A sonnet a day keeps the cobwebs away!

Reading is to be a big part of my year.

I plan to start each of the first 154 days with one of Shakespeare's sonnets. The rest of my reading list will all sorts of novels, plays, poems, etc. One source I am using as a guideline of reading material is the Literature syllabus for Yale's amazing Directed Studies program (http://directedstudies.yale.edu/literature-books).

I welcome any and all reading suggestions!

I recently finished Rand's The Fountainhead and am just starting Hawking's A Brief History of Time. (See a complete reading list on the right.)

Comments

  1. KateAugust 25, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    Ratna!! (a) I just love your sonnet idea. Can I do it too?! Which one are you on? We should coordinate and discuss. (b) You should post your thoughts on the Fountainhead -- it totally consumed me when I read it at about your age (I remember sneaking away from Christmas festivities so I could hang out in my room and read it... not that Chang would say that's out of character, but I swear, I was addicted more than I usually am) and then I felt like I was awakening from a weird and not necessarily benign spell once I finished. Maybe I'll read it again. (c) I've been wanting to read A Brief History of Time too! Okay, I may just totally copy your reading list. And you. Can I just be you, please? (d) Have you read anything by Richard Russo? (e) I miss you Flint Hillions (like hellion, ha, ha, get it) so much!!! <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ratna GillAugust 29, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    KATHERINE JESSE! YAY! (a) I haven't started yet, so we can totally do it together! How about I let you know when my "official" first day is (either September 3rd or the first day of my first internship) and let you know? (b) AHHH THE FOUNTAINHEAD. I was planning to post responses to each piece I read, but I have no words for this one. I completely ...get what you mean. (c) Hawking is so engaging and understanding that I forget it's science he's talking about. READ IT! You ARE being me, Miss GAP YEAR! You should make a blog! (d) Nope -- do you have any suggestions? (e) Your babies miss you, too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nizar ZahedSeptember 2, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    Hey Ratna. The FHS summer reading book that I read is actually pretty interesting. you might like it. Socrates Cafe by Christopher Phillips. Phillips goes around the nation to different cafes, schools, and libraries looking for people who are interested in philosophizing with him. He deals with numerous questions and never reaches an answer. That is not the purpose of the group but rather it is the opportunity to learn from the different beliefs and thinking of the people around you. Read it and then we can talk about it. I liked the book and the idea so much that I am inspired to start a Socrates Cafe club in school.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ratna GillSeptember 2, 2011 at 9:46 AM

    Thanks, Nizar! That sounds awesome! Socrates is the man, to say the least.

    Wow, that club idea sounds really interesting as well--let's discuss that further!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ratna GillSeptember 4, 2011 at 11:35 PM

    I also found a great list of "life-changing books" in the Economist:

    http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=4600

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bygones -- by Marina Keegan

Image
I had a dream the other night that I was checking my email. That dream sucks. And woke to woes of seniors writing love songs for tomorrow and Tomorrow and the melodies That flirt us forward, whispering the next thing and the next thing and  – so we beat on birds flocking south until we circle round and realize maybe maybe all that running wasn’t worth it. Maybe we should build a cabin. Or teach high school. Or use our hands. My palms are smooth as words – Weak with fashion and double spaces. I want everyone else’s club and job and class The grass I sleep in always browner than Than that around erasing dreams To sit and breathe because you Only bank for two years then it's over And twenty two is nothing new It’s just another chance to build For when we’re twenty three And twenty four And time begins to sell for more than Any 9 a.m. to never. We’re not stuck. That's the thing, we're not stuck. We owe no o...
Read more

Din 227: “God took his time making you.”

Image
I awoke this morning to the sound of my students -- what could be better? We started today’s class with 15 minutes of Anapana (the first step of Vipassana meditation), which is designed to concentrate the mind. I have never seen meditators more still or focused than these children! After teaching them the technique, I told them we would be starting every class like this from now on. Meditation is a wonderful tool they can take with them wherever they go, and they are lucky to be starting at such a young age! As the class broke into groups and started practicing numbers for our upcoming Variety Show, I caught up with a few students. Vandna, a sophomore and our oldest student, was supposed to pick her academic stream (cf. major) a few weeks ago, but had been waiting for my return to consult me before making her final decision. She is most interested in commerce and dreams of holding a high position at a bank one day, but her family is advising her to take liberal arts, which has le...
Read more

PSYCHED for summer!

Image
The last few days have been emotional with packing and moving and no more exams and lots more goodbyes. Wednesday night we threw a fabulous surprise farewell party for a very oblivious Reylon, with many of his closest friends and entrywaymates turning out to shower him with love, song, and pizza. Yesterday came my last exam of the year, a truly tragic event -- I stayed in my Latin classroom until the very last possible moment, twiddling my thumbs and staring at my professor and trying to draw out my freshman year as long as possible. I cried when I turned in my test and left the room. In the evening, the Opportunes had our last private gig of the season at the Faculty Club (throwback to our first gig this year!), where our beautiful seniors performed their last public rendering of "Midnight Train to Georgia" amidst laughs from the audience and tears from Bernie. After a night of packing and snacking and New Girl , I fell asleep hoping to stay in...
Read more