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The Self in Study
When the microphone and questions are turned toward the journalist or researcher they tend to cringe. It’s uncomfortable to be the object of study. In fact, many of us have been trained to believe that we are not a part of the study — the self must be aloof, detached, objective. Of course this mindset has shifted in some fields of work, including my own, but even those of us who champion self-reflective, feminist methods of positionality can be reticent to step to the other side of the researcher-subject relationship. Yet, that’s exactly what I had to do this past semester. I or more specifically my genes became the object…
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Looking at the Weekly Reading Mill
Welcome to the first Weekly Wrap of the revived Sitting in the Stacks! As in the past, these posts will include a large infographic highlighting what I’m currently reading, recently read, and what’s next. I also highly recommend looking at the bottom of the infographics each time as I try to incorporate interesting quotations. First, let’s look at recent…
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Zombie Stacks, Or the Revival of an Old Friend Lazarus Style
It’s alive!!! Sitting in the Stacks has received a much-needed makeover and is getting a second chance among the living. After two years of silence, I’m back with new book reviews, bookstores, and a whole new Musings area. For those of you who follow SitS on Twitter already know there’s a new direction for this blog. Sitting in the Stacks will incorporate more posts related to my work readings and reflective pieces on academic life. These changes don’t mean a significant shift in the layout or tone of the site. It’s the content of SitS that will shift, although it’s a slight change.
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Spring Semester Resolutions
A new year inspires polarizing sentiment in most people – some are excited and full of possibility, setting resolutions for themselves, while others are morose and know that any goals made in January will be ghosts by February. The New Year for academics, however, functions differently. Our new year is in the fall, but January does bring a new term. It’s the time to evaluate if you’re on track with the resolutions for research, time management, and teaching set in August/September. For academics, January is a midterm assessment. In my case the start of this term is a chance take a breath.
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Confronting an Academic Summer
The end is nigh! The end of summer that is, and I for one cannot be happier even though the start of the school year brings anxiety and stress. Growing up I was always that kid who eagerly anticipated the end of summer right after July 4th. The anarchy of summer and the freedom to do whatever was great – at first. But it got exhausting in the way you feel when you’ve slept-in too late. So the end of summer meant a return to normalcy and regularly scheduled days. The start of school was always a wish come true. It didn’t hurt that fall is also my favorite season.
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An American Holocaust, The Story of the Cherokee Displacement
Jacksonland By Steve Inskeep Jacksonland is an American story, a tragedy. It is about greed, white man’s destiny, struggle and death. It is a story not well known and one everyone should hear. As the title suggests, Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” writes about the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Yet the book is more than your traditional presidential biography. Jacksonland is a narrative about the plight of the Native American. It is a story focused on the Cherokee Tribe and how the American government purloined Cherokee lands and removed the tribal citizens westward en masse. Jacksonland is a story of how one population was forcefully cordoned off from…
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Want to write for Sitting in the Stacks?
Have you dragged your friends and family into another bookstore promising them it was the last one? Do you consider your books to be your most prized possession? Are you a fan of book humor that no one else seems to get? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you are clearly passionate about all things books and should consider writing for Sitting in the Stacks. Sitting in the Stacks is now accepting submissions for three categories:
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Ebooks, Free Books
Maybe not totally free books, but definitely very inexpensive books. This week’s Friday Findings highlights the insane discounts one can find by perusing the ebook shelves. I initially learned about the practice of discounting ebooks for a limited time when I was contacted to review The House on Seventh Street. The price of Williams’ ebook was lowered to $0.99 to celebrate the release of the audiobook. That struck me as amazing! Turns out, drastically cutting the prices of an ebook is common practice.
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Murder in Paris: Aimee Leduc Investigations
Earlier this summer a fellow book blogger shared that she was reading Murder on the Quai (the most recent release in the series). I was instantly intrigued as I had recently finished all the books in the Tana French Dublin Murder Squad series and was aching for a new mystery. It didn’t hurt that the scene for Murder on the Quai was Paris. My interest in all things francophone was piqued. Months later and three books down, I have become smitten with Cara Black’s mystery series.
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M. Judson Bookstore
During a long-weekend visit to Greenville, South Carolina, I visited the M. Judson bookstore on South Main Street. Like all independent bookstores I’ve come across, M. Judson has its own personality that comes through from the moment you walk in the store. From the cashier counter made out of repurposed books to themed shelving, M. Judson clearly prioritizes creativity. This creativity follows you through the store as you meander from the quirky children’s section marked by chalkboard paint and a row of school chairs to the geographically themed shelves denoted by various maps.
