Spartacus: Swords and Ashes

Following a successful first semester in my doctoral program, I promised myself that I could read a few novels of a less academic nature than those I had read the previous semester. After a few pleasure reads, I will return to more studious reading. As such, I got two books based on the Starz series Spartacus off Amazon. The first one I read, Spartacus: Swords and Ashes by J. M. Clements, turned out to be a quick and somewhat fun read. The story deals with Batiatus traveling to Neapolis with several gladiators from his ludus in order to mourn the death of a childhood acquaintance. As with the show, the plot revolves around plenty of violence, talk of politics, and personal intrigue in the form of double-crossing.

To some degree, the book captures some of the spirit of the show, as in the aforementioned areas. However, the novel never quite catches the pace of the show and draws the reader in with quite the same sense of urgency as does the narrative on the TV series. However, the book does portray some interesting aspects of life in Roman culture and there are some rather interesting discussions on the nature of slaves and the relationship between slave and master. The book would likely be interesting to anyone who is a fan of the TV series.

Spartacus: Swords and Ashes
 

DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education

I picked up DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education by Anya Kamenetz on Amazon, after a suggestion from the site based on several recent purchases of books related to higher education. At the time, I was working on a project related to the impact of technology on higher education. This book seemed to be related to the project, but unfortunately, I did not have time to read it prior to the completion of the project.

I did, however, find some time to pick it up over the winter break. I found the book to be rather interesting, as Kamenetz accurately details some of the issues facing contemporary higher education. I was impressed at her ability to weave articles from the popular press and scholarly journals into a compelling narrative about the state of higher education in the US. She details the falling rank of the US in education compared to other countries, the rising cost of tuition, and issues of persistence and graduation. The author then offers several suggestions to address these concerns, most of which could be met through the innovative application of technology to the postsecondary educational paradigm. There are some interesting approaches suggested in the book and I found the arguments to be provocative.

This would be an interesting read for anyone interested in potential changes to higher education or the relationship of emerging technology and higher education.

DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education