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The Book's the Thing

 

March 11, 2008

Readers' Advisory Rules!

I hope you're sitting down, because I know this will shock you. Ready? Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you:

My favorite part of library school so far is the RA course I'm taking this semester.

I forgot what it was like to be required to read books for a class, and let me tell you, it's WONDERFUL! We have to read a book a week from now through the end of the semester, creating a big mamajama "Reading Map" outlining the books read, the Read Alikes and the Like Reads for all the books read.

We also have to write an RA module, designed to teach our fellow librarians more about the subject, AND we need to design an RA department for an imaginary library. Or for our own, if that would be an option where we are currrently.

The book at the center of my reading map is Kate Chopin's The Awakening. It's an old favorite of mine, a work of classican American literature that's been deemed a "feminist classic." Well, maybe.

The work of literary fiction I read was James Salter's Light Years, a book recommended to me by Michael Dirda of The Washington Post. It's gorgeously poetic, an exploration of a modern American marriage.

This week's genre is mystery. I'm reading Nevada Barr's Deep South, which is set on the Natchez Trace. I've never read Nevada Barr before, but I'm enjoying this one. I've hardly read anything that could be called "mass market" either, whether in genre or mainstream fiction. I'm generally a literary fiction gal, or a nonfiction/biography, literary criticism type. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Another thing I won't kid you on, as long as I'm confessing, I got into this profession because it's surrounded by books. It wasn't for the romance, not for the fame, nor for the incredible action. It was for THE BOOKS.

This semester's crazy-hectic. I think I already told you I'm taking three graduate courses through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I barely remember yesterday, it's so busy. Good thing it was a terrible winter, since I had to be inside the whole time anyway.

I'm looking forward to the summer, or specifically, to everything after May 9, which is the last day of the spring semester. I'll take a course (or two) online this summer, but that in itself will be a vacation, sister! I can't wait.

Well, back to the books. I just wanted to report in briefly on how school's going, and to send my laundry in case you have a few extra hours to do that for me. Whoops, sorry. I forgot I'm not an undergrad anymore. So I guess I can't say, "Send money," either.

Drat.

Posted by lisa at March 11, 2008 12:14 PM

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