academic books

it’s actually satisfying to read ‘academic’ books that feel useful to me. as i sit around with my fingers and toes crossed, waiting to hear from the master’s program at texas state, i’ve been occupying a good chunk of my time with two books that are helping me get back into a more scholarly mode.

the first is the craft of research by booth, colomb, and williams. i pulled this off a list of recommended research reads on the yale university library website. it’s pretty solid, explaining in simple language every step involved in the creation of a research paper – from subject matter to final product. even the early bits, which felt a little basic, were a helpful refresher. as silly as i say telling people that i’m reading it, it has given me some ideas of how to improve my academic reading and writing processes.

relatedly, but more directly focused in my field, is david ball’s backwards and forwards: a technical manual for reading plays. as simplistic as its premise is, this thin volume is a straightforward explanation of how to read plays to get at the heart of their meaning. basically, it reminds you of the basic elements of a play and very clearly explains how observing those elements critically will help you translate the words to the stage in an effective way, while still leaving lots of room open for personal interpretations of the work.