Just keeping up to date with what I am currently reading… in case it’s referenced in main updates. Newer titles will appear at the top.
August 2008
You’re wearing that? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation
Deborah Tannen
Tannen, who is as many people know, the most well known sociolinguist in the world, and a professor at the oh so selective Georgetown U, writes books which simplify and generalize her findings within discourse analysis research. Her research on gendered language gets her a lot of attention, as do her theories on language in the work place, which i personally find incredible fascinating. Tannen takes a lot of criticism from fellow linguistics for “generalizing” in her books, which, in my opinion, is a legit critique. However, her writing style and ability to simplify her research findings for the general public, who let’s face it has typically never heard of linguistics, is truly amazing. More notes to come.
Unprotected
Anonymous, M.D.
This is a terrifying book. I don’t know if I will even be able to finish it. For a young girl, it is a horror novel. The author is a psychiatrist, who treats many students from a “prestigious” university. (obviously she doesn’t divulge the name, being that she wants to remain anonymous). The basis for her book are the dangers of sexual promiscuity, mainly for college aged females. I don’t mean rape or pregnancy, which certainly could be considered dangers, but her focus is more on dangers that aren’t addressed by campus health campaigns, who promote “safe-sex”. At first, I found the book more fascinating then frightening. The theories of oxytocin, bonding, and sex, were totally new to me. Then, began to be horrified by the likelihood of contracting HPV, the politics involved in the acceptance of research, and personal agendas involving healthcare. Although I don’t want to keep reading, I think it’s because I don’t like the truth as it is presented, and while I hope that there is a fear tactic behind the typed lines, I feel the author’s fear and urgency, which makes me think that her truth is worth hearing.
The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
I’ve been picking through this collection for a few years now. I love the imagery in the pieces, the worlds that are created. I find myself rereading a lot of the same pieces. My favorite being The Snow Queen. There is something about the idea of a shard of glass embedding into a heart or an eye and distorting reality that I cannot put my finger on. Recently I reread The Little Mermaid, which is a sad tale (no pun intended). There was one scene I found particularly interesting. It’s the youngest mermaid’s birthday, and her grandmother attaches eight oysters to her tail. The mermaid complains that it hurts her, to which her grandmother replies, “Pride must suffer pain”. The Philosopher’s Stone also caught my attention because it was also the title of the British Harry Potter novel that we know as The Sorcerer’s Stone… A coincidence?
