(no subject)

[oyceter]

Hello from Cornell! It's currently pouring! It's probably revenge on me, as my poor sister and mom were corralled into helping me move out during pouring rain during my graduation. It had rained three straight months or so on the east coast back then, then I got sick, it poured, and we had to move out in mud several inches deep. Really gross.

Not much going on, just accompanying my sister around various official functions. Man, Cornell has a lot of people! The whole family is there, and just as weird as always, hee ;). And I got to see my sister's apartment for the first time, and I'm currently helping them cook for dinner, if by help you mean sticking cornbread in the oven and setting a timer.

Also, the university sale was having a sale so I got more university press books for $7 each, as opposed to the usual $20 some! Joy! I also got a cute little frog wearing a Cornell t-shirt keychain magnet and a cute little T-Rex with the goofiest smile ever. He is flourescent green. The frog is named Fred, but I can't think of a name goofy enough for the T-Rex yet. Naming stuffed animals is quite important and must be gone through with adequate thought.

We also poked our head in the rare manuscript library just in time to see some lady pull out an old 15th-century prayer book, complete with illuminations and gold script and everything. Really cool.


Kai-wing Chow, The Rise of Confucian Ritualism in Late Imperial China: Ethics, Classics, and Lineage Discourse (I am woefully lacking in the Chinese side of EAS)

Benita Parry, Delusions and Discoveries: India in the British Imagination, 1880-1930 (I know nothing about India and I feel I should, and this looks like it will have interesting things on imperialism and colonialism and cultural appropriation. Also, rachelmanija's forthcoming book is also making me interested in the region)

Jeffrey P. Mass, Antiquity and Anachronism in Japanese History (it had good blurbs from Monumenta Nipponica and it sounds like something that is taking on the historical precedents of nihonjinron, along with the whole "return to antiquity" thing that seems to surface every era. Also, hopefully this will have something on antiquity and the Meiji Era, because the Meiji Era continually fascinates me)

Ruth H. Bloch, Gender and Morality in Anglo-American Culture: 1650-1800 (w00t! The evolution of gender roles and morality! I love these)

Eric O. Clarke, Virtuous Vice: Homoeroticism and the Public Sphere (because it is interesting and because I figure fannishly may be interested as well)

Why yes, I am a giant dork who goes to her sister's graduation and buys academic books at a sale. Books! Yay!

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend William Dalrymple's book City of Djinns as a "what it's like to live in India now." It's about how he, an English journalist, moved to New Delhi with his wife, and he also tells a lot about the astounding history of the city. It's often funny, and he writes about some interesting subcultures that don't get a lot of attention, like eunuchs and Sufis.

[oyceter]

Oh cool, thanks for the rec!

[kchew.livejournal.com]

Yay you! Good finds!

The Parry sounds particularly nice. Let us know if the Mass does have good Meiji stuff.

I groove on your giant dorkiness.

[oyceter]

I am quite excited about academic books on sale! Yay!