Book chosen!

[radiantfracture]

All right! It's decided. I'll teach This is How You Lose the Time War. Thank you to elusis for suggesting it.

I bought a copy yesterday after work. I was too tired to start reading last night, but I sat down this morning and consumed the whole thing. (I am glutted with words.)

Honestly, I knew I'd teach it around page 80 or so, when I started making notes of other works to include in the course that would harmonize with it, and thinking about how it would chime with works I'd already included, and coming up with assignments and giving them names like "Children of the Time War: A Novel Assignment". It is beautifully written, and quite clever, and it is a book that is a game -- or the trace of one, at least.

I thought I should finish the book anyway, just in case it went to bits at the end and I had to send a hasty email to the bookstore. But it doesn't. There are things I'd like to challenge about it, questions I'd like to take up, but that is just what a classroom needs. I am happy.

I am also extremely underslept, hence the slightly giddy tone of all this.

Anyway, hurrah, an actual plan.

Now that coursepack.

{rf}

(I am still enjoying The Starless Sea, but now I can enjoy it at my leisure, rather than trying to stuff it into my brain by the course adoption deadline.)

Comments

[sabotabby]

Oh! I keep meaning to read that. I hear it's excellent.

[radiantfracture]

I'd love to know your thoughts! There are a couple of things I'd love to get you to chime in on.

[sabotabby]

I've put a hold on it. It may be a year before it comes in, but I'll let you know when it does!

[bibliofile]

Hooray! No, it doesn't fall to bits at the end, which is what you get for having two competent and experienced writers plus a good editor, I think.

[radiantfracture]

Thank you for praising editors! They're so important and so under-appreciated as contributors to the creative process.

[oracne]

Hooray!!!

[elusis]

I am irrationally excited about this. :)

[elusis]

Wait, now can you help me do MY syllabus for my clinical skills class???

[radiantfracture]

Yes! Wait, no. I have no applicable knowledge. I'm not even good at making syllabi.

It doesn't seem fair after you've given so much to literature.

Would you like a miniature painting of a bird instead? Perhaps you could hide it in the syllabus somewhere.

[elusis]

I don't know that I could plausibly hide it in the syllabus, but I might be able to put it in the opening page of the Sakai site for the class.

[radiantfracture]

Is there a bird (or other creature or object) that would illuminate the course content in a useful way?

[elusis]

Well, it is a course in which students are having their first experiences with practicing actually being therapists, role-playing basic clinical skills. So it is very vulnerable and anxiety-producing for a lot of them, even though it's exactly what they (supposedly) want to be doing.

[radiantfracture]

Hmmmm

barn swallow then

[mirawonderfulstar]

This is How You Lose the Time War has been in my to-read pile since forever, it’s super heartening to hear you read it all in one sitting. I hope your class enjoys it, too.

[radiantfracture]

I'll probably be opening conversations about it here as I figure out how to teach it, and your thoughts would be welcome!