24 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22
Community Reading Profiles We reached out to alumni/ae and current faculty and staff to see how reading fits into their lives — what they like to read, how their tastes have changed since high school, and what books they’d recommend to the CSW community. A selection of reading profiles is shared here. Give it a read and you just might discover your next favorite book... TO VIEW WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE READING, CHECK OUT THE LIBRARY'S "CSW READS" FEATURE AT WWW.CSW.ORG/CSW-READS
NAME Claire Bunn GRAD YEAR 2016 PROFESSION Outdoor Educator
Describe your ideal reading experience. Sitting on the beach on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor where I work! How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult? In high school and college, I only read a little bit outside of school requirements because I always had a lot of reading for homework. After graduating from college this past spring, I am trying to get back in the habit! What books would we currently find on your nightstand? Circe by Madeline Miller, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay.
Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away? I used to be a must-finisher but I’m trying to let go of that. Life is too short to read boring books! If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be? Memoir. If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be? I recently read Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals for my senior seminar at Smith and absolutely loved it. It’s a good book to read slowly because each section is really profound and needs some time to think about it.
NAME Joshua Rosenblum GRAD YEAR 1976 PROFESSION Professor of Economics
Describe your ideal reading experience. I love to read on the beach, but lacking sun, sand, and surf, I like a rainy weekend day when I can curl up on the couch to read uninterrupted. The reality is that I do much of my reading listening to audiobooks during my morning exercise routine, and I actually find this to be a great way to focus my mind (though maybe not the best workout). How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult? This was very long ago, but I would say I was omnivorous and adventurous. I have always liked books about history and politics; my fiction reading was sporadic.
What books would we currently find on your nightstand? My actual nightstand is uncluttered with books (I don’t much like reading in bed), but at the moment you would find me reading Louis Menand’s The Free World (on my Kindle) and listening to Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads. Up next are the second part of David Sedaris’ diaries, A Carnival of Snackery, and Adam Tooze’s Shutdown. Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away? Yes, I am mostly compelled to finish what I started, but as I have gotten older I have begun to learn that I don’t have to read every word.
