Swag: A Novel

I picked up a copy of Swag by Elmore Leonard, because I am a fan of the author's writing, especially his Raylan Givens novels. I will admit right away, that I did not get as hooked on this novel as quickly as some of the others that I have read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The story revolves around two holdup men, Frank and Stick, and their exploits in Detroit. At the risk of giving away too much of the plot, I will share that the novel focuses on their relationship and partnership. The story also has a couple of interesting twists which make it a fun read.

This novel would appeal to anyone who is a fan of crime fiction.

Swag: A Novel
 

Spartacus: Morituri

Spartacus: Morituri is the second of my pleasure reads in the past month and also the second of the Spartacus novels. Written by Mark Morris, the novel truly captures the spirit of the Starz television series. In the book, Batiatus' ludus is experiencing a general degree of malaise. The gladiators are weak and slow, a deficit apparent both on the training grounds of the ludus and the arena of Capua. In addition to troubles with his gladiator, Batiatus must also contend with a newcomer to Capua, a wealthy Greek with a powerful patron from Rome. The story is full of intrigue, action, and deceit, much like the TV series. I enjoyed this novel better than its predecessor.

Spartacus: Morituri
 

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

The Rise of Universities

I picked up The Rise of Universities by Charles Homer Haskins after seeing a recommendation on Amazon. I was looking for other books related to higher education and its history when I saw this book. The title intrigued me and I thought it might be an interesting read.

The book is a rather quick read, primarily based off of three lectures given by Haskins, a Harvard professor. The first chapter focused on the earliest universities, giving attention to Bologna, Paris, and Solerno. The second chapter provided insight into the mediaeval professor, focusing on textbooks teaching, and academic status. The third chapter focused on the mediaeval student, giving attention to sources of information, funding, letters, poetry, etc.

The book was interesting and provided a lot of a anecdotal information related to mediaeval universities. I regret reading it after the conclusion of the semester, as some of the information contained within would have been useful in one of my papers focusing on the residential college model. This book could have provided some interesting facts related to the mediaeval colleges.

The Rise of Universities

Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning

I received a copy of Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning by Jose Antonio Bowen from my friend Eddie Watson, after a lively discussion related to a research project on which we are working. Eddie serves as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning here at UGA. We were having a discussion about pedagogy and Eddie suggested the book, which was written by a recent guest speaker on UGA's campus.

As the title implies, the book is focused on providing college professors strategies for removing technology from the classroom in order to improve student learning. Bowen is by no means anti-technology, and actually advocates for its use in education, but he believes it should be used outside of face time with instructors. Essentially, Bowen's argument is to "flip" the classroom, using technology and digital media to deliver information that might otherwise be delivered through a lecture while students are away from the class. This allows in-class time to be dedicated to group work, attempting problems, and asking reflective questions. The book provides numerous strategies for positive implementation of this approach.

This book would be of interest to anyone interested in reading more about technology in higher education or student centered learning environments.

Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning

Changing Places

I received David Lodge's Changing Places as a gift last Christmas from Terry Papillon, Director of University Honors at Virginia Tech. Terry has a tradition of giving the Honors staff specially selected books during the winter holiday party each year. He indicated that he selected this particular book for me as he knew I was about to pursue my PhD in higher education. He told me he thought as it was a novel about higher education, that I should read it.

I'm glad that Terry shared this book with me. I found it to be rather entertaining, from several different levels. At times, Lodge's writing reminded me of Douglas Adams' satire, a form I greatly enjoy. I found myself laughing frequently. Additionally, Lodge uses different styles of writing during the various sections of the book, with the conclusion written as a screenplay. Finally, Lodge also shows his knowledge of varying campus typologies and his description and comparisons are equally humorous.

Set in the 1960s, the plot of the book focuses on two professors of English, one from a small university in England and the other from a large state university on the West coast, who swap positions for a semester. This changing of posts at the university ultimately impact more than just their academic careers and the resulting antics are what make up the meat of the novel.

This would be a good read for anyone who works at or studies institutions of higher education and is looking for a laugh.

Changing Places