comp lit and mediaphilia
Boston (Photo credit: Bahman Farzad)
I really wanted to be able to write today about how this past week was completely and utterly excellent. Except that I live in Boston, so first someone bombed the longest-running marathon in the country (world?), and then I had to sit inside all day Friday because my neighborhood was on lockdown for being close to Watertown, and then the whole city was. Even though I know no one who was affected directly by the bombing, and even though I wasn’t in all that much danger on Friday, it was still extremely stressful. I didn’t actually feel like I was stressed, but then when I realized how I couldn’t stop going to the bathroom because of my stomachaches and how I couldn’t read a single page of a book because I couldn’t focus, literally with my eyes and figuratively with my attention, so apparently I was quite agitated.
I in no way want to say that I was in as bad a position as other people, like my friend who lives right in Watertown or like the countless people injured or grieving. But in my own little world, it was a tough Monday and a tough Friday.
I find that really unfair for the obvious reasons, since no one should have to be grieving right now, and also no one should have to feel grateful to be alive right now. Alive is the default, and nobody should have to spend their thoughts mentally thanking someone for only partially ruining their lives. That’s awful, and I am sorry for everyone who was at the marathon or who knew someone there. But I also find it unfair, because I had planned a really great week, and in many ways, it still was, and now I have to feel kind of guilty about that. Continue reading →
Posted in adventures
Tagged authors , boston marathon bombing , grad school , happy , identity , reading , sad , the future , tranquility , travel , writing
Apr · 21
So in a stroke of most excellent luck, I connected with Naiya of The Canary Review , who suggested that we read the same book at the same time and talk about it. You know, like a conversation and a way to connect with someone instead of reading as a solitary pursuit. Genius. We decided on Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch , and you can actually follow our thinking and planning on this blog post because I know you are fangirling or fanboying us.
I’ve read two books by Okorafor before, and I’ve been meaning to read more, because even more than I like her, I just find her stories really interesting, and I think she deserves a wider readership not just because she is a good writer but because you don’t find many voices of color in YA SFF, and you find even fewer who are lucky enough to have covers that reflect that. Also, I had heard great things about her, so I picked up Who Fears Death at a bookstore sale this one time and read it, and then this semester in my SFF class we read The Shadow Speaker . First, she reminds me of Helen Oyeyemi , whose first book, The Icarus Girl , is one of my favorites ever, and whose other books are highly fascinating, too. I love the idea of using West African (specifically Nigerian for these two) mythology because Yoruban gods and traditions are also very present in the Western Hemisphere, especially Brazil and Cuba (you know these things as candomblé or santeria), and I adored Brazil when I went there and identified a lot with a lot of things, and now I’m digressing, so I’ll stop. Continue reading →
Tagged books , co-reading , culture , race , travel , YA
Dec · 15
Not really. Just Marcus Samuelsson, whose life experiences are similar to mine in the strangest and simplest of ways. I’ll be writing a formal review when I actually finish the book (46% currently; thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!), but since I have a feeling that review could quickly turn into just an ode to reading, I’ll do that now.
Reading is amazing when all of a sudden you find yourself in a book. I’m taking a course on developing collections for children this summer, and the other day my professor asked if we had ever read a book that really deeply affected us in a significant, life-changing way, and I really couldn’t think of that. I’m sure there has been something–I also have this problem when I consider whether or not I have any mentors or role models, and because I don’t think of things in those terms, I say no, but really I do have people who fit those roles in my life–but I racked my brain and could not call up a thing. Continue reading →
Posted in books
Tagged adoption , authors , biracial , books , culture , famous people , happy , identity , life , race , travel
Jul · 19
Quickie observations, insights, discoveries, and revelations.
1. The Midwest doesn’t suck. Oops for thinking it did. It has pretty nature, clean streets, good food, and friendly people. Also, does it have an obsession with aioli?
2. Keynote opening speaker: Stephen Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains . Excellent talk, must read his book. Neuroplasticity is like neural mapping–it’s that part of neuroscience that I understand conceptually without having to remember without drawing a cell, so I love it. Also, I wonder if the current tendency towards multitasking and multimedia extravaganzas is linked to what I see as a rise in more of my peers choosing multiple college majors in disparate fields or going towards interdisciplinary studies. Hyperlinking gives us access to so many new ideas, and I know in my experience, it has made me more interested in investigating other areas of study. Could be interesting to look into…
3. At the YALSA/ALA booth in the vendor exhibits, I got to meet a lot of the people I’ve been meeting via the Internet who work for or with the wonderful organization that is giving me money to go to school and get all kinds of extras like stipends for conferences. Not only are these people pretty awesome, but they way pumped up my ego by implying that I am already kind of famous in their circles, and that they want me to present at conferences and volunteer for committees and stuff. Sweet. Continue reading →
Tagged aasl , ala , conferences , grad school , happy , identity , librarianship , library school , travel , yalsa
Nov · 03
Don’t get me wrong, I am so, so happy here. Truly. Last year I was really happy in spite of the drama and sadness and frustration that was going on in my life, and that was the happiest I had felt in absolute years, like a decade or so. But now I’m happy , and it’s not really in spite of anything. Yes, I miss my family and friends and Tucson, but being away isn’t as hard as I thought. I’ve never gone more than six weeks without seeing my family before, and now I’m just about there, and it doesn’t feel as painful as it did before. The fact that I can balance the idea of still loving where and who I come from with being incredibly happy in my new state of life makes me know I am in the right place.
And it is such a good place to be. Cute, cozy apartment with few problems. Absolutely amazing dual degree program that is constantly challenging me, giving me new things to discover, and validating my choices in life. Volunteering for an organization in a capacity that feels genuinely like a contribution to tikkun olam and that is also both personally and professionally enriching. Making new friends, acquaintances, and connections at a rate that I can handle without feeling too overwhelmed and like I need to withdraw. More or less managing my money. Enjoying a season I’ve never seen before. Finding a little time to sing. Continue reading →
Tagged boston , grad school , happy , identity , tranquility , travel , wanderlust
Oct · 19
about things the ftc wants me to tell you
things the ftc wants me to tell you
internets i read foodie and health links friends library and information science links literature, publishing, and writing links socio-cultural-political-racial etc links style, design, pop culture, and everything else
foodie and health links
friends
library and information science links
literature, publishing, and writing links
socio-cultural-political-racial etc links
style, design, pop culture, and everything else
read me elsewhere book reviews
book reviews
special features resources pour vous
resources pour vous
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Join 868 other followers
RSS - Posts
RSS - Comments
I am going to start a side business in being everyone's bra fairy godmother. The world needs my help.| 23 hours ago
october nick hornby copycat wp.me/pkfk8-C3 | 1 day ago
Your Pinterest board is useless if you pin the same things repeatedly and don't curate.| 2 days ago
grammar kvetch (tumblr)
i read everything (tumblr)
if you want, you can buy me presents
my bookshelf
tweeter
« Oct
october nick hornby copycat
on rating books
september nick hornby copycat
the blog tour of miss k
august nick hornby copycat