tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post2118867133076461152..comments2024-03-10T20:46:19.274-04:00Comments on In the Middle: What are you reading over spring break?Cord J. Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06224143153295429986noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-72650848814459355152010-03-15T16:01:06.052-04:002010-03-15T16:01:06.052-04:00I'm in the midst of Ian McEwan's On Chesil...I'm in the midst of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach. . . and then maybe I'll finally start Wolf Hall!Gryphonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07404235628296853456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-8674682200962720902010-03-11T11:37:36.642-05:002010-03-11T11:37:36.642-05:00On the principle of reading something for fun [a n...On the principle of reading something for fun [a novel], I *tried* to read "The Dart League King" by Keith Lee Morris, but I couldn't get through it. It was a little too macho--not that that really matters, but I wanted something more magical. Therefore I *resolved* to read Kevin Brockmeier's new short story collection, "The View from the Seventh Level." Brockmeier is my new favorite author [he wrote the beautiful novel "The Brief History of the Dead"]--the title story of the collection, which I read in a literary journal where it was first published [or maybe, even, Harper's?], is a stunner. Brockmeier specializes in what is sometimes called "slipstream" fiction, which slips back and forth between realism and non- or surrealism. I say I *resolved* to read this book, but instead found myself reading Claude Romano's book [philosophy] "Event and World," which formulates an "evential hermeneutics" [short version: instead of Being or Being-there and world, there is only world; world precedes Being, or something like that--it's very provocative].Eileen Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756965845120441308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-45363182278918227582010-03-10T15:11:45.305-05:002010-03-10T15:11:45.305-05:00Three Earthsea novels: Tombs of Atuan, Farthest Sh...Three Earthsea novels: <i>Tombs of Atuan</i>, <i>Farthest Shore</i>, and <i>Tehanu</i>. For class, but also for fun.Rob Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17791752557408134270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-90831631865312929952010-03-10T14:17:31.417-05:002010-03-10T14:17:31.417-05:00I'm re-reading some of Beckett's short sto...I'm re-reading some of Beckett's short stories as part of my project for a seminar I'm in on Radio. What else? Revisiting Christian Bök's 'Crystallography,' but for the first time Agamben's 'Signature of All things.' <br /><br />And, going to be paging through any number of books from the library on queer theory and on/of contemporary poetics as part of building my exam reading lists....dan remeinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13011645541207076650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-8642310372842023022010-03-10T10:06:51.598-05:002010-03-10T10:06:51.598-05:00I envy you having students ask what you might be r...I envy you having students ask what you might be reading.<br /><br />I just finished "Wolf Hall" a month ago; I couldn't put it down.<br /><br />I am reading Matthew Crawford's "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work" and struggling with Iris Murdoch's "The Superiority of Good" which he mentions frequently. Neither are easy reads.<br /><br />I'm also trying to get into Gail Paster's "Humoring the Body" which I think was mentioned here.<br /><br />I am taking small dozes of David Marc's "Bonfire of the Humanities" about which I oscillate between nodding my head and rolling my eyes.<br /><br />For easy reading pleasure, I am finishing Conn Iggulden's third novel on Julius Caesar -- "The Field of Swords". If the Romans ever swashbuckled, this is it.ken tompkinsnoreply@blogger.com