Category Archives: Academic Pursuits

Spring 2013 Readathon

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Today’s the day!

Starting at 8 AM EDT, I’ll be reading all day! While Dewey’s Readathon is technically 24 hours, I’ll cut off by midnight. 16 hours of reading (in a row) is enough for me!

I’ll update this post with my progress every couple of hours. You can see the stack I’m reading from here: http://ignoranthistorian.com/2013/04/readathon-stack/ .

Quick Stats
475 pages read
120 minutes audiobook listened
finished: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

9:30 Update

Reading is going well. I’ve read 60 pages so far, from 3 different books: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and All too Human by George Stephanopoulos. Since I’m reading only 20 pages in any book at one time, I may never finish a book today. That’s okay…I’m reading what I like!

11:15 Update

I’ve completed my first “circuit,” reading 30 pages each in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Also read another 20 pages in Transforming Power of the Gospel.

I got sleepy, so I ended up taking a 15-minute nap. I’m more awake now and ready to hit the books again.

1:45 Update

Losing a little steam. Only read 40 pages since my last update, from Blink and All Too Human. About to dive back in to the reading.

3:30 Update

Picked up the pace since my last update. Helps that I only read fiction. I read 90 pages, from Les Miserables and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. At this point, I think I’ll switch to focusing on one book, and read Harold Fry until it’s finished. I’m about 1/3 of the way through at the moment.

I did go outside for about an hour which was nice. Sat on my balcony for the first time. I came back in, though, as sitting in the sun on the balcony got uncomfortable after a while.

5:55 Update

Continuing in The Unlikely Pilgrimage Harold Fry, reading 90 pages. Hope to complete it before I update again. It likely will be the only book that I finish this Readathon, but I’m okay with that. If you add up all the pages I’ve read today, I would have already finished any normal-length book.

8:00 Update

I finished a book! Kept reading until I finished Harold Fry. It was good, and I’m glad my SIL recommended it.

I may turn back to the Stephanopoulus memoir, or another fiction book. Or maybe a little bit of both. I still have a few more hours in me!

10:30 Update

That’s it. I’m ready for bed. What can I say, going to work at 7 AM has ruined the night owl in me! Totals are as above. I’m happy with my day and looking forward to another relaxing day tomorrow…at the beach!

Readathon Stack

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It’s that time of year…time for the bi-annual Readathon!

When I decided to participate this time around, I was thinking through what books I wanted to request from the library. Then I remembered the decent-sized stack of books I already had out, and wasn’t reading. So instead of getting new, enticing books from the library, I’m going to read what I have.

That said, here’s my stack:

Readathon stack

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (how much longer can I not read this?)
Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes by Richards and O’Brien
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce*
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood
Earth Unaware by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges*
All too Human by George Stephanopoulos*
Quiet Leadership by David Rock
Citizens by Simon Schama*
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo* (not pictured)

*in progress

Clearly with this stack, I’m not going to be putting up huge numbers with this stack, though I do have a couple of easy reads. They’re all books that I’ve wanted to read, and this is my opportunity to do so. I’ll be keeping up with my habit of jumping around between different books, so probably won’t be finishing many, either. I’m okay with that, though. I’m just going to enjoy the read! If the weather’s nice as it appears likely to be, I’ll probably spend some of the day reading outside, and knock one more thing off my list!

If you’re joining in, what are you looking forward to reading?

Book Review: Gardening Eden by Michael Abbate

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One of the topics I think about when I have a spare moment is my responsibility to care for our temporary home, the earth. I haven’t always thought about this, but it’s something I’ve considered more and more.

Reading Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World by Michael Abatté goes right along with these thoughts. Abatté is an architecture and design professional who has made a living helping companies consider environment concerns when developing or remodeling their facilities. Oh, and he’s a evangelical Christian.

Sadly, evangelicals have let others lead the way for caring for creation. I refuse to be among those who will put consumerism, Americanism, and selfishness above care for God’s gift (the earth) and my neighbors (even those unborn).

Abatté provides a defense for creation care in the first half of the book (a concept he calls gardening, in deference to God’s command to Adam), but what I found most encouraging and helpful were the 50 practical tips towards being a better gardener. Some of them, of course, you’ve heard before. But until we really start doing them, we need to keep hearing them. The author does a good job walking you through the how and why, which makes the list of tips extra valuable. Here are a few  that stood out to me:

# 8 – Eat Less – our bodies are part of the creation, so this rightly falls under creation care. He also has several more tips about what we should be eating.

# 16 – Turn the thermostat down – I find our blind addiction to climate control alarming. Humans have lived for millenia at temperatures other than 72…surely we can too. I’ve already told you how I handled that this summer. I do use my heat more than I do my A/C…but I have found I can still thrive at 63 degrees (with blankets and a light jacket) while awake and down to 55 degrees while sleeping or away. Again, I live alone so not everyone can go this extreme (though some may be able to go farther!), but most of us can make a difference by just pushing the thermostat down a degree or two beyond what we previously thought was necessary.

# 25 – Walk – This is already something I’ve been thinking about. I’m sad that I don’t live in an area where more things are within walking distance…but some things are. Instead of rushing to the gym to spend an hour on the treadmill, why don’t we save the stress and spend the extra time to walk to our destination? Yes, I’ll still take the time to go to the pool, but I’m seeking to work more walking (and less driving!) into my life.

# 31 – Give Away Your Money – I must admit I’ve never considered this to be a creation care tactic. But Abatté makes a great point: the more money you give away, the less money you have to spend. I know I spend too much and have been thinking about how I can get by with less. The bonus of this tip is that it’s helping others passively (by not filling your house and landfill with items that caused pollution to create) and actively (your money being put to good works).

# 35 – Don’t Buy Bottled Water – Bottled water makes me cringe. I’ve never really liked the taste, but now I recognize that it’s such an incredible waste. With some planning, you can pretty much eliminate any situation you might have previously bought bottled water for. Airport traveling? Carry an empty reusable water bottle with you through security. Don’t like the tap water taste? Invest in a water purifier or better yet, suck it up and realize that your tap water, no matter how bad, is still better than what most the world drinks. “Do you think we would drink as much bottle water if we knew that it is less regulated than tap water, with fewer quality control measures, required tests, and disclosures?” (p. 211-212)

I highly recommend this book. It’s definitely one that will have me thinking for a while, and I hope it will do that for you, too.

Top Ten Book Settings

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This week’s topic from The Broke and the Bookish asks for a list of settings I want to see more of. When I think of my favorite book settings, I realize that there already exists a ton of books written in that setting: it’s about finding the best and reading them! So instead, I’ll just list my favorite settings. For sanity’s sake, I did not try to rank them.

Feel free to give book suggestions based on this list!

1. Boarding school

I don’t know what it is, but I love the idea of boarding school. Somehow I picture myself holed up in an institution where I have no outside cares and just can study and hang out with friends all the time. I guess college was a bit like this, which is why I loved it so much.

This was the root of my original interest in the Harry Potter books.

2. Foreign planets

I love books set on other worlds. A good example of this is Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. I so need to re-read that series.

3. Alternative history (that’s a setting, right?)

I love alternative history. I love any “what ifs” when well done. How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove is an example of one I really liked.

4. Spaceships

Okay, so I like sci fi. So? This is not the first clue to my nerdiness…I am writing a list of my favorite book settings.

A good example is A Million Suns by Beth Revis. And I just realized Ender’s Game fits this and #1. I was bound to like the book, even if the story was only so so (and it’s not!).

5. Rural prairie settings

I suppose this comes from being a Kansas girl at heart. Thinking of endless wheat fields, ripe for the harvest, at sunset fills me with a lot of warmth. I can’t say that I’ve read a lot of books like this, but my favorite is Little House on the Prairie. I don’t really like historical fiction, so any pioneer books have to have been written in that time period (or much more closer than time than books written now, in the case of the Little House books).

6. The 19th Century

Okay, I just really like books written in the 19th Century, which isn’t a setting thing. But it’s hard to come up with that many settings, okay? Let’s say that Sense and Sensibility is a good example.

7. On the Trail

I’ve been daydreaming about hiking lately, so I’ve been attracted to books about journeys. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is my favorite so far (and read before I was interested in hiking myself).

8. Australia

Because it’s where everyone wants to go on a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And it’s the setting of Tomorrow, When the World Began.

9. Any other foreign country

I just love to read books set in other places. One that comes to mind right away is Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni (set in India).

10. Dystopias

I love a good dystopian read. I’d go for Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey as my favorite.

How about you?

Top Ten Bookish Goals of 2013

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You know that I have a good list of goals that I want to get at least 1/3 of the way through this year. Here are 10 particularly bookish goals that I have for 2013 (all directly derived from my 101 for 1001 list…I don’t need to make any more goals!):

1. Read about 100 books.

Notice I didn’t say *at least* 100 books. I’m actually trying to put the brakes on my reading. Crazy, right? In order to make room for the good things I want to do (exercise, making more of my own food, helping others), I have to find time somewhere. The easiest and best place to cut is from watching TV, but I think I’ll need to “rob” some reading time, too. Not that reading 100 books is by any way shabby! Just trying to add a little moderation.

2. Read the 5 books that my friends recommended to me.

Recently, I asked 5 friends to recommend books to me. I’m working to get my hands on them now. I put no conditions on what they recommended to me, allowing them to choose any book. This is what was recommended to me:

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper – recommended by my mother

Not My Will by Francena Arnold – recommended by my friend, Jessica

Loving Well Even When You Haven’t Been by William P. Smith – recommended by my friend, Lauren

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce – recommended by my SIL

The Biblical Counseling Movement after Adams by Heath Lambert – recommended by our children’s minister

3. Reread at least 10 books.

On my 101 in 1001 list, I have the goal of re-reading 20 books. Really, that’s a pretty low goal. I love to re-read a good book. I think that we need to do this. I’m thankful for audiobooks, as they allow me to guiltless re-read books.

4. Listen to the Harry Potter series (again) starting in March.

This is becoming an annual tradition. Why March? Well, I first listened to Harry Potter starting in March 2011. That’s the only reason. I try to wait a year between re-reads.

5. Read 3 scholarly works.

I love to read, and I love to read “smartly,” but sometimes the junkier stuff is just easier. I want to consciously read more intellectual reading on any of a number of topics. I’m starting with a book about the French Revolution…as a history major I know way too little about this important part of history.

How am I defining scholarly works? I’m not. I’ll have the final say as to what is “scholarly” for this goal. But if you press me, an easy definition would be something I would have had to read in school.

6. Read 5 articles from a national news site at least 52 times.

Really 52 is only once a week, which is not as often as I’d like, but I’m giving myself grace. For the past year (or more), I’ve paid very little attention to the news. I see stuff on Twitter and hear things here and there, but that’s not excusable. I need to know what’s going on in the world around me.

I’ve been working this into my life and have appreciated knowing more about what is going on. So far, I haven’t committed to any one news site, and I probably won’t.

7. Memorize William Knox’s “Mortality.”

I’ve already memorized the first stanza of this 14-stanza poem. I appreciate it’s message and it’s rhythm.

8. Blog 156 times (or 3 times a week).

I want to blog more. I like blogging and writing is good for me. I would like to incorporate more book reviews into my blog, as they’ve been missing for a while. Sadly, this has mostly to do with the fact that I’m not reading as much that I would want to spend the time writing a review about.

9. Read the Bible twice through.

I’ve begun reading the New International Version, and I hope to have most/all of the New Living Translation read this year, too.

 10. Spend an afternoon reading outside.

Looking forward to doing this the first available spring afternoon!

For more bookish goal lists, check out The Broke and the Bookish. 

New Year’s Eve Readathon Wrapup

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Well, it’s past midnight and time to wrap up my readathon. I had a good day and got in a good amount of reading: 433 pages plus a good chunk of an ebook. I did finish two more books, to bring my yearly total to 143 (yes, I find that ridiculous).

This was just my type of celebration. I look forward to bringing in the next year with a good book, too.

New Year’s Eve Readathon

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A few weeks ago, I told you all about my big New Year’s Eve plans. I know that it’s only New Year’s Eve Eve, but I’m starting to think through my plans for tomorrow and which books I will be tackling.

I don’t have a big stack in years past, though a few should be coming in the mail tomorrow and maybe a few more will be picked up from the library. I will definitely be dipping into at least one of my Christmas goodies.

My plan for this Readathon is definitely to take it easy. I plan on doing my “normal” reading: 20 pages each of a spiritual growth book, a biography, another non-fiction, a classic fiction, and a modern fiction book. Obviously, that’s not enough to cover the 13 hours I plan to read, so I’ll throw in more “free” reading as well.

I’ll be keeping my Twitter feed updated with what I’m currently updated and will do a wrap-up post here when it’s done.

Happy New Year’s!

Interested in joining the NYE Readathon? Read about it here!

Top 10 Books of 2012

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I don’t often read books when they come out, so this list is a list of the top books that I read, not the top books published this year. For fairness, I do not consider books that I’ve read previously (otherwise the same books might make the list each year!).

That said, here’s my favorite 10:

10. Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

This the only book on the list that didn’t get 5 stars. A couple of months later, I don’t remember why it only got 4 stars…it’s stuck with me. I love books that do that.

The image that has stuck with me is the idea of a bunch of believers sitting around telling our stories of God’s work in our lives, and the idea that we all are going to be amazed at how much we got wrong. There are issues of doctrine I will die for, and there are other issues–while important–aren’t issues to die for.

9. The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper

I got this back when the movie of similar name came out, so it’s been on my shelf for quite a while. It’s a very simple book full of profound truths. Things we all need to be reminded of.

8. Broken-Down House by Paul David Tripp

The overriding metaphor that is the premise of this book is that life is like living in a old, broken house that is in the process of being remodeled. Sometimes before things are fixed, they’re broken even further. And the whole thing is a big mess. We know that one day the house will be completely restored to its original beauty, but in the meantime, there’s work to do.

7. Earthen Vessels by Matthew Lee Anderson

I really liked this book. In fact, I liked it so much that I broke the binding writing and highlighting so much! For anyone who struggles with sins against the body (for me, overeating), I highly recommend this book.

 

6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

I was burned with my first Stephen King being the mess in need of editing, Under the Dome. It’s been a couple of years, so I thought I’d give King a second chance. I was impressed at how well thought out this book was and how time travel (and its numerous consequences) was presented. I’ve always loved time traveling books: it’s such a fascinating concept, full of “what ifs.”

5. A Faith of Our Own by Jonathan Merritt

I’m so thankful for Jonathan Merritt, someone who speaks for my generation of evangelicals. While I appreciate the stand for truth of past generations in the church, I have also seen how the occasionally obsessive interest in being right has erected unnecessary walls between believers and nonbelievers, and between Christians of different stripes.

4. Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchividjian

I’ve always loved the book of Jonah, but this helped me bring fresh eyes to the book. How great a God we serve that he doesn’t give up on us (though we repeatedly turn from Him)!

3. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

This was one of the books from my sci-fi kick that I’m still kinda in. I appreciate science fiction because it helps us discuss real issues by putting them in a different context. In the case of Red Mars: do we have the right to recreate the environment (in this case, of Mars) if it’s for the good of the human race? Or is it good for the human race? Very fascinating! I wish I enjoyed the sequel as much, but I just didn’t.

2. A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Maybe this is what got me  in such a science fiction frenzy. This is actually a sequel to a book that I thought was good, but not great. But this is the rare case where the sequel is much better than the first book. In a world of dystopian-esque books, this one stands out.

1. Beauty Will Save the World by Brian Zahnd

This is the kind of book that I finish and think “I need to read this again.”   It has changed how I view the world around me, and that’s a lot to get from a book.

Big New Year’s Eve Plans

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Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big party person. I’d like to think I’m not anti-social (and I don’t think I am), but I tend to enjoy an evening at home more than an evening out.

That said, it’ll be no surprise to hear what I’ve decided to do this New Year’s Eve:

Join the NYE Readathon.

This is my type of readathon: no rules. Personally, I hope to spend most of the day reading. I agreed to work a half-day that day, so I will be getting off at 11, then I can read the rest of the day. Works out well that I can read 13 hours to welcome in 2013!

I’m excited about the chance to be home for New Year’s this year. I’ve traveled over New Year’s the last two years, but I always feel like that starts my year off on a hectic note. A readathon seems just the right way to end 2012.

Review: Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein

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I found Identical Strangers while wandering the non-fiction audiobook aisle at my local library. Only finding out you are a twin at the age of 35? That sounded interesting enough to pick up and try. I’m always looking for interesting audiobooks, since I spend a good 10 hours a week listening to them.

Identical Strangers is the memoir-style story of Paula and Elyse, twins adopted by two different families. While this book offers plenty of discussion of the nature-vs.-nurture debate, it’s more a narrative exposition of how we determine who we are.

While the book follows their journey of discovery of the truth of their separation and their roots, it also details the depths and heights of their newly-minted relationship. When someone looks just like you and has many of the same interests and quirks, you can’t help but to be constantly comparing yourself.

I recommend Identical Strangers to anyone who finds the subject interesting. While I’m glad I listened it to on audio so that I could get through it more quickly (other reading I do in bits and pieces), I don’t think it added anything to the book.