Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday--What I'm Reading

This is going to be fun, because I do a lot of reading over the weekend, in between getting some kind of exercise, interacting with the kids and playing Spider Solitaire instead of doing my schoolwork.

Just finished:

The Calligrapher's Daughter: I've been fascinated with Korean history since I stumbled upon it in Japanese history class back in 1979. This novel looks at the Japanese occupation of Korea through the eyes of girl whose independent streak leads her out of her tradition-bound but fiercely patriotic house into careers in nursing and education. Although at times overwritten, the novel does a great job at showing the ambiguity of the girl's position -- Japan brought reforms to Korean society, but also political and cultural oppression. Small triumphs and great tragedies fill Eugenia Kim's novel, based in part on her mother. It's also a fascinating exploration of Christian faith, in the mind of one who struggles with her ambivalence.

Reading now:

Tagging: People-Powered Metadata for the Social Web: This is a book I'm reading for a literature review I'm developing for a Research Methods class in library science. It looks at folksonomies from an elementary viewpoint, but it outlines the one area of conflict I want to address in the research model.

The Secret of Lost Things: I'm on page 48. So far, the novel is a dreamy voyage from Tasmania, of all places, to a used bookstore in New York that seems to be modeled after the Strand, although I suspect the characters in it are not based on actual Strand employees. So far, pretty good.

The Known World: I'm listening to it on CD, although this book has so many painful plot twists (the selling of a free man back into slavery) that it's very difficult to listen to. Also, the plethora of characters probably is easier to keep track of in print than through the ear. But the prose has a natural rhythm to it that makes it a good book to listen to, and Kevin Free does a good job with the voices.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to have you join in the It's Monday! What are you reading? meme. Next time you join, be sure to post a link to the host's post. That way others can find their way and join in the fun. The link this week is: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2009/09/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_21.html

Happy Reading!

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm...when I posted this comment, there was no link. Where we thinking the same thing at the same time or am I losing my mind? The last one is a possibility. ;)

Allison Vaughn said...

Some interesting reads!

Allison
http://www.wellreadreviews.com

Jennifer said...

Great line-up! I look forward to seeing you selection next week. :)

Mine is here: http://rundpinne.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-are-you-reading-monday_21.html

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

The Calligrapher's Daughter sounds wonderful!

Mary (Bookfan) said...

The Secret of Lost Things sounds good!