I did a lot of reading over my three-day weekend, unfortunately most of it was for school. For class I had to read the book The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman. The ideas in it are interesting. There’s psychology and discussion about how the brain and memory works. There is also lots of discussion about what good design is and what better way to do that than to point out lots of bad design?
But as fascinating as much of the information was it was just that, information. It is a book of information. That isn’t a bad thing in and of itself but I found the way the book was written to be dull and if I hadn’t had to read it for class I wouldn’t have finished it. I also resent that it took me so long to get through it and it ate into most of the time I had hoped to spend reading Hermione Lee’s Edith Wharton biography. Grr. I wanted very badly to forget about The Design of Everyday Things and wallow in Wharton, but I could not. Sometimes I really hate being a responsible adult and good student. I remind myself once again that I will be graduating in just over a year. Almost there!
Now to take a big swerve away from school to tell you about Amateur Reader’s Scottish Literature Reading Challenge and Clishmaclaver. All you have to do is read one, yes just one, literary work published before 1914 and written by a Scottish author. I’m using the challenge as the impetus to read Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus. I’m psyching myself up for it and have been since the first hints of this challenge began. I need all the psyching I can manage and will probably continue to psych myself up until sometime near Easter when it will become now or never.
Now for another swerve. National Library Week isn’t until April but it is never too early to start thinking about it and making delicious celebratory library plans. You can even get a spiffy badge for your blog featuring Neil Gaiman, the honorary chair of this year’s Library Week:
Can anybody tell what he is reading?
That’s enough swerving for one blog post. Off to do – what else? – school.
Being a responsible student can be highly irritating and can certainly cause problems, right? I remember that feeling of frustration during grad school when I was stuck reading something I didn’t want to that went on forever. The Scottish literature challenge sounds like a lot of fun — I’m so impressed that Amateur Reader is offering to read along if he hasn’t read the book before. What a fun way to do a challenge!
Psychology, how memory functions, and design all sound like something that would attract me; however, if the level of the book is targeted at the average reader, I think I might be let down. Memory, in particular is fascinating to me. I have done things to help my brain store information effectively, but there are still types of memorization which I find difficult. Being in Japan, where small children routinely memorize speeches, really puts it in front of my nose.
I have no idea what book is being read in the Library Week promo. Are you asking us? Or do you know already and you are testing us?
“Sometimes I really hate being a responsible adult ” I feel like this all the time
I don’t konw anything about Scottish literature so I’m hoping for a very long list to help me choose.
I can’t tell what Neil Gaiman is reading but I absolutely adore him…and I think he’s very cute. I’ll have to figure out how to do the badge thing.
Thanks for the plug. I was looking at Carlyle, and I’m starting to look forward to it, too. Or Boswell. Or whatever.
Dorothy, I know. If I were bad I could say who cares! And be happy with a C but if there is anything that makes me type A it is school. I’m really impressed Amateur Reader is offering to read along too. It will be really interesting.
Bikkuri, oh I think you would really love design and human computer interaction. But you would not like this book. It is written mostly for a general audience so doesn’t really go into details but stays close to the surface. As for Gaiman’s book, I really don’t know what he’s reading. I was hoping someone might recognize the cover.
Rebecca, oh I bet you do with a young son to take care of! Don’t you wish sometimes it could be you crying and throwing a tantrum and being unreasonable?
Grad, I think Gaiman is cute too but don’t tell my husband
Amateur Reader, oh you bet! Maybe I will have to read Carlyle and Boswell!
The book Gaiman is reading is called Does anyone else have something further to add? by R. A. Lafferty. I had to magnify the PSA to like 200% to be able to read the title, but I just had to know.
Thanks to Juanita, I found this: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/does-anyone-else-have-something-further.html
Oh my, I can’t even think of a Scottish author from pre-1914! Well, apart from old whatsisface that wrote Waverley. I do not know how you manage to juggle school and work – you are amazing, and I’m not at all surprised if you get frustrated every so often. It’s tiring being marvellous all the time!
My friend and I were recently discussing about how we as human beings are so hooked onto electronics. Reading this post makes me think back to that discussion we had, and just how inseparable from electronics we have all become.
I don’t mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside… I just hope that as memory gets cheaper, the possibility of uploading our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It’s a fantasy that I daydream about all the time.
(Posted on Nintendo DS running R4i SDHC DS NePof)
You read this book and then you think aha! – thats why I have trouble with my door/kettle/car. Norman manages to inform the reader with interesting examples, backed up by years of research.