, psychological) I would really appreciate it!

I would recommend The Perfume, by Patrick Süskind!

13 hours ago, TK2 said:

I read "Dear Committee Members", which is a short novel written entirely as a series of overblows and inappropriate recommendation letters from a crotchety professor.

I definitely wouldn't want to read something like while I'm waiting for admission results!

5 hours ago, Neist said:

That's strangely particular. What do you study?

I have a Major in Physics. I also love History of Science, so I try to read the original works when I have time, like during the next few weeks.

[speechfan222]

35 minutes ago, yaybrains said:

I am reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's pretty good so far (I'm about half-way through). I guess it counts as historical fiction. It follows two main story lines, which I think are supposed to converge at some point. One follows a blind French girl and the other follows a German boy, before and during World War II.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it interesting that its a fictional work but takes place during an actual event. I want to look into his other works. I really liked this book. 

[Neist]

2 hours ago, eternalwait said:

I have a Major in Physics. I also love History of Science, so I try to read the original works when I have time, like during the next few weeks.

 

Ah. Neat!  I've held his copy before. It's a pretty unique experience!

I've always found original works far more enjoyable and readable than what one might initially imagine.

[eternalwait]

1 hour ago, Neist said:

 I've held his copy before. It's a pretty unique experience!

You mean His copy? Galileo's personal copy?

[stereopticons]

4 hours ago, yaybrains said:

I am reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's pretty good so far (I'm about half-way through). I guess it counts as historical fiction. It follows two main story lines, which I think are supposed to converge at some point. One follows a blind French girl and the other follows a German boy, before and during World War II.

I just started this too!

[guest56436]

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

I'm through the first book (it's two parts). It is seriously a mind fuck but it's pretty damn good.

[DBear]

I'm currently reading this forum

Planning on re-reading the Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones) it's so long but engaging, I'm hoping it will occupy me for all of Jan.

[TK2]

7 hours ago, eternalwait said:

I definitely wouldn't want to read something like while I'm waiting for admission results!

Lol, yes, could go either way! I thought it was hilarious, and even rather cathartic. Seemed like a fairly honest insight (The writer is an American university professor who presumably has had to do a few of these) into that sort of absurdity these systems arrive at. But I'm still submitting and asking for recommendation letters (and, naturally, I found it while I was googling advice on how to write one, as one recommender inevitably asked me to write a draft myself.)

[angel_kaye13]

Just a comment: thanks to @qt_dnvr for starting this thread; I think it's a positive way to keep our focus on more useful things, while we wait!

I started a compilation of essays, "The Body in Parts: Fantasies of Corporeality in Early Modern Europe," edited by David Hillman & Carla Mazzio, but I'm incredibly lethargic in finishing it, despite my good intentions and how fantastic it is, due to wanting to soak up all the laziness of winter break that I can. But! My good-intentions reading.^^

[eternalwait]

7 hours ago, TK2 said:

Lol, yes, could go either way! I thought it was hilarious, and even rather cathartic. Seemed like a fairly honest insight (The writer is an American university professor who presumably has had to do a few of these) into that sort of absurdity these systems arrive at.

If I'm accepted, I promise to read it :D. 

[Neist]

11 hours ago, eternalwait said:

You mean His copy? Galileo's personal copy?

Well, sorta. I realized just now that I mistyped. I've held Galileo's copy of Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, if memory serves. I believe the copy of Sidereus Nuncius that I've held was a copy of a member of the Medician court. 

We have a pretty impressive rare books collection at the University of Oklahoma, actually. Probably one of the larger collections of history of science books in North America. We own all sorts of neat things.  

[eternalwait]

1 hour ago, Neist said:

Well, sorta. I realized just now that I mistyped. I've held Galileo's copy of Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, if memory serves. I believe the copy of Sidereus Nuncius that I've held was a copy of a member of the Medician court. 

We have a pretty impressive rare books collection at the University of Oklahoma, actually. Probably one of the larger collections of history of science books in North America. We own all sorts of neat things.  

Impressive! If I ever go to Oklahoma, I'll for sure visit your university! 

Edited December 31, 2016 by eternalwait

[cokpala]

On 12/30/2016 at 3:00 PM, yaybrains said:

I am reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's pretty good so far (I'm about half-way through). I guess it counts as historical fiction. It follows two main story lines, which I think are supposed to converge at some point. One follows a blind French girl and the other follows a German boy, before and during World War II.

I loved that book.

I am now reading Small, Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Very well-written with great character development. It focuses on race, power, and privilege in the U.S.. The two main characters are a female African American nurse and a male skinhead and the story is about the way in which their lives come to intersect. Some parts are hard to get through but definitely worth a read.

[THS]

If you need a long distraction the Outlander Series is great- I recommend the books on tape for long walks (perfect for a distracting story and stress management time).  Pretty much my audible has no unlistened too books now.  This is a cool thread- I'm excited to check out some of these titles.  

[goldenstardust11]

I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Sockett - a bit behind in popular readings, but have decided that post-apps will be a good time to catch up with the NYT Bestsellers list!