Lammycat Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Good for you. I've tried it like 3-4 times and, as much as I appreciated the exercise for my lower arm muscles, couldn't deal with it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Oh yeah, I finished the Bobby Keys autobiography over the weekend. That guy lived a charmed life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Finally got the nerve and started this baby on January 1st. So far I'm blown away and loving it. Not nearly as inpenetratable as Gravity's Rainbow which defeated me. But I do keep a dictionary nearby.I've been working on that one (with other books between) for months. My tips: keep a short note on the back of your bookmark to keep the Incandenza family straight, as well as the secret agents, and some of the major tennis kids. If you look at the wikipedia article it can clarify things when you dont see a certain character for 75 pages, it doesn't really spoil anything. I also noticed when I can keep up a good reading diet in my busier weeks (for me a few hours a week can be good) the book is not nearly as laborious as it seems. It takes adjustment and I skip most of the footnotes, but I could list a dozen "important works" with lower page counts that actually felt more like hard work. His prose is just so good and funny, no matter how dense. The great Eschaton controversy towards the beginning of the second half is one of my all time favorite pieces of writing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 It really is amazing. My vocab has already increased so much. Saw this book described as a story that shattered and he is picking up the pieces and that is kind of what if feels like right now. But so far I am having no problem keeping track of characters and what is going on. Pretty amazing he wrote this book pre-internet. The constant footnote interruptions, the flipping back and forth, the looking up of words, all reflect modern life and how people operate these days with all the distractions. Liking it more than I ever thought I would. Each sentence is such a treasure trove of ideas. And I would not skip the footnotes, adds quite a bit to the book. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Inside of Outside Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Loved the footnotes. Read 'em all. Also loved that one character was an NFL punter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Well maybe I should take the time to flip to the back for my last couple hundred pages. I might have given up too easily on that idea, as I started I was trying to assemble what linearity I could as it jumped back and forth in time, and between characters. Also I didn't fully understand the whole "Year of the Depends Adult Undergarment" etc. commercial dates idea until I read more about the book. Sometimes the Incandenza's remind me a little of Salinger's Glass family, or Anderson's Tennenbaums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Finally got the nerve and started this baby on January 1st. So far I'm blown away and loving it. Not nearly as inpenetratable as Gravity's Rainbow which defeated me. But I do keep a dictionary nearby. This is easily my favorite novel of all time. For fun, I dug up the review I wrote for the book after I finished it. A bit spoilerly, be forewarned. January 30, 2010 I just finished reading David Foster Wallace’s epic novel Infinite Jest. This book is often cited as one of the (if not the) best written by someone of my generation (GenX, don’t you know). I wanted offer my review and miscellaneous comments regarding this work of staggering genius (to borrow a DFW phrase). --- By the way, several spoilers for those who have not read IJ; you are warned --- First off, it is a daunting task to actually read. Not just because of the length; not just because of the density. I found the first 1/3 to be mentally taxing because of all the little unexplained things. Things that will not get explained until later on in the novel. You get confused reading about the Concavity or the Year of the Trial Size Dove Bar or Eschaton or O.N.A.N. (the heavy use of acronyms is especially infuriating). The next thing that strikes you is DFW’s language. On one hand, his grasp of vocabulary seems unparalleled in contemporary fiction. Often I found myself looking up very obscure words on dictionary.com. On the other hand, his grammar often comes across as juvenile. His use of the word “like” and phrases like “and so but” are those of high schoolers. Also, he seems to love repeating the same word in the same sentence. This technique was used often throughout. I assume these grammatical flourishes were intentional with the purpose of defining the narrator’s voice, but, nonetheless, it was kind of distracting at first. Especially when combined with the OED vocabulary. I did love how is writing changed voice with each character. For example, when a scene with Marathe was being described, the vocabulary changed to one whose English skills were not strong. When the drug addict was highlighted, the words were frenetic, slang-filled, and paragraph-less. Brilliant and engrossing. However, with that said, I have to admit that Infinite Jest is by far one of the best novels I have ever read – which is really kind of surprising, really. After all, what is this book even about? Youth tennis? Addiction recovery? The nature of entertainment? These are not subjects that usually place a piece of art into the upper echelons. The brilliance of this book comes not from these surface skims of its subject matter. No, it is brilliant because of how it presents all these little mysterious wrapped around interconnected (yet ordinary/recognizable) characters that seem to transcend their archetypes. There are all these subtle parallels between characters who face the same problems – just with different perspectives and extenuating circumstances (for example, addicts who neglect their lives for their Substance, viewers who neglect their lives for the samizdat, kids who neglect their lives in pursuit of athletic greatness, fathers who neglect their families for their obsessions). To see DFW weave these lives around these themes is absolutely fascinating. The best art is the kind that allows the observer to participate (albeit passively) in the experience. Infinite Jest is no exception. There are so many little mysteries that do not get explained – that DFW leaves up to the reader’s imagination (or literary sleuthing skills) to devise answers. What happens to Hal? Why did JOI eliminate his own map? What on the Entertainment is so lethal? Who is Mario’s father? Were Gately’s fever dreams real or imagined (especially fascinating the dream of JOI as ghost)? What’s the deal with Avril? And many, many more. But my favorite unsolved mystery is PGOAT Madame Psychosis: is she deformed? Or is she too beautiful? Or is she both? This is what I mean by parallels. The Concavity faces a similar mystery: is it a toxic wasteland full of deformed skulls? Or a lush paradise? Or both? The thing that really makes these you scratch your head throughout is DFW’s use of the Unreliable Narrator literary technique. It seems that no one in the entire book can be counted on as reliable due to mental problems, substance problems, CIA double-cross, ulterior motives, ignorance, hear-say, etc. Not to mention all the conflicting stories that different characters tell about the same scenario. Weaving through this maze is challenging and fascinating at the same time. DFW also confuses you with Too Much Information. Do you really need to know which pharmaceutical company copyrighted what drug under what name? There are so many character back-stories that it gets absurd. He throws a brand new back-story on page 967 (Barry Loach)! Twenty before the end of the novel! Do you need to know how many times the trainer wrapped taper around Hal’s ankle? DFW is the anti-Hemmingway in this regard. All this wealth of information can be infuriating, yes, but there is a lot of subtle brilliance in these details. JOI’s filmography in footnotes, for example, took me two or three reads to really grasp all the nuances. DFW is also a clever literary prankster. Take this passage on page 16 (page 16!!): “I think of John N.R. Wayne, who would have won this year’s WhataBurger, standing watch in a mask as Donald Gately and I dig up my father’s head.” Seriously?!? He gives the most important sentence in the book on page 16! Before you know enough about any of those characters to pay attention?!? Wow. This sentence also opens a flood gate of unanswered questions: How do Hal & Gately meet? Why do they collaborate on this venture? Why did JW drop out of WhataBurger and why is he in a mask? What do they do next? My goodness. I really, really enjoyed this novel. When the pieces start falling into place about 2/3 of the way through, it becomes impossible to put down. I highly recommend it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Just finished Hotel New Hampshire. I thought I had read all of Irving's books but somehow I missed that one. Now I am on to Joe Klein's Woody Guthrie biography. Turns out that Guthrie did, in fact, live in a place called Okfuskee. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Just finished Hotel New Hampshire. I thought I had read all of Irving's books but somehow I missed that one. I LOVED that book. Maybe my favorite Irving. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 "Backyard Foraging" by E. Zachos. She provides an interesting cold leaching method for acorns using a jelly bag and your toilet tank. Also, "Mildred Pierce" by J Cain which I'm having a real difficult time with. So effing boring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 "Station Eleven" by E. St John Mandel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I LOVED that book. Maybe my favorite Irving.for me it's a tie for Owen Meany and Cider House Rules. Also, "Mildred Pierce" by J Cain which I'm having a real difficult time with. So effing boring. maybe this soundtrack will help?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jp4hk7VIU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Goo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 for me it's a tie for Owen Meany and Cider House Rules. I'd agree with you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Griddles Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've been working on that one (with other books between) for months. My tips: keep a short note on the back of your bookmark to keep the Incandenza family straight, as well as the secret agents, and some of the major tennis kids. If you look at the wikipedia article it can clarify things when you dont see a certain character for 75 pages, it doesn't really spoil anything. I also noticed when I can keep up a good reading diet in my busier weeks (for me a few hours a week can be good) the book is not nearly as laborious as it seems. It takes adjustment and I skip most of the footnotes, but I could list a dozen "important works" with lower page counts that actually felt more like hard work. His prose is just so good and funny, no matter how dense. The great Eschaton controversy towards the beginning of the second half is one of my all time favorite pieces of writing. Perfect timing! I am looking for a book to read along the lines of Infinite Jest, Gravity's Rainbow, House of Leaves etc. But am having trouble coming up with new ideas. Any suggestions? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Well they're sprawling and modern, but not quite as crazy as all those, have you tried Mitchell's Cloud Atlas? I've also championed his Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet, here a lot. It's a little closer to a traditional novel, but I can't remember a historical fiction that blew my mind as much as it did. Actually, if you want to tackle a bear that has big ideas and some innovation, I say go back to Thomas Mann and check out the Magic Mountain. It's all about the competition of ideas and values and the project of modernity, playing out at an alpine rest home for the chronically ill. It's mostly a novel of conversation, but in a way that amazed me. It's one of those 1,000+ page deals, so there's a couple spots where you have to push through, but I'd say it's another book that more of the time didn't feel like "hard work" to me, as the interest kept things moving along. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 "The Rules of Wolfe" by J Blake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boss_Tweedy Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 "Salvage the Bones" by Jesmyn Ward Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NoJ Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 "Roadside Picnic" by the Strugatsky brothers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chez Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 All The Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fif1435 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 So this should probably be in the "now watching" thread, but oh well. Sometime in the past I read a book called "The Big Burn. Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America". I'm sure I posted it in this thread somewhere. I thought it was a great book. Anyway, I see that PBS is showing a version of "The Big Burn" on The American Experience. For me, it's on Tuesday night (tomorrow)I'm really excited about it and looking forward to watching it.Just thought I'd share that. None of my family gives a hoot about anything "history" and how all those things from the past (be it yesterday or 100 years ago) shapes tomorrow.I start going on about George Washington, or The Big Burn, or WW I or whatever, and their eyes glaze over immediately. Jeesh...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 So this should probably be in the "now watching" thread, but oh well. Sometime in the past I read a book called "The Big Burn. Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America". I'm sure I posted it in this thread somewhere. I thought it was a great book. Anyway, I see that PBS is showing a version of "The Big Burn" on The American Experience. For me, it's on Tuesday night (tomorrow)I'm really excited about it and looking forward to watching it.Just thought I'd share that. None of my family gives a hoot about anything "history" and how all those things from the past (be it yesterday or 100 years ago) shapes tomorrow.I start going on about George Washington, or The Big Burn, or WW I or whatever, and their eyes glaze over immediately. Jeesh...... You have me intrigued! I love history stuff. I'm going to try to remember to watch that, thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Sam Cutler's You Can't Always Get What You Want. My best friend sent it to me as a gift this week. He hung out with Cutler for a good hour or so at Lock'n last year and really got a kick out of him. I'm actually surprised the book doesn't have a co-writer as it's pretty well written. He's an articulate dude with some serious history to share. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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