Well, things have been absolutely crazy since the Jayhawks took National Champs against Memphis (and what a crazy time it really has been - 45,000 people in less than 10 city blocks all at once, streakers, over-turned cars, people scaling buildings, and all in less than 24 hours!) and, because of the impending madness (and plethora of pep rallies) the school work definiately suffered, as did the general reading. Things, hopefully, look as though they're finally getting back on track, however, as my term papers for both Spanish and English have been turned in (at least, their rough drafts have) and my sociology project is beginning to shape up.
Another recently large development is my tentative decision to enlist in the Peace Corps after graduation (which, at this point, is still a long way away). I've become so involved recently with the campus efforts of Amnesty International, UNICEF, as well as United Students Against Sweatshops and the Lawrence Fair Trade Coalition, that I just don't see myself going to grad school without really sitting down and getting in to the world, attempting with the power that I have to make it a better place. As of now, with only a little research put in to it, I'd love to go to Sudan or southern Darfur to help with AIDS programs, or eastern Chile and Argentina to help with community building. Then, there is a lot more time to decide that kind of stuff.
Because of this desire to do good, and on kind loan from a friend, I'm reading The Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain, and Adam Shapiro, a team of three young humanitarian workers who also produced a documentary of the same name. The book is the telling of the three as they travel to Dafur at the beginning of the Darfur genocide, as they cross border lines and talk to some of the most powerful leaders of the SLA (Sudanese Liberation Army, the prinicipal rebel movement) about the Janjaweed and influence of the Sudanese govenrnment. In addition, they go in to quite a bit of description about the refugee camps they visit: their need for schools and educational materials, their complete lack of time to build a steady infrastructure, and their disagreements with their Chadian neighboors, who see the refugees as a drain on their economy. I could go on, but I'm not done with the book yet, and I'm not entirely sure anyone would want me to, anyway!
As they say, being on top (both as Champions and as Americans) can be tough. But its not nearly as tough as being on the bottom.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
This Is...
I only have two things to say, so be prepared for a short update:
1.) I am head-over-heels-in-love-obsessed-so-nervous-I-might-puke-but-still-can't-wait-for-tonight-excited for the NCAA championship tonight. On it's 20th anniversary, the only thing I can hope, pray, wish, and wait for is a KU victory over Memphis. ROCK CHALK!!!
2.) Fuck you, Samuel Beckett. Fuck you.
Have a good day, and if you're a prayer, send a big please for victory to whatever higher power you talk to!
1.) I am head-over-heels-in-love-obsessed-so-nervous-I-might-puke-but-still-can't-wait-for-tonight-excited for the NCAA championship tonight. On it's 20th anniversary, the only thing I can hope, pray, wish, and wait for is a KU victory over Memphis. ROCK CHALK!!!
2.) Fuck you, Samuel Beckett. Fuck you.
Have a good day, and if you're a prayer, send a big please for victory to whatever higher power you talk to!
Monday, March 31, 2008
James Joyce and Mild Pretention
I've concluded that pretty much everyone in my British literature class is more than mildly pretentious. I don't know if its because we're reading some more-advanced stuff, or because their very natures as English majors cause them to put themselves above those who are less literary in lifestyle, but there are times when I feel like I'd be strung up for my ankles if I ever admitted that I have, indeed, read The Devil Wears Prada.
Other than dealing with that particular group of people, I will say that I am thoroughly enjoying James Joyce's Dubliners, which I'm reading for my term-paper. Although I'm not usually a fan of reading "day-in-the-life" kind of books (as a daily liver of life, I find it rather pointless to do such), this seems to be a different case. Perhaps its because it is a day in the life so different than mine. Perhaps it is because Joyce writes with such a vivid passion. Who knows. Here are some of my favorite passages:
"The journey laid a magical finger on the genuine pulse of life and gallantly the macheinery of human nerves strove to answer the bounding courses of the swift blue animal."
"He knew he would regret in the morning but at present he was glad of the rest, glad of the dar stupor that would cover up his folly."
"Experience has embittered his heart against the world. But all hope had not left him."
"He remembered the books of poetry upon his shelves at home. He had bought them in his bachelor days and man and evening, as he sat in the little room off the hall, he had been tempted to take one down from the bookshelf and read out something to his wife. But shyness had always held him back, and so the books had remained on their shelves. At times he repeated lines to himself and this consoled him."
Even in the mundane, there is a way that Joyce is able to craft and twist to create a story that I find myself falling more empassioned for with each turned page.
Other than dealing with that particular group of people, I will say that I am thoroughly enjoying James Joyce's Dubliners, which I'm reading for my term-paper. Although I'm not usually a fan of reading "day-in-the-life" kind of books (as a daily liver of life, I find it rather pointless to do such), this seems to be a different case. Perhaps its because it is a day in the life so different than mine. Perhaps it is because Joyce writes with such a vivid passion. Who knows. Here are some of my favorite passages:
"The journey laid a magical finger on the genuine pulse of life and gallantly the macheinery of human nerves strove to answer the bounding courses of the swift blue animal."
"He knew he would regret in the morning but at present he was glad of the rest, glad of the dar stupor that would cover up his folly."
"Experience has embittered his heart against the world. But all hope had not left him."
"He remembered the books of poetry upon his shelves at home. He had bought them in his bachelor days and man and evening, as he sat in the little room off the hall, he had been tempted to take one down from the bookshelf and read out something to his wife. But shyness had always held him back, and so the books had remained on their shelves. At times he repeated lines to himself and this consoled him."
Even in the mundane, there is a way that Joyce is able to craft and twist to create a story that I find myself falling more empassioned for with each turned page.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Give-Away Time!
Care, of Care's Online Book Club is offering a pretty sweet prize package, including a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves as well as a color compact from the unbeatable Mary Kay. Sounds pretty good to me!
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Jane Austen Book Club
Title: The Jane Austen Book Club
Author: Karen Joy Fowler
Country: USA
Pages: 304
Year: 2004
Rating: 4 out of 5
There is something remarkably special about a group of women who gather to talk about books and literature, and maybe even the occasional men who join them. And when the women of the Jane Austen book club get together, it easy, as a reader, to see the magic thats created. Each one of these women have something remarkably dfining about them, and it is interesting to see the ways in which each of them parlay the book-of-the month in to a kind of personal connection. My favorite characters were inevitably Grigg (the lone male, a science fiction reader who was raised by an eccentric father and three sisters) and Allegra, the lesibian daughter of two of the central characters (whose final confrontation between her and the girlfriend is heartbreakingly unexpected and, as a reader, it is more than easy to feel the betrayal).
As someone who used to be part of a book club, and is now longer able to be part of a book club (damn you, 19-hour course load!) it was nice to have a little flashback to the times when I was able to gather and talk about what was read, really trying to figure things out. The characters that Fowler creates are, in their essence, simply human, living their lives and dealing with their own issues. Whether it be divorce, un-natural feelings towards students, a lack of love, or dealing with impending old age, there is something to be said, and something to be learned, from each of these characters, as well as from the unspoken character - Austen herself. Fowler includes a brief synopsis of each of the Austen books she mentions in the back, as well as including the opinions of other famous authors about Austen. Perhaps the most memorable instance is the very opening page, in which each of the main characters describes their "personal Austen." Everyone who has read Austen has read her in a different way, has created for themselves a kind of confidant, hero, role-model. To each their own, there is no "one" Austen.
It was a quick read, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was able to read most of it out loud to my mother during our car trip to Oklahoma this past weekend over my spring break, and finished the rest of it within hours of returning to school. If you're looking for a quick read, a small glimpse in to the lives of women who are altered by Austen, or if you just want a quick synopsis of all those books you were "supposed to read" in high school, consider this your one-stop-shop.
Up next - finally getting to the comments on my blogroll, and perhaps a little F. Scott to keep my company! I wish you all peaceful days!
Author: Karen Joy Fowler
Country: USA
Pages: 304
Year: 2004
Rating: 4 out of 5
There is something remarkably special about a group of women who gather to talk about books and literature, and maybe even the occasional men who join them. And when the women of the Jane Austen book club get together, it easy, as a reader, to see the magic thats created. Each one of these women have something remarkably dfining about them, and it is interesting to see the ways in which each of them parlay the book-of-the month in to a kind of personal connection. My favorite characters were inevitably Grigg (the lone male, a science fiction reader who was raised by an eccentric father and three sisters) and Allegra, the lesibian daughter of two of the central characters (whose final confrontation between her and the girlfriend is heartbreakingly unexpected and, as a reader, it is more than easy to feel the betrayal).
As someone who used to be part of a book club, and is now longer able to be part of a book club (damn you, 19-hour course load!) it was nice to have a little flashback to the times when I was able to gather and talk about what was read, really trying to figure things out. The characters that Fowler creates are, in their essence, simply human, living their lives and dealing with their own issues. Whether it be divorce, un-natural feelings towards students, a lack of love, or dealing with impending old age, there is something to be said, and something to be learned, from each of these characters, as well as from the unspoken character - Austen herself. Fowler includes a brief synopsis of each of the Austen books she mentions in the back, as well as including the opinions of other famous authors about Austen. Perhaps the most memorable instance is the very opening page, in which each of the main characters describes their "personal Austen." Everyone who has read Austen has read her in a different way, has created for themselves a kind of confidant, hero, role-model. To each their own, there is no "one" Austen.
It was a quick read, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was able to read most of it out loud to my mother during our car trip to Oklahoma this past weekend over my spring break, and finished the rest of it within hours of returning to school. If you're looking for a quick read, a small glimpse in to the lives of women who are altered by Austen, or if you just want a quick synopsis of all those books you were "supposed to read" in high school, consider this your one-stop-shop.
Up next - finally getting to the comments on my blogroll, and perhaps a little F. Scott to keep my company! I wish you all peaceful days!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Consider It Boy-Crazy
So, in my British Literature class we were talking about the makings of a hero. And it go me thinking. I was recently recommended Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (which I really can't believe that I haven't read before) and I'm basically in love with Zooey, as a male protagonist. So I decided that now, for all to see, I'm going to pay homage to those other strikingly beautiful, elegant, drool-worthy and completely fictional men that I've come to love.
1.) Marcus Flutie, The Jessica Darling Series: If you have not read these books, I more than suggest it. I command it. It's an imperitive that you have them read. They will cause you to laugh, cause you to cry, and cause you to remember why you're glad you're not in high school anymore. And they WILL make you fall in love with Marcus Flutie. Whether its his red dread-locks, his snarky attitude, or the fact that he gets over his drug-doing ways and goes to a Buddhist school in the desert, there is something utterly delicious about this man. It could be the way he's in love with Jessica, the slightly-annoying-and-self-indulgent female lead. It could be the way that, for their first "kiss", all he does is bite her lower lip and then walk away. Or it could be the fact that he really it, under all the attitude, a sensitive guy. Either way, I'd jump his bones in a second.
2.) Mark Darcy, Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Obviously. No top-five list will be complete without THE man of men. Whether its the reserved, capricous gentleman we meet in Austen's original canon, or the sex-craving lothario protrayed in Takes a Wife, there really is no greater lover out there. Add to the mix the embodiment of Colin Firth, and you may have the measuring stick for all future boyfriends!
3.) Laurie Lawrence, Little Women: If you haven't read the book, you're missing out on some of Laurie's greatest charm - his utter adoration for all of the March sisters. Having read the book once a year (religiously) from the ages of 8 to 18, I've spent quite a bit of time with the shy boy next door. He's always up for a romp (ice-skating, anyone), provides endless amounts of shoulder to cry on (even when he is secretly in love with you) and, in the end, provides a much needed masculinity to the all-feminine Alcott tale. And, honestly, if you can get through the on-paper rejection by Jo without tears, I'm not sure you have a heart at all. If you haven't read the book, well... you've still got Christian Bale to work with.
4.) Dexter, This Lullably: Yes. It's by Sarah Dessen. Yes, its teen chick-lit if ever there was such a things. But he plays the guitar. He sings in a band whos hit song it "The Potatoe Opus". He comes from a family with a long line of divorces and remarriages. He has a shaggy dog named Mutt, and he's totally willing to put his heart on his sleave. He has black hair. He drives a white "maybe I'm a rapist" van. And his name is Dexter. And all of this and simmer with a girl who refuses to fall in love, and you have the makings of the best teen-chick-lit book I've ever read. And believe me, I've read it many a time.
5.) Henry, The Time-Travellers Wife: Well, to being with, he time travels. Thats got to earn you some immediate street cred. Secondly, he's so willing to love that he does it over generations at a time, always coming back to Claire. And, thirdly, he's made his life out of academia. He is not only full of sex appeal (I always pictured him as a mix between the Sean Connery and George Clooney...mmmm....), he's also a bit of a role-model (he works in the rare books section of the library, for God's sake). True, his story may get a bit long-winded, with the book tapping in at over 600 pages, but its 600 pages of brilliant dialouge, and quite a bit of naked Henry!
And there you have it. I'm sure I've left off some wondeful leading men. But, for me, these guys really do take the cake!
1.) Marcus Flutie, The Jessica Darling Series: If you have not read these books, I more than suggest it. I command it. It's an imperitive that you have them read. They will cause you to laugh, cause you to cry, and cause you to remember why you're glad you're not in high school anymore. And they WILL make you fall in love with Marcus Flutie. Whether its his red dread-locks, his snarky attitude, or the fact that he gets over his drug-doing ways and goes to a Buddhist school in the desert, there is something utterly delicious about this man. It could be the way he's in love with Jessica, the slightly-annoying-and-self-indulgent female lead. It could be the way that, for their first "kiss", all he does is bite her lower lip and then walk away. Or it could be the fact that he really it, under all the attitude, a sensitive guy. Either way, I'd jump his bones in a second.
2.) Mark Darcy, Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Obviously. No top-five list will be complete without THE man of men. Whether its the reserved, capricous gentleman we meet in Austen's original canon, or the sex-craving lothario protrayed in Takes a Wife, there really is no greater lover out there. Add to the mix the embodiment of Colin Firth, and you may have the measuring stick for all future boyfriends!
3.) Laurie Lawrence, Little Women: If you haven't read the book, you're missing out on some of Laurie's greatest charm - his utter adoration for all of the March sisters. Having read the book once a year (religiously) from the ages of 8 to 18, I've spent quite a bit of time with the shy boy next door. He's always up for a romp (ice-skating, anyone), provides endless amounts of shoulder to cry on (even when he is secretly in love with you) and, in the end, provides a much needed masculinity to the all-feminine Alcott tale. And, honestly, if you can get through the on-paper rejection by Jo without tears, I'm not sure you have a heart at all. If you haven't read the book, well... you've still got Christian Bale to work with.
4.) Dexter, This Lullably: Yes. It's by Sarah Dessen. Yes, its teen chick-lit if ever there was such a things. But he plays the guitar. He sings in a band whos hit song it "The Potatoe Opus". He comes from a family with a long line of divorces and remarriages. He has a shaggy dog named Mutt, and he's totally willing to put his heart on his sleave. He has black hair. He drives a white "maybe I'm a rapist" van. And his name is Dexter. And all of this and simmer with a girl who refuses to fall in love, and you have the makings of the best teen-chick-lit book I've ever read. And believe me, I've read it many a time.
5.) Henry, The Time-Travellers Wife: Well, to being with, he time travels. Thats got to earn you some immediate street cred. Secondly, he's so willing to love that he does it over generations at a time, always coming back to Claire. And, thirdly, he's made his life out of academia. He is not only full of sex appeal (I always pictured him as a mix between the Sean Connery and George Clooney...mmmm....), he's also a bit of a role-model (he works in the rare books section of the library, for God's sake). True, his story may get a bit long-winded, with the book tapping in at over 600 pages, but its 600 pages of brilliant dialouge, and quite a bit of naked Henry!
And there you have it. I'm sure I've left off some wondeful leading men. But, for me, these guys really do take the cake!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A Return of Joy
It has, yet again, been far, far, FAR too long since I've visited the lovely realm of my cyber book lovers. There has been, not surprisingly, very little reading going on now that the semester has started up again, a fact that I am hoping to change remarkably soon. So as to not get too bogged down in the past, I say we just keep on moving to the present.
I don't know when the last time you were sick was. For it, it has been quite a while. When one is healthy for a long period of time, it is easy to remember being sick as a time of rest, relaxation, and movies. This, however, is not the case, as I've been reminded of with this wicked case of the flu that I've come down with (when living in a hall with upwards of 50 girls, 35 or more of which have the flu, its just a matter of time until sickness comes knocking on your door). Being sick is a time of coughing, sneezing, aching, and general ugliness that really feels like it will never go away. The only thing that is looking up about now is the fact that my roomates and I, as well as most of the hall, has been on a Jane Austen kick lately, more specifically Pride and Prejudice. I blame the release of Becoming Jane, a fabulous movie semi-based on the life of the famous aforementioned author. My room just skipped all of their classes today in order to watch the infamously long 6+ hour A&E version of the book, starring none other than Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth. Yesterday the room across the hall and I watched the most recent version of the film, the one with Kiera Knightly. And, as today was the release of Becoming Jane, we've watched that as well. We've even got chapters from the book printed out and hanging in our bathroom stalls. Pride and Prejudice fever has hit, and hit with a vengence. Blame the sickness, blame the miserably cold weather, blame the fabulous tale itself, either way - it's back. Big time.
Having read my current copy of said book until the cover is about to fall off, I've decided to give Emma a try, having heard that this is also a remarkable book. Hopefully this isn't false. I also plan on earnestly beginning at least a few of my reading challenges, though not too many, as becoming overwhelmed is a huge possibility. We'll just have to see how it goes. I also plan on returning within the week, with some kind of an update. Or maybe I'll just waste more of your time. Either way, it's all a return to joy.
BookMaven
I don't know when the last time you were sick was. For it, it has been quite a while. When one is healthy for a long period of time, it is easy to remember being sick as a time of rest, relaxation, and movies. This, however, is not the case, as I've been reminded of with this wicked case of the flu that I've come down with (when living in a hall with upwards of 50 girls, 35 or more of which have the flu, its just a matter of time until sickness comes knocking on your door). Being sick is a time of coughing, sneezing, aching, and general ugliness that really feels like it will never go away. The only thing that is looking up about now is the fact that my roomates and I, as well as most of the hall, has been on a Jane Austen kick lately, more specifically Pride and Prejudice. I blame the release of Becoming Jane, a fabulous movie semi-based on the life of the famous aforementioned author. My room just skipped all of their classes today in order to watch the infamously long 6+ hour A&E version of the book, starring none other than Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth. Yesterday the room across the hall and I watched the most recent version of the film, the one with Kiera Knightly. And, as today was the release of Becoming Jane, we've watched that as well. We've even got chapters from the book printed out and hanging in our bathroom stalls. Pride and Prejudice fever has hit, and hit with a vengence. Blame the sickness, blame the miserably cold weather, blame the fabulous tale itself, either way - it's back. Big time.
Having read my current copy of said book until the cover is about to fall off, I've decided to give Emma a try, having heard that this is also a remarkable book. Hopefully this isn't false. I also plan on earnestly beginning at least a few of my reading challenges, though not too many, as becoming overwhelmed is a huge possibility. We'll just have to see how it goes. I also plan on returning within the week, with some kind of an update. Or maybe I'll just waste more of your time. Either way, it's all a return to joy.
BookMaven
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About Me
- Chelsea
- I'm a 24 year old newlywed, getting my library science degree all while working in a bookstore and trying to find some of the big answers in the big books - and the small books, while I'm at it. I'm interested in all types of fiction and personal non-fiction, all procedural cop dramas, and a fair portion of the TV that airs on the BBC3! I care about sustainability, agricultural ethics, independent documentaries, and admitting freely that I don't have all the answers - and may never - but I'm trying to have fun while I figure it out!
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