The Books/Reading Thread

Yes, I know it's pretty pretentious in the 'I'm atheist, deal with it111!1!' sort of way, but some of the essays and articles are from authors and intellectuals I really respect.

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anyone here reading fiction???
anyone care to psycho-analyse fictional characters
or psycho-analyse the authors of bizare fiction???
 
I finally finished Nixon & Kissinger and picked up this while on vacation at Mt Rushmore:

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I'm still reading The Day of Battle though. Once that is finished, I'll either start on Seven Habits of Highly Effective People or re-read Atlas Shrugged.
 
My father was so kind to purchase this for me. Any advice on taking the GRE? I'm going to read this and take the test (hopefully) sometime in early August before class starts.

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If you're planning on applying to English grad programs, don't worry as much about the math sections. I mean, don't bomb them or leave them blank, but don't concern yourself with scoring a 700 on them. Focus on the analytic and verbal sections.

For vocabulary, make flash cards. There will be words you don't know, but don't make cards for every single one. You should be able to find a list of the hundred words (or 150, something like that) that show up most often. Make cards for the ones off that list that you don't know (just to make sure, look up definitions for all of them). Also, the verbal section will ask you content-related questions about textual passages, some of which can be very long. Learn how to read them quickly and efficiently, since you'll waste time re-reading. Try and pick up on key moments of the passage, such as when the author makes or refutes a point.

Analytic is more difficult to study for, but if you don't have trouble with critical thinking you should do well. You'll need to flesh out a logical argument of your own making, as well as pick apart another argument (i.e. determine if it's strong or weak and point out its errors; most arguments in this section usually have glaring errors).

Finally, take a practice exam. Then take another. Then take another. Take as many as you can. The GRE isn't about learning the material as much as it is about learning how to take the GRE. Once you learn how they ask questions, and the kinds of questions they ask, you'll perform better.
 
I will add to Pat's astute advice that long-term study in Latin, Greek and Logic will be the best keys to success on the Verbal sections of the GRE. I didn't even study for those sections and still got in the 600's.
 
I'm going to be a senior Jeremy you twat.

But thanks for the advice. This book comes with a CD-ROM that contains a practice test, and I know there are free ones online. I took a speed reading class a few years ago, so I have some experience reading quickly. I love the flashcard idea, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Not sure about my analytical skills, but I'm sure this book will help me out somewhat.
 
Fixed my last post to make more sense. I know what I want to do, I was just saying that I don't think I'm going to be qualified to teach any classes after I get my undergrad degree. I suppose there are other things I can do for experience though.