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Has anybody else here read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace? Enjoying it but this thing is a beast, and I do not just mean the length of the book.
I'm getting it for Christmas, but I've read Pale King and Oblivion (a short story collection) and loved both. Probably my favorite writer.
1-1-12 Bassnectar NYE SHOW! 1-21-12 G. Love and Special Sauce 3-1-12 Radiohead 3-9-12 Experience Hendrix 5-15-12 Jack White @ The Ryman 6-7-12 Bonnaroo 6-19-12 Roger Waters presents "THE WALL" 7-7-12 Ringo Starr's 72nd Birthday Party Extravaganza at the Ryman
Has anybody else here read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace? Enjoying it but this thing is a beast, and I do not just mean the length of the book.
I did. I'm a huge DFW fan and have read everything he's written that I could get my hands on including this amazing review of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage in Harper's (http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/DFW_present_tense.html) and this syllabus from an english lit class he taught (http://alasophia.blogspot.com/2008/09/david-foster-wallaces-syllabus.html).
I'm not saying I understood everything of his I've read. And I'm not saying that I didn't sometimes resent the ordeal that he put his readers through. But I loved his unique perspective and style.
Infinite Jest is an amazing book. But think of "infinite" as meaning without an ending. If you're looking for an end that ties everything together in a neat little bow, then the "jest" will be on you.
It's been on a bunch of year end lists, which may make it more difficult to track down.
Nah, we live in a small town outside Knoxville. There's not a ton of literary people that frequent our library. I am eternally grateful for our current librarian. Before she took over, 90% of the new books in the library were serial detective or romance novels. Also, they have an agreement with a bunch of libraries in Tennessee where we can borrow books from them. That's how I got to check out Riddley Walker. I'd do it with Infinite Jest, but they have a strict 2 week lending period and that is not a book to read in 2 weeks.
^ The Art of Fielding is next on my list, along w/1Q84. But first I've gotta finish the new Julian Barnes. I still can't believe it won the Man Booker prize...it's practically a short story!
Post by nodepression on Dec 25, 2011 0:33:29 GMT -5
It's like 100 something pages right?
Now that I know what books I got for Christmas I can finally pick some up. Sense of Ending, Angel Esmeralda, and Marriage Plot will probably be purchased soon.
Marriage Plot was good. It's hard to go wrong w/Eugenides.
One book that's still haunting me from earlier this year is Joshua Ferriss' "The Unnamed" - about a guy whose uncontrollable, unpredictable compulsion to walk - without stopping, for hours at a time, to the detriment of his health, his career, his family - it's such a simple plot, but damn if it hasn't stayed with me for a year now.
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on Dec 27, 2011 3:23:06 GMT -5
After Anathem, and a few other 1000 pagers that preceded that, I had to read some short books and over my 3 days off for christmas read The Hobbit, Perks of Being A Wallflower (A friends favorite), and am coincidentally half way through The Virgin Suicides. I was planning on reading Naked Lunch next, but 1Q84 has me very interested. I don't know if I feel like doing another 1000 page book considering I am moving soon and would probably get distracted.
Finally started Keith Richards' Life. It's incredibly detailed and coherent, and I think he has a really funny voice. I'm not very far in but I found it really interesting when he talks about how hard it was to acquire records back then and how he and Mick wrote songs for a while that they didn't deem worthy of being Stones songs.
Before that I read Perks Of Being A Wallflower and I think it's probably my favorite novel now. I can't really explain why--I just found it to be really beautiful, simple, and relatable. Moreso than most novels I have read.
Post by nodepression on Dec 27, 2011 14:00:38 GMT -5
I ended up buying books yesterday, but none were ones I mentioned a few posts up.
Javier Marias- Your Face Tomorrow John Jeremiah Sullivan- Pulphead Cesar Aira- An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter
Reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and it's an absolutely brutal take on the Western. Someone mentioned it was like a Godspeed album, which I thought was pretty accurate. It's also surprisingly kind of wordy, especially compared to No Country. But I guess the books are written a couple decades apart.
After Anathem, and a few other 1000 pagers that preceded that, I had to read some short books and over my 3 days off for christmas read The Hobbit, Perks of Being A Wallflower (A friends favorite), and am coincidentally half way through The Virgin Suicides. I was planning on reading Naked Lunch next, but 1Q84 has me very interested. I don't know if I feel like doing another 1000 page book considering I am moving soon and would probably get distracted.
1Q84, despite it's length isn't a slog really. The plot is pretty easy to follow along.
Post by nodepression on Dec 29, 2011 0:28:49 GMT -5
Finished Blood Meridian, thought it was great obviously. One of those writers where your jaw drops at a few paragraphs at just how perfect it is.
Starting up
as a sort of break. Should be a quick read, loved Chronic City/Motherless Brooklyn/As She Climbed Across the Table, as well so it should be enjoyable. Lethem's one of my favorites.
Post by Lawn Gnome on Dec 29, 2011 19:14:32 GMT -5
Just got this in the mail today. First story was about a Swiss-born Ugandan reptile smuggler. If you don't have a subscription to McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, stop what you're doing, and get one...
Post by Dave Maynar on Dec 29, 2011 19:43:03 GMT -5
I went to the local used book store (McKay's) today during lunch. It was basically a failure as far as finding anything I was looking for that was affordable, but I noticed they have a section called "Paranormal Romance". I had no idea this was a big enough subgenre to have its own section at the book store. I am losing touch in my old age.
Post by Lawn Gnome on Dec 29, 2011 20:36:54 GMT -5
^I spent a lot of time at the Papermill McKay when I was in Knoxville. I confess I never saw that section. I'll check the Nashville location and get back to you...
Post by abrakapokus on Dec 29, 2011 21:11:49 GMT -5
Read "Mule" by Tony D'Souza. I had to put the book down about 1/3 of the way through. It made me so nervous to read thinking something bad was going to happen. I really liked this book. At first I thought it was Non Fiction as I pretty much just read whatever Maynard brings home. It hit kinda close to home with all the trouble my family has been in and seemed well researched in the drug trade.
Just finished "The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue. I did have trouble with some of the particulars that didn't synch up. If they are X years old inside why are they still playing with dolls. Little things like that can ruin a whole book/movie for me. All in all it was a good read. The characters were well developed but it wasn't a thinker book I've been looking for.
Reading now "The Spiral Staircase" by Karen Armstrong.
The house of leaves was the first book I ever read (as a grown up anyways) that truly scared me.
I just read 2nd installment in the girl/tattoo books. I really enjoyed it, only took a few days to read. Going to try to start the second book in the game of thrones series, the first one was really hard for me to get into despite my love for all things nerdy and fantasy.
I went to the local used book store (McKay's) today during lunch. It was basically a failure as far as finding anything I was looking for that was affordable, but I noticed they have a section called "Paranormal Romance". I had no idea this was a big enough subgenre to have its own section at the book store. I am losing touch in my old age.
McKay's is one of the things I really miss about Knoxville. I usually make it a point to make a trip there when I am visiting my family.
