As I'm staring down the barrel of comprehensive exams (5 weeks, 10 books to read, 6 topic questions to write) one of the things that's inspiring me to keep going is the knowledge that once I get to the month of May, I will have a month off of reading systematic theology. If I'm accepted to the Th.M. program at Saint John's, I'll have a summer course in Fundamental Moral Theology, but that won't start until June. I have some papers to finish up, and should do a little work for my thesis defense in August, but given the intensity of this semester I've decided that it's necessary for my sanity to take a little break from thinking about dogma, doctrine, and thinking about God. I'll finish my papers and then spend some much needed time on the beach.
I miss reading fiction. The last new novel I managed to finish was most recent in the Mary Russell series The Language of Bees in August(?). That's eight months without completing a new piece of fiction or memoir or something other than systematic/scriptural theology. For a life-long English major, this is perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of being a graduate student. As a coping mechanism for the stress of this semester, I've started devising my summer reading list. I decided that I wanted it to be nothing except fiction and short stories, and because I'm painfully disconnected from modern fiction, I was going to read only books published in 2009 (deep breath, Lauren. This is personal reading, not book club reading). Because I am a colossal snob and read both Slate and the New York Times book reviews obsessively, my list comes from their Best of 2009 picks. If you read something (fiction or short stories--I could be persuaded for memoir, but it'll take a little nudging) that you think I should pick up, please let me know.
Until then, the start of my summer reading list (any of the following would make a lovely graduation gift):
- Await Your Reply: Dan Chaon
- Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It: Maile Meloy
- Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Wells Tower
- Family Album: Penelope Lively
- Invisible: Paul Auster
- Nothing Right: Antonya Nelson
- Endpoint: John Updike
- Too Much Happiness: Alice Munro
