what do you read for fun??

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

Hi all,

 

I'm a med student at U of T & I'm writing an article comparing the reading preferences of premed & med students.

 

If you could help me out by answering a few questions, I would be eternally appreciative

 

You can either post a reply on this board (I'm sure this would be an interesting topic for all) or you can send me an email at mephistopheles_03@yahoo.ca.

 

Questions:

1. What are your top 3 books & why?

2. Who or what influences your decision to pick 1 book over another (e.g. friend recommendation, Oprah)?

3. Do you think outside reading should be encouraged in undergrad & med school?

4. How do you think medical school will change your reading habits (e.g. frequency, type of book)?

5. If you were asked "What do you read?" in a medical school interview, do you think you would feel pressured to pick books that reflect your interest in medicine?

 

Thank you so much for getting through this post & best of luck for the future!!

 

Mephisto

[Guest Gexar]

Answer my questions below in the topic lists and I'll answer yours

[Guest 0T6]

1. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom, "Gravity" by Tess Gerritsen, can't think of a third :S

2. My public library's "Best Bets" shelf, which I think is influenced by the NY Times

3. No, it's something that should be done out of interest, not because someone says you should

4. I don't anticipate much of a change, I'm hoping I can do more non-curricular reading

5. Not at all. This happened at both my interviews this year and "The Five People..." and "The Da Vinci Code" ended up being talked about... I didn't mention Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, or Michael Palmer

 

What's the article for?

[Guest CareBear15]

Some really good books I've come across:

 

FICTION

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - about a boy who gets stranded in a big ocean with a tiger (Canadian author!)

2. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon - written in the voice of a teenage autistic boy (great great read for med-hopefuls who want to see what being autistic is like)

3. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - a little heavier then the two before, sad as hell but written beautifully and set in 1970's India (don't read if you're prone to being depressed)

 

NON-FICTION

1. The Code Book by Simon Singh - all about cryptography and how it altered history, really well written and sooo interesting

2. Genome by Matt Ridley - 23 chapters, one for every chromosome in the body. The author discusses a gene of interest on every chromosome - really great way to lighten up genetics for the biology majors out there!

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

The article's for the studentBMJ. It's a magazine run by med students for med students & it includes everything from interesting clinical scenarios to tips to getting into different specialties.

 

Check it out at http://www.studentBMJ.com

 

Mephistop

[Guest kaymcee]

1. What are your top 3 books & why?

I don't read a great deal, but books that have stood out recently have been "Life of Pi", "The DaVinci Code", and "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". "Life of Pi" was a good read and kind of reflective, not unlike "The Old Man and the Sea". Admittedly, I read the DaVinci code because of all the mania that surrounded it. It was interesting superficial read, best enjoyed if you don't look too deeply into it. I'm a bit of a grammar nazi, and "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" was really funny. A book I read awhile ago was "Boom, Bust, and Echo" which talked about the demographics of Canada and the implications of our aging population on nearly everything. (Sorry, that's four.)

 

2. Who or what influences your decision to pick 1 book over another (e.g. friend recommendation, Oprah)?

I read Maclean's, and they have that top 10 list of fiction and non-fiction books. That's a good guideline. I only read for pleasure in the summer– no textbooks then– so I go for quality.

 

3. Do you think outside reading should be encouraged in undergrad & med school?

Absolutely. Starting a conversation with "I read once..." sounds a great deal more intelligent than "I saw on TV once..." or "I heard from a guy once...". Reading makes you smart and interesting to talk to. Doctors should be both.

 

4. How do you think medical school will change your reading habits (e.g. frequency, type of book)?It will probably still be confined to the summers (we get those off, right?), and I will still read the same type of higher-quality books with my limited time.

 

5. If you were asked "What do you read?" in a medical school interview, do you think you would feel pressured to pick books that reflect your interest in medicine?

Goodness no. Just because you want to be a doctor doesn't mean that you have to eat, sleep, and breathe medicine. Showing such a one-track mind would probably be a detriment to your interview. Variety is everything.

[Guest moo]

My current book: Clinical Anesthesiology. A Lange Medical text. G. Morgan Jr, MD.

 

My favorite book in undergrad: Principles of Mathematical Analysis. Walter Rudin, PhD.

 

My favorite book as a kid: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Judy Blume

 

I'm a nerd. :hat

[Guest kaymcee]

In the words of the great John MacEnroe, moo:

 

You CANNOT be serious.

[Guest jaegwon]

1. What are your top 3 books & why?

 

- The Minds I - edited by Dennett & Hofstadter

A fantastic anthology on philosophy of mind

- The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene

Very well written description of superstring theory

- Lord of the Rings - Tolkien

My pet favorite book since first read in junior high. The depth and complexity of Tolkien's mythology is amazing

 

2. Who or what influences your decision to pick 1 book over another (e.g. friend recommendation, Oprah)?

 

- Nonfiction: reviews, recommendations by colleagues and friends

- Fiction: Whatever strikes my fancy at the bookstore/library

 

3. Do you think outside reading should be encouraged in undergrad & med school?

 

- I think an affinity for reading should be instilled in kids at a young age and its value promoted whenever possible at every educational level.

 

4. How do you think medical school will change your reading habits (e.g. frequency, type of book)?

 

- Reading frequency will definitely be reduced and I suspect it will become more focused b/c of time constraints

 

5. If you were asked "What do you read?" in a medical school interview, do you think you would feel pressured to pick books that reflect your interest in medicine?

 

- No, what I'd like to convey with a description of my reading history is the breadth of my interests, my intellectual curiosity, and what my passions are.

 

To the OP - good luck with your study...I like the topic

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

Hi all,

 

Thanks so much!! Your responses have been really helpful

 

Some of you have mentioned that you might become more selective with your reading with impending time constraints, would anyone care to comment further on this?

 

Would you prefer to stay with an author that you like vs trying something new or would your reading interests be more aligned with your future profession (e.g. House of God, specialty textbooks)?

 

I hope to see some of you at U of T next year!!

 

Phisto

[Guest Arcados]

1. What are your top 3 books & why?

Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies (I know this is three in itself, but they're so good )

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is also an excellent book, as many may know from grade 12 english.

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is also good.

I'm probably forgetting better stuff, but meh.

 

2. Who or what influences your decision to pick 1 book over another (e.g. friend recommendation, Oprah)?

Friend recommendation, book reviews in the paper, and asking english teachers. 8o

 

3. Do you think outside reading should be encouraged in undergrad & med school?

This is a question essays are made of. On the most basic level, reading let's you convey ideas more effectively and enhances your ability to converse. Frye's Educated Imagination has most other reasons.

 

4. How do you think medical school will change your reading habits (e.g. frequency, type of book)?

I always have (at least) one book in progress on my dresser, so if I'm too tired from suturing all day or whatnot, I suppose I'll have to cut back and read more in the summer or whenever we're off.

Hopefully my reading won't be confined to med-related material.

 

5. If you were asked "What do you read?" in a medical school interview, do you think you would feel pressured to pick books that reflect your interest in medicine?

Nah. Doing so would probably make you look extremely one-dimensional (and be a total lie in my case, since the only med reading I do is this forum and the health section of the newspaper).

 

Nice questions

 

EDIT - A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright is pretty cool as well.

[Guest FrancophoneRN]

1. What are your top 3 books & why?

Anything by Stephen King that was written in the 70s and early 80s (including his Richard Bachman series), with the Complete and Unedited The Stand leading the pack (it is the new Bible, it is). All of his short stories are a close second. He is a great storyteller, I like the way he describes things and the way he puts it. I like the inclusion of pop culture in his stories. And they are really scary/creepy because it chronicles the potential deep, dark side of humanity. I love him. He is not pulp, he will remain among the classics.

 

Anne of Green Gables and the series. Stuff I read as a girl. It's funny, tragic at times, and ever so romantic. And everything is so pretty in there, sometimes you just need that to feel better about things.

 

Rubriques à brac by Gotlib (bandes dessinées). They're french comics. Love the drawings and colours, the french (from France, not Canada) pop culture in it is cool. And the language is beautiful. I am so used to reading in English that when I see my mother tongue written so beautifully and used so correctly, it's music to my eyes and brain.

 

2. Who or what influences your decision to pick 1 book over another?

 

I work at a library, so I get to see a lot of books. From clients, stuff were sending to other libraries, stuff I'm putting away. Anything may draw my attention: a title, an author I'm heard of or am familiar with, a synopsis that tells you just enough about what's going on but will leave you wanting more, the cover. Sometimes an article in a magazine or newspaper will spike my interest. I also like lists: lists of banned books, etc.

 

3. Do you think outside reading should be encouraged in undergrad & med school?

 

Of course. Keeps the brain from exploding. And it will make you a more interesting individual for the rest of the world. It will give you more to talk about other than your major and stuff you're doing in med school (which may gross people out, or worse, bore them to tears after a while). It's also something that can be shared with others no matter what you're doing full time. And as I said before, it gives your mind a rest from all that strain and exercise it's been doing from the studying. It's like swimming around a pool after a hard workout at the weight machines, it's still work but your muscles feel so much better...

 

4. How do you think medical school will change your reading habits (e.g. frequency, type of book)?

 

I think I'll revert back to my reading habits of undergrad. Which were reading in the bathtub. Textbooks and otherwise. I don't mind reading textbooks coz that's my main way of learning. I prize a good textbook and rue a bad one. As for anything else, it will probably be reading my old favorites over, and over, and over again since I won't have time to go to the library and pick one (unless I'm working that is...) and return it on time. That means rereading the complete works of Stephen King. Which is okay.

 

5. If you were asked "What do you read?" in a medical school interview, do you think you would feel pressured to pick books that reflect your interest in medicine?

 

No way. It would make me look either like a) a brown noser a freak or c) not a very balanced person. Besides, they want honesty and authenticity from the applicants. Unless that book happens to be a mainstream med books (like Oliver Sacks books) or something particularly obscure but understandably interesting (like Medical Detectives from de Berton), I would just stick to your old favourites that others can understand. And even if you picked a book that "reflects your interest in medicine", some books in that category are pure pulp like Robin Cook, and would not be taken seriously (this coming from someone who adores Stephen King). But to be honest, I have shown a bit of at my interview since I mentioned that my favorite book when I first learned to read was A Child Is Born since I loved the pictures, and found the whole pregnancy process fascinating. This was in relation on why to you want to become a doctor. A little freaky, I know, but completely honest.

 

Can you tell that I love to read?

[Guest stepstofollow]

My favorite past summertime reads, not so deep, but pure escapism:

 

George RR Martin's: A Song of Ice and Fire Series

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Patricia Cornwell's Scapetta novels.....

[Guest FrancophoneRN]

I'm reading Freakenomics right now. Very good read.

 

If you guys want to discover good authors, quick reads on a multitude of subjects, check out the New York Times magazine. Love it ! And the pictures are great. And every now and then they have a case study on an obscure medical problem. Really cool.

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

How often do you think your fellow pre-meds read for leisure?

 

Do you think you can learn something about a person by what they read? What if they don't read outside of school?

 

Thanks again!! You guys rock :eek

 

Phisto

[Guest noncestvrai]

I read mostly newspapers, The Economist and a few fiction when they fall in my hand. I read pretty much everything, from investment risk management to the Alchemist...

 

This summer, I'll probably read a few books, whatever I'll find will do fine...

 

noncestvrai

[Guest FrancophoneRN]

I don't know how much other premeds read. Depends on their schedule, do they have any time for reading, are they leisure readers in the first place, how fast to they read, etc. It all depends on your energy levels and what's available, also. Sometimes you don't have time during the year or week or whatever, and then you gorge on the weekends or during the summer.

 

I doubt anybody doesn't read outside of school. Everybody reads outside of school. The type of litterature will vary. Some people love to reads cookbooks, instructions manuals, cereal boxes. That's ok. I like to read bus ad poetry, so what ?

 

As for learning something about them by what they read, the subject can sometimes give you insight on what they like or what they're interested in at the moment or what they need to learn. The shape of the book is important too, a well-worn copy is telling, as well as high-lighted passages, the type of edition (hard cover, book club, reader's digest, paperback, movie cover, etc), how they handle the book (how do they turn the pages, how they transport the book, etc). You can learn a lot by what someone reads, but you should not judge them. There is a book or reading material for everybody.

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

Since starting medical school, lots of people have recommended books to me like "Life of Pi," and "House of God," both of which I've read.

 

I started out naively on both & it turns out that I enjoyed each of them for very different reasons. "Life of Pi" was such an imaginative, fun story...plus, it's Canadian & included U of T hehe. "House of God," in contrast, I enjoyed because it delved into a part of my life that my non-medical friends or family may not fully understand. Plus, I wouldn't want to bore them to death with all things medical.

 

What are some of the reasons that induce you to read?

 

Some of you have mentioned escapism (especially during the summer), to remain balanced, to learn something new and to basically keep yourself from exploding :rollin

 

Personally, I read to escape (Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of a Geisha), laugh (House of God) and to remind myself of my pre-medical days as an English student (Shakespeare, Dante). There is something about being involved in a text that allows me to connect with either myself or another time. Movies just don't have that effect with me

 

Phisto

[Guest caliente]

Sent you a PM. Check your inbox, if you haven't already. I'll PM answers to your other questions on this thread later.

 

You can't go wrong with Sherlock! Glad to see another person who likes it... ie, someone who's not in a retirement home, lol.

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

Thanks Caliente! We actually have very similar reading preferences

[Guest mephistopheles0003]

I will be submitting an article to the studentBMJ based on your responses, whether they accept it or not is another thing

 

Please let me know if you do not want to be quoted in the article. You will not be identified in any way. I decided to use quotes because some of your thoughts were so insightful that I chose to keep them in the original.

 

Thanks!!

 

Phisto

[Guest Future MSFer]

I'm looking for the title of specific book. Its about multiverses( multi universe). It's a new book (Maybe out since 3 months) and the author is some Asian dude.

 

As or my top 3 list of favourite books

1. Hope in Hell

2. Brief History Of Time

3. Motor cycle Diaries

[Guest ploughboy]

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Lots of interesting titles in this thread. I'm definitely going to have to look some of them up.

 

1. Top three books *ever*? That's a tough one, I'm not sure I could narrow it down. Here's what I'm reading, or am about to read next (I tend to bounce back and forth between books):

 

_The Lives of the Caesars_ - Suetonius (in translation, I'm not quite to the point where I can read it in the original!)

 

_The Sacred Beetle and Other Great Essays in Science_ - ed. Martin Gardner

 

_Collapse_ - Jared Diamond

 

_Three Day Road_ - Joseph Boyden

 

 

2. Recs of friends, reviews in the paper. I sometimes just judge books by their covers (and am usually disappointed as a result)

 

 

3. Of course! Exposure to new ideas is always good.

 

 

4. Although reading is a big de-stressor for me, I doubt that I'll have enough time to read as much as I want to in meds (especially in clerkship)

 

 

5. Ugh - oddly enough, I got this very question right off the bat this year, and my brain froze. I babbled mindlessly as I tried to summarize an insanely huge Neil Stephenson book. The interview went downhill from there... But to answer your question, no I wouldn't feel pressured to pick a book that reflects an interest in meds. There's a lot more to me than that!

 

 

pb

 

 

 

 

 

 

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