Tuesday, August 21, 2012

back to school-- seven days and counting

Just a quick one today.  I start classes on Monday, so things are busy around here.

I continue to get several hits per week from people looking for information about going back to school as an adult.  So here are some relevant posts-- and just to warn you, they will only be relevant if you are as terrified as I was.  If you're thinking your return to school will be a piece of cake, go find someone else's blog. :-)  no offense intended.

orientation
first big project as a grad student
the back to school post
back to school part 2

In spite of the complete and utter panic that I felt when I first returned to school a couple of years ago, I'm so glad I pushed through the fear and did it.  It has been a terrific experience.  Great professors, interesting classes, remarkable fellow students.  If you're trying to decide whether or not to do it, I vote yes.

Also, the one class I'm taking this fall as I finish up my thesis is Teaching Young Adult Literature.  It looks like the best class-- I'm really excited about it.  A couple of people have asked me what we're reading, here is the list:

Alexie, Sherman: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Cisneros, Sandra: House on Mango Street
Bacigalupi, Paolo: Ship Breaker
Rosoff, Meg: How I Live Now
Green, John: Looking for Alaska
Haddon, Mark: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Hiaasen, Carl: Hoot
Hesse, Karen: Out of the Dust
Ingold, Jeanette: The Big Burn
Krakauer, Jon Into the Wild
Le Guin, Ursula: Gifts
Myers, Walter Dean: Monster
McLaughlin, Lauren: Cycler
Stead, Rebecca: When You Reach Me
Yang, Gene Luen: American Born Chinese.

Not a single classic in the lot-- which is a bit disappointing to me, since I've never read any of these (although I already owned five of them).  But then on the other hand, I've never read any of these.  Yay!  It will be like that Jane Austen class-- dangit, I have to spend the weekend reading Persuasion.  :-)

10 comments:

  1. It occurs to me that "classic" is relative, since Mango Street was written in 1984 and is probably considered a classic now. I just meant that none of the books that I read as a kid are on the list, because I am way older than that! I got married in 1984. ;-)

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  2. If you're interested, I think I have the audiobook for 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.' It's absolutely hilarious as Sherman reads the whole thing.

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    1. Hi, Clayton-- I'm planning on listening to several of them as I'm driving back and forth so that would be great! Thanks!

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  3. Out of all of those I have only read "Into the Wild". I might have to add more books to the ever expanding "to read" database.

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    1. I've read Into Thin Air, but not that one. Dean and MadMax have read it, though.

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  4. My daughter keeps telling me I should read Looking for Alaska. I read one other of his books and thought it was really well written.

    I never commented on the annotation post because I just couldn't decide. Sometimes I want pop-ups, sometimes I want another page, sometimes I don't want anything at all. Not very helpful, I know.

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    1. Well, I will tell you what it is like. Probably in more detail than you wanted to know.

      re: annotations-- I know, I have the same problem. It depends on the situation, the mood I'm in, the reason why I'm reading the book, etc. So I'm no help either. :-)

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  5. "I never commented on the annotation post because I just couldn't decide. Sometimes I want pop-ups, sometimes I want another page, sometimes I don't want anything at all. Not very helpful, I know."

    Me too.

    Your class sounds terrific!

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    1. I hope so! I'm sure you will hear all about it... :-)

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  6. I've only read the Sherman Alexie and loved it. And I read Krakauer's Everest book which was nail biting. Stop giving me more books to want to read!!

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