Dispatches from Graduate School–Part 11

Just 83 final exams stand between my winter break and me.  Although I’d love to take a complete respite, (sleep in everyday, loaf around in my pajamas until noon, catch up on all the episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County I missed) I do need to be productive during the holidays.

I am one among six North American PhD students who will take the qualifying exams in August of 2012 (yikes!). I thus thought it might be wise for us each to read four or five books off of the reading list over the break. When we return for the spring semester, we plan to get together and share notes about our books. Divide and conquer!

I chose the following:

1. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth (2001).

2. James H. Merrell, Into the American Woods: Negotiations on the American Frontier (1999).

3. William Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West (1991).

4. Harry Watson, Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America (1990).

5. Michael F. Holt, The Political Crisis of the 1850s (1978).

Aside from really liking Ulrich and potentially declaring a secondary field in Environmental history, my choices were rather random. I wanted a broad cross-section of the list, but also books that don’t feel too “academic,” such as Ulrich, Merrell, and Cronon. My goal is to read one book a week—which is a nice change up from the semester. This will also give me time to really read each book. I’d like to stay on track, but I find that the less I have to do, the more I get distracted.

Any tips for staying motivated and disciplined during the next five weeks?