Currently Reading {v.ii}

Some days, I’m not sure exactly what to post about. Because of work and school, I’m never shooting as much as I’d like to, and definitely not DIYing as much as I’d love to!

So, what do I do every day that’s interesting? I read! Every day, you ask? Yes, every day. I’m currently on a research grant at my school, so that involves a lot of reading of primary and secondary sources. I won’t go into my project on the interwebs, but let’s just say that you’ll probably hear about it anyways, since I’m writing a thesis on it.

Oh yeah, thesis. That’s been on my mind a bit more lately, now that junior year is so close! The thesis process here for honors undergrad is a three-semester commitment, thus, I’ll be starting my proposal in the spring.

Why all the research now? Well, I really love my topic. And I love to read. That should answer your question. 🙂

Currently Reading – Research Essentials

These are just a few of the books that I have sitting around for research (yep, Virginia Woolf, just in case you couldn’t tell from the picture above). Although I have many more, these are currently the most essential to what I’m working on. I probably have at least two of them in my purse at all times.

Selected Essays by Virginia Woolf – this edition is a fantastic collection of Woolf’s popular essays. I started reading it in Oxford last summer, but when I tried to find the same edition this summer, I had little luck. Did you know that no one in the Washington DC library consortium owns the book? It’s true. So I bought it.

The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf – I picked this up on a whim in December while on a bookstore date with my dad. It’s come in quite handy over the past week or so, and is definitely a break from the popular/canonical essays in Selected Essays.

The Cambridge Companion to Virginia Woolf – I’ve been carrying this one around because of Hermione Lee’s chapter on Virginia Woolf’s essays. While I’m not a fan of Lee’s biography of Woolf (I don’t hate it, Woolfians, I just have preferences…), I do like her treatment of Woolf’s essays in this summary/analysis.

Currently Reading – For Fun

I don’t believe in reading constantly if it’s all going to be research. Even during the school year, I try to have a book of short stories going at the same time I’m doing my class reading. It’s a bit ambitious at times, but it reminds me not to loose sight of why I wanted to be an English major in the first place. And that is a very good thing.

French Leave by P G Wodenhouse – I’ve heard SO many good things about his work, so this will be the test to see if he measures up! I’m already a massive Christie/Conan Doyle fan, so I’m hoping that he’ll be another good mystery author. A prof recommended him, so I’m blaming her if this doesn’t go so well. 😉

Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt – Just finished this one a week or so ago. I bought it because the title sounded appealing, and as someone in college, I wanted to read what Vesterfelt had to say. Like a lot of books about this subject, unfortunately, it’s targeted at the post-college age range, but I was still encouraged by it! Such a good travel memoir/reflective work. I finished it in one night, if that says anything about it.

The Shelf: LEQ through LES by Phyllis Rose – A prof turned me on to Phyllis Rose recently as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to read her criticism, but I found this new publication of hers entrancing. The premise is that she decides to read through a library fiction shelf in a public library, and essentially keep a reading journal of her thoughts and journey. I’m only one chapter in, but it’s absolutely fascinating! I love with authors/critics do something fun and daring… like this. I think we often expect critics to keep producing critical theory until the cows come home (just look at the pressures on Zizek, who was recently outed for plagiarism!) without touching “low culture” as it were. (Although I would hardly view public library shelves as “low culture”.)

This list is only current for the next week or so, but in case you’ve ever wondered what I spend my (free) time doing, this is it!

What are you reading?