Saturday, April 16, 2005

The [Dreaded] Book Meme

This meme comes from my high school buddy, Hugh, at Three Bed Two Bath. You may read this and be surprised that I'm a Ph.D. student. I really haven't read much Scholarly Literature (may my father continue to rest in peace...I doubt he will, though, if he can somehow perceive this post).

You are stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book would you be?
I've not read Fahrenheit 451. Is that wrong?

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Do the Sirens in Homer's Odyssey count? :)

What is the last book you bought?
Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2001). Making their own way: Narratives for transforming higher education to promote self-development. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
It's the second of two books that report data from a qualitative longitudinal study on college student development at Miami University (Ohio). The participants in her study are now age 37, not much older than I am. It's a fascinating look at cognitive development from age 18 into adulthood. I had the pleasure of meeting the author in a class earlier this semester, and her work (and that of several others, too) inspired me to chase my own dreams andchange my dissertation topic.

What are you currently reading?
See the above, along with several different books on student development theory. Can you tell I'm working on my dissertation proposal??

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
NONE of the above. I'd bring my piano instead.

Who are you going to pass this book meme to and why? (only three people)
To three fellow Ph.D. students who are reading this blog but have not yet started their own (you know who you are!).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wimp! wimp! wimp!!

C'mon, you must be reading something for fun, too...

too many easy answers. Grad school is not about easy. Well, OK, it is, but...

Rob said...

Nope, I'm not reading anything for fun. I only do so on breaks from classes at winter and summer breaks, and those are mysteries or thrillers that I tend to get through in a couple of days. I garden, walk, chase my kid (or chase my wife?!), and play the piano in the way that others read for fun. Guess that's why I'm not planning on being a professor: I like the rest of my life too much.

Anonymous said...

I'll actually take the time to fill this one out, mainly because I can't sleep. So pardon any spelling errors please. ;D

You are stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book would you be?
I'm ashamed to say that I haven't read that book since....umm...Jr. High?

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
I have, and I suspect most people have to varying degrees.

What is the last book you bought?
Rats, Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, Robert Sullivan, Bloomsbury, 2004
Honest, it's WAY better than it sounds. It's a fascinating look at the history of lower NYC as it pertains to the growth of the rat community, and the development of that community as a parallel to that of Man. It has me riveted. Really!

What are you currently reading?
See the above, as well as a sword and sorcery series paralelling Dumas' work (and in the same style), and a few small works by Plautus.

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
Desert Island Survival, by Fred Bauer (for obvious reasons); The High House by James Stoddard (my all time fave: religious philosophy, Victorian fantasy, and metaphysics all rolled into one); The Compact Shakespear (something about reading dramatically out loud when there's nobody to hear); The Tao of Pooh (also a fave, and very centering); A (very large) book of blank leaves and a few pens. After all, with all that time to think, I'll need something to scrible in to keep myself sane, eh?

Who are you going to pass this book meme to and why? (only three people)
My sis and her husband (both avid readers, and I'll count them as 1 person), my friend Ann (because her answers are sure to fascinate me), and a player to be named later.