File this under Religion and News

New England surpasses West Coast as least religious region in America, study finds (via LATimes)
Wonder what the Puritans would have thought of that! And what does “least religious” really mean?

Bruhahahha over Big Love Temple episode and subsequent media coverage
I’m totally watching the season finale tonight and ignoring my work for an hour.

And in stuff I like this week:

Teaching The Handmaid’s Tale by Atwood:

Doesn’t the guy kinda look like representations of Henry the 8th?

I recently read First Grade to Final Day: A Graduate Student’s Guide to Teaching. I bought it on amazon.com via a third party seller. When I was finishing it up, I found a receipt from Ohio State University Bookstore in it from June 2007.

I started to think about the life of a book, how it floats from one owner to the next, another reader to take it on.

I wonder who the person is who read it last, a brand new teaching assistant like me? Someone reading up on teaching technique?

is NOT happening.  Why oh Why!

Well, there are lot of reasons. But one that catches my attention is the fact that I no longer have an hour commute on public transportation. Rarely did I not read something when I was on the subway.  So I have lost that time just for myself.  I need to create that time now.  Hmmm.  I didn’t think I’d miss the subway but I may just be missing it!

I have been denied a

• MI driver’s license (don’t have enough utility bills to prove I live in the home that I bought)
• An East Lansing library card because I don’t have a MI DL stating that I live in East Lansing
• Sam’s Club card (I know I know Wal-Mart is evvvvillll BUT there is no costco in the Lansing area)

The reason for not having the Sam’s Club Card is that my husband and I don’t have the same address on our NY State licenses.  Why?  Well, I never bothered to change mine from my parents address because why deal with bureaucracy unnecessarily??

But yesterday, I was able to get a library card up in Northern, MI in the area my parents live.  Without a problem!  I didn’t need to be a MI state resident or even live in the area. I just had to pay $5.  Why is it so easy you ask? Because a lot of people summer (funniest verb ever) up here, traveling from downstate MI, Illinois and other Midwestern states, spending a good chunk of their time here to warrant checking out library books.

So I got my library books and was able to check out two Atwood books:

Lady Oracle

AND

Bodily Harm 

OK before I get my Atwood groove on I need to do some laundry, get some coffee, do some writing or reading (not necessarily in that order!)

The Bonds of Womanhood by Nancy Cott. I did read the part on education during my sophomore year for a research paper. I am glad I did read the whole study as it is one of those imperative books that should be read for someone doing gender history and/or gender theory.

Here is one new thing I learned: Imagery of women in the Christian Church changed dramatically from the late 18th century to the early 19th century. Women were usually portrayed in the image of “Eve” as temptresses, not to be trusted. However, preachers, reverends, and ministers soon turned to casting women as more benevolent participants within their practice as Christians. They turned away from depictions of Eve and turned to other, more complimentary, positive portrayals of women from the Bible to persuade female congregation and general Church member to lead an exemplary (Christian) life.

INTERESTING! A point worth more investigation from my end.

OK, this is a list of books I own that I want (need) to read before August.  There are a few themes going on here: books by faculty I will be studying under, topics I want to explore, communities defined by culture, and then religion and religious communities.

A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada by Mark A. Noll
Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City by Arlene Davila
Cultures in Babylon: Black Britain and African America by Hazel V. Carby
Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896 by David L. Bigler
Indian Women and French Men by Susan Sleeper-Smith
Learning from the Left: Children’s Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States by Julie L. Mickenberg
Methodism and the Southern Mind by Cynthia Lyerly
Sisters in Spirit: Mormon Women in Historical and Cultural Perspective edited by Maureen Ursenback Beecher and Lavine Fielding Anderson
The Second Goldrush: Oakland and the East Bay in World War II by Marilynn S. Johnson
The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture by Neil Foley
Women, Family, and Utopia: Communal Experiments of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, and the Mormons by Lawrence Foster

Next up:

Books I have read that I should review
Books that every graduate student MUST read before they begin US History…like I can really read all of these but I will try. I am thinking books that summarizes time periods using gender, race and class as major categories of analyses.

Ambitious much?

Wow, I haven’t updated this in awhile. I’m going backward:

Currently reading:

Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood (short stories that keep bringing up the women’s movement in different ways)

Books Read:

Cat’s Eye by Atwood
Falling Through the Earth: A Memoir by Danielle Trussoni
Moral Geography: Maps, Missionaries, and the America… by Amy DeRogatis
The Common Ground of Womanhood: Class, Gender, and W…by Priscilla Murolo
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Race, Gender, and Work: A Multicultural Economic History by Teresa Amott
Moral Disorder: and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century by Gregory M. Colon Semenza
Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Then We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris

Basically, I spent the first part of the year reading what I wanted to fiction wise: Then We Came the End and The Abstinence Teacher were both very witty and sarcastic (as Perotta usually is.) Then I switched gears and tried to read more about my Patagonia trip.  Over the Edge of the World was surprisingly riveting for me.  I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I but I was happy to read while I visited the actual Straights of Magellan.

As soon as I found out I got into graduate school, I started to read some books that I thought would be necessary to read before I began. This, unfortunately, has not been going as well as I hoped–mostly because I have been very unfocused in that area lately.  I am going to get back into it as soon as I finish Wilderness Tips by Atwood.

One area that has been successful is the Atwood. I do adore her writing and am happy to report that I equally liked Surfacing, Moral Disorder, Cat’s Eye, and–almost done with– Wilderness Tips. Next up is Oryx & Crake. I want to read some of her poetry but I never really just sit down and read poetry for pleasure. I did it in high school and a bit in college and then analyzed it.  I think I may enjoy poetry by Atwood though.

I want to get back to a month to month list of books read.  Next up is a long list of books I WANT to read. I may have to abandon reading books for fun sooner than later. But I find this whole academia *FUN* right? Right.

FIN

Clearly I am not the only one to think Rachel Donadio’s essay It’s Not You, It’s your Books rang true.  For most of the weekend and earlier this week, it stood number one on the NYTimes most emailed list.

For me and the facebook, goodreads and social networking site generation, listing books read, to be read, and owned is a sign of education, interest, political inclination, intelligence, and taste among other qualifiers.  I LOVE to list books I read, mostly because it reminds me of graduate school when I had to not only write about books I was assigned to read but I had to write about them intelligently and thoroughly, identifying common themes and interrogating an author’s intentions.  When grad school ended I went through a pretty hard time where I stopped reading altogether. I don’t know what the exact link is there but when I started to feel better I kept lists of  all the books I read.  I set up a goal to read 100 books in 2007. I didn’t reach this goal but came a lot closer than the earlier year.

Reading is who I am.  I love books, libraries, organizing my books, and so on.  That’s why its so funny that I never really considered what affect it would have on my romantic life.  All of my life my friends have been avid readers. My mother has always been an avid reader–probably got it from her. However,  my husband is NOT a book reader, he reads the newspaper everyday.  This has never caused any problems except when I want to read and he wants to play xbox (love ya hon!) He honors and celebrates my booklove by buying my books off my amazon wishlist for my birthday, Christmas, and other celebrations.  He supports my library habit and encourages my visits to used bookstores.  I immensely appreciate his interest in my interest though I must admit I’d try to steer him away from The Secret if he was so inclined.

I also had the pleasure of listening to Donadio on Talk of the Nation on Monday. It was hilarious to listen to people call in and share their different stories. Several people discussed how it was silly to judge a person on their reading choices, claiming people should be happy their loved ones are reading at all.  Ultimately, I appreciate all sorts of literature and genres.  And agree that just as long as people and their significant others are happy they should be able to read and enjoy whatever they want!

Now if you asked my husband, he would probably say that musical preferences was my personal deal breaker.  But I am trying to be better about it!

Its time to get ready for grad school and that means getting on top of my reading.  Earlier this week I started to read Race, Gender & Work by Teresa Amott and Julie Matthaei. I was actually assigned to read this book before I started my MA program in women’s history but I never did.  Well, I am very glad I recently started to peruse it.  I am only about 100 pages in but so far I have read about Native American women and Chicana women.  It certainly helps me with my conceptualization of race, gender, work and the idea of “place.” I really want to learn more about the history of Mexico and Mexican colonization prior to the US - Mexico war.  I have a book on my shelf about that. Need to do some digging around for books about that.  I have also ordered some books by some of the professors whom I will be studying with next year. I am very enthused to say the least.

Also in preparation for next year, I need to investigate my memberships for the

American Historical Assocation

Organization of American Historians

I joined them last December but never really figure out how to login.  One of them sends my information to my parents house. Must correct address forward soon.