What I've Been Up to Lately...yup, READING!

 

I find myself with some unexpected free time, totaling almost three months,

and I have vowed to spend every precious ruby drop of that time to get caught up on my mammoth to-read list. So far, these are the books strewn about my bedroom which I have obtained from my university library. Unfortunately, I  have yet to finish a single book yet, though I've had the books for over a week now. I'm chronicling my progress here, because each time I remember that I posted about these books it should instill me with an urgency to finish reading them. Besides, I have hungered to read new books of my own choosing for so long it seems a veritable crime to waste this lovely time I have to do so. I blame the cold that I've had for the past week, but I know the truth is that I've simply been too lazy. I hope to send off the year 2013 with a fanfare of ink and paper. Now I will proceed to make a short note on each book, mainly why I want to read it, how I discovered it, what I hope to get out of it, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

I discovered Tamim Ansary's book by googling "books about the golden age of Islam" a couple of months ago, and stumbled upon a list on Goodreads. I was delighted to find that the book was carried in my school library and that I didn't have to Interlibrary Loan it. I've read the first few chapters already and am delighted at the clear and conversational writing style that I didn't expect in this sort of historical book. The author's story intrigues me more than the book itself. He grew up in Afghanistan and was an avid little bookworm specializing in devouring historical texts for most of his childhood. For me, choosing this book is about my recent resolve to read more nonfiction and especially historical nonfiction, as I have realized that my reading diet has consisted almost entirely of fiction for  most of my reading career.

 

 

 

I discovered this book through searching my university library's database right before I went to the library. I've only read the selection by Atul Gawande so far, which was very interesting and informative. My selection of this book isn't that hard to fathom. I realize that as a Biology major and doctor-hopeful, I have done quite poorly lately in my extracurricular reading of scientific writing. This book, among others, I hope will serve as a way to mend this oversight.  

 

I realized upon flipping through this book that is far too advanced for me and I will actually have to return it and get the lower level books on Arabic that I discarded the day I visited the library. I was in such a rush by the time I got to the Arabic section, and also feared that I had too many books already to check out on my one card, that I just grabbed this book at random. Of course, looking at this book makes me excited because I know I will soon reach my goal of being able to read Arabic at this level.

 

I started reading this book last semester, but due to being incredibly busy did not end up making much of a dent in it. This book particularly excites me because in the The-Story-I've-Been-Writing-Since-I-Was-Thirteen Flinders Petrie is an important influence to my main character Anne DeMontpellier. I discovered the name Flinders Petrie during my screenwriting workshop in the summer of 2010 when I finally got to show my story to someone outside of my family. My screenwriting teacher initially was very confused by my story because I struggled with organization problems. But by the last day of the workshop, with my last draft of the screenplay version of The Last Triumph, I got the satisfaction of wowing my teacher and the rest of my classmates with my heavily reworked version of a scene very dear to me. Thus, my reason for wanting to read about Flinders Petrie. I also recently listened to a documentary about his life and was very impressed by his dedication to his craft.

 

Benjamin Franklin is a historical figure I have always felt a special connection to. I long admired his creativity and diverse accomplishments since that first time I stumbled upon a sketch of his life in an illustrated children’s literature anthology But most of all, anytime I read about Franklin I yearned to be able to be as fierce a master of my time as he was of his. Hence, my decision to read his autobiography at last stems from my recent ponderings on how best to improve my own time management strategies—from the master himself. I actually read a few chapters of Walter Isaacson’s Benjamin Franklin: An American Life over the summer. I found that book to be superbly well written and an immense joy to peruse and definitely far more accessible to me than the autobiography seems. However, I watched PBS’ documentary on him over the summer and did not end up finishing the book. I really enjoyed the documentary. Mostly, I chose to read about Franklin because I want to remind myself of the importance of time.

 

Ah, this poor book! I picked it because of my resolve to read historical nonfiction. Since I’d seen this book many times on my Goodreads account when I spotted it at the library I immediately added it to my pile. However, so far this book has not yielded me very much benefit. I spent last Saturday morning reading the first three chapters of it and though it was very informative and I loved the academic feel of the writing etc, it hasn’t really wowed me. Why I term this book poor is the fact that I’ve been unable to finish reading it even though I’ve been toting it around almost everywhere I go. I guess I should suspend judgement until I’ve read the entire book. Also, I guess it’s because I  have no particular interest in Cleopatra that I find I have to slog through the book with such lack of drive. Oh well, My resolve to read more historical nonfiction will be accomplished one way or another even if it means stabbing into the vast dark void of random picks.

 

I haven’t even opened this book yet and just grabbed it off the shelf of my library to fulfill my “read more books about medicine” resolution.

 

I devoured the first four or so chapters of this book the same Saturday morning I attempted to read Cleopatra. I was fueled by the fact that the discovery of Penicillin was the first topic of the book.  The story of Sir Alexander Fleming’s  accidental discovery which rocked the world of medicine is one very dear and personally significant for me. It was when I chose that topic for my college freshman speech class that I decided to change my major from Accounting to Biology. It inspired in me back then many lovely hours of explorative reading—on Biology and science and scientists. Further, this book is such a well-written and incredibly accessible text. I guess what I mean is that it isn’t written in any sort of cumbersome academic style. I had actually completely forgotten about this book and now feel spurred to find it and finish it off as soon as possible.

 

Ah, Catherine the Great. I actually stayed up very late last night reading this book. I’m on part three right now. Narrative biographies like this are what I guess I need to read first before delving into things like Schiff’s academic analysis of Cleopatra. I guess it’s because the book reads very much like a novel that it is easier for me to access. But also, Massie does a brilliant job of painting all the historical figures in this book as humans first. What I mean by that, I suppose, is that he is very adept at drawing out the emotional realities of these people and their circumstances. When I pick up a book about some far away past and long dead person, what I want most of all is to come away having a sense that I got to know a new person and maybe understood a little bit about that person—especially how the setting and time period influenced that individual. Thus the likeliness of finishing this book seems great.

 

 

I started this book over the summer and was almost halfway through it, but MCAT preparations separated us. Greg Mortenson’s simple and heartfelt mission is one that I admire deeply and in a way aspire to. I guess it’s because I feel so keenly about the importance of education  that I find Mortenson’s mission particularly significant. Anytime I remember that there are so many countless thousands of children around the world denied that basic human right it makes my stomach lurch. Also, I admire about Mortenson that amazingly simple resolve to want to do something and then to get started right off and just vault into doing it—without all the aggravating dillydallying and worrying about whether it is possible to do it first of all. Wow, I have barely touched this book since I got it again. I need to finish reading it ASAP!

 

The sketch of Adams in PBS’ documentary on Benjamin Franklin was what prompted me to acquire this book. However, upon my first superficial flip through of the book I found the style not to be what I expected. I will have to let you know if I plan to actually read this entire book or not.

 

Since Anesthesia was a specialty I was interested in enough early on during my premed career to shadow an Anesthesiologist, this book leapt out at me from the shelf. I have yet to actually open it though, so we’ll see.

 

 

Atul Gawande. Again a book I have already become acquainted over the summer, but became to busy to read more than half a chapter of. The reason I decided I had to finish this book was Gawande’s discussion on the importance of practice as a key trait of a surgeon. That is an idea I can easily get behind. My first year of premed classes, I found that my work ethic was what helped me surmount my waterloos of math and science deficiencies. I discovered this book through trolling through Goodreads lists.

 

 

 

It was a blustery rainy day in January when I happened to pick this book off the literature shelves of my university library. I was of course attracted to it because of its Arthurian content. I remember flipping to a part in the middle and read for a few pages about Lancelot. Despite the enjoyment I derived from perusing such a well written epic, I immediately felt saddened by it and placed it gingerly back upon the shelf. Such a nice and reassuringly thick book, so languorously and deliciously written made me think: I would have died to read this book back when I was in middle school. Back then the hours stretched so emptily before me and to have been able to fill them thus with such a book would have filled my cup. But look at me now, a harried college student with hardly enough time to eat breakfast in the mornings (that entire semester was a fiasco of bad time management for me) what use is it to long like this over books that I am past the prime for reading. It was because of the lesson that crystallized from my experiences this past summer—that giving in to despair is the worst wastefulness in the world, that I resolved I would read this book regardless. Hence, though it is fiction, I felt it essential to my reading regime.

 

 

The excitement of being in immunology class at last spurred me to discover this book. Hilariously though, it was because I  had to study for my first immunology exam that I stopped reading this book before I’d barely made it very far. It took me a while to be able to face getting this book again after I had to drop immunology class. But here it is on my list and flung someplace in my room. My stomach still clenches when I chance to encounter it. Nevertheless, the only way to diffuse the pain this book clutches for me is to read it all the way through once and for all. Sadly, now finishing this book has almost nothing to do with my initial excitement at hearing the account of a doctor who practiced in a third world country.