What are you reading?

Lens Larque · Post by **Lens Larque** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:00 am

Treefingers wrote:Still on Mason and Dixon, it seems to be really hitting its stride right where I am (the chapter I just read was kind of a Frankenstein parody (or of that kind of Gothic 'modern Prometheus' style narratives) narrated by a self-exiled French chef, which centres around a mechanical duck purported to have a working digestive system (amazingly, I found that this is based in fact: in real life, though, it was a hoax that the duck could actually digest food, and this chapter extrapolates on that fiction brilliantly)).

Woah just caught this. Cheers mate. What a book!

d e n · Post by **d e n** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 11:39 am

I'm on page 432 of IJ and I started it around 5 months ago... I have been taking my time with it though and often end up rereading pages/footnotes as I go as to ensure I'm not unconscious of important details , not to mention 1 page of IJ is really like 1.75 pages of a normally sized book. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and if don't through the prose smoothly i reread words - and there are plenty of words to stumble over in IJ. I am feeling though, for this second half I want to delve in and keep the momentum flowing and try to finish it before the end of Summer. I was surprised to see Dave Eggars in the foreword refer to IJ as a crazy single month of reading. I'm also reading Consider the Lobster at the same time for when I'm on the move since IJ is often too heavy an object to carry around. Just finished the Kafka essay. Going to hit up Girl With Curious Hair after. I think if you really feel a connection with DFW read Infinite Jest first. It's almost inevitable if you like his non-fiction and short stories and for me I figured if I didn't read it now I'd wouldn't be able to not face when I'm older. I wanted to have experienced it now and gained insight on addiction while I'm younger (22) ... personally, there is no way I could have seriously read this book in highschool.

In IJ the last amazing passage to me was the Eschaton game... holy! OTIS P. LORD. the book is very sad, but it is also incredibly entertaining.

Anyway, David Foster Wallace is just one of those people... words fail. He reminds of Elliott Smith in way... he was a genius with so much heart. just tuned to a different frequency... and he eliminated his own map for keeps. He was also extremely prophetic with IJ in regards to entertainment.

but honestly turning back is for bitches so fook all the people who didn't even read past page 200 then flooded amazon with unfavorable critiques.

P.S another thing I've noticed with IJ is that it is sort of like training in reading. After reading that book, between the length and the language, almost nothing will ever phase you in reading again...

before I started IJ I had just finished Man, Nature, and Woman and a book of essays called This Is It by Alan Watts .

also will be reading You Are Not A Gadget per recommendation from M. Sandison

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 3:42 pm

d e n wrote:I'm on page 432 of IJ and I started it around 5 months ago... I have been taking my time with it though and often end up rereading pages/footnotes as I go as to ensure I'm not unconscious of important details , not to mention 1 page of IJ is really like 1.75 pages of a normally sized book. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and if don't through the prose smoothly i reread words - and there are plenty of words to stumble over in IJ. I am feeling though, for this second half I want to delve in and keep the momentum flowing and try to finish it before the end of Summer. I was surprised to see Dave Eggars in the foreword refer to IJ as a crazy single month of reading. I'm also reading Consider the Lobster at the same time for when I'm on the move since IJ is often too heavy an object to carry around. Just finished the Kafka essay. Going to hit up Girl With Curious Hair after. I think if you really feel a connection with DFW read Infinite Jest first. It's almost inevitable if you like his non-fiction and short stories and for me I figured if I didn't read it now I'd wouldn't be able to not face when I'm older. I wanted to have experienced it now and gained insight on addiction while I'm younger (22) ... personally, there is no way I could have seriously read this book in highschool.

In IJ the last amazing passage to me was the Eschaton game... holy! OTIS P. LORD. the book is very sad, but it is also incredibly entertaining.

Anyway, David Foster Wallace is just one of those people... words fail. He reminds of Elliott Smith in way... he was a genius with so much heart. just tuned to a different frequency... and he eliminated his own map for keeps. He was also extremely prophetic with IJ in regards to entertainment.

but honestly turning back is for bitches so fook all the people who didn't even read past page 200 then flooded amazon with unfavorable critiques.

P.S another thing I've noticed with IJ is that it is sort of like training in reading. After reading that book, between the length and the language, almost nothing will ever phase you in reading again...

before I started IJ I had just finished Man, Nature, and Woman and a book of essays called This Is It by Alan Watts .

also will be reading You Are Not A Gadget per recommendation from M. Sandison

In much agreement for this post, DFW was so passionate and genuine - huge respect for the man. Keep at it though man, its just a beautiful book. Also I definitely sympathise with the whole meticulous way of re reading something, I do it myself too.

One tip for IJ if you haven't already done it: Use two book marks so flicking becomes much easier

Im about to start The Magic Mountain again, so so good.

Beavercanoe · Post by **Beavercanoe** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 4:58 pm

fujee wrote:
d e n wrote:I'm on page 432 of IJ and I started it around 5 months ago... I have been taking my time with it though and often end up rereading pages/footnotes as I go as to ensure I'm not unconscious of important details , not to mention 1 page of IJ is really like 1.75 pages of a normally sized book. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and if don't through the prose smoothly i reread words - and there are plenty of words to stumble over in IJ. I am feeling though, for this second half I want to delve in and keep the momentum flowing and try to finish it before the end of Summer. I was surprised to see Dave Eggars in the foreword refer to IJ as a crazy single month of reading. I'm also reading Consider the Lobster at the same time for when I'm on the move since IJ is often too heavy an object to carry around. Just finished the Kafka essay. Going to hit up Girl With Curious Hair after. I think if you really feel a connection with DFW read Infinite Jest first. It's almost inevitable if you like his non-fiction and short stories and for me I figured if I didn't read it now I'd wouldn't be able to not face when I'm older. I wanted to have experienced it now and gained insight on addiction while I'm younger (22) ... personally, there is no way I could have seriously read this book in highschool.

In IJ the last amazing passage to me was the Eschaton game... holy! OTIS P. LORD. the book is very sad, but it is also incredibly entertaining.

Anyway, David Foster Wallace is just one of those people... words fail. He reminds of Elliott Smith in way... he was a genius with so much heart. just tuned to a different frequency... and he eliminated his own map for keeps. He was also extremely prophetic with IJ in regards to entertainment.

but honestly turning back is for bitches so fook all the people who didn't even read past page 200 then flooded amazon with unfavorable critiques.

P.S another thing I've noticed with IJ is that it is sort of like training in reading. After reading that book, between the length and the language, almost nothing will ever phase you in reading again...

before I started IJ I had just finished Man, Nature, and Woman and a book of essays called This Is It by Alan Watts .

also will be reading You Are Not A Gadget per recommendation from M. Sandison
In much agreement for this post, DFW was so passionate and genuine - huge respect for the man. Keep at it though man, its just a beautiful book. Also I definitely sympathise with the whole meticulous way of re reading something, I do it myself too.

One tip for IJ if you haven't already done it: Use two book marks so flicking becomes much easier

Im about to start The Magic Mountain again, so so good.

To be honest, I was using about three or four bookmarks by the time I finished, ie one for reading, one for end-notes, one for the page with the list of years (Year of the Trial-Sized Dove Bar, etc), etc. Plus a few more to mark pages of interest, since I don't like highlighting or marking up my books.

It's been only a few months since completing IJ and I'm already considering re-reading.

d e n · Post by **d e n** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:36 pm

Beavercanoe wrote:
fujee wrote:
d e n wrote:I'm on page 432 of IJ and I started it around 5 months ago... I have been taking my time with it though and often end up rereading pages/footnotes as I go as to ensure I'm not unconscious of important details , not to mention 1 page of IJ is really like 1.75 pages of a normally sized book. I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and if don't through the prose smoothly i reread words - and there are plenty of words to stumble over in IJ. I am feeling though, for this second half I want to delve in and keep the momentum flowing and try to finish it before the end of Summer. I was surprised to see Dave Eggars in the foreword refer to IJ as a crazy single month of reading. I'm also reading Consider the Lobster at the same time for when I'm on the move since IJ is often too heavy an object to carry around. Just finished the Kafka essay. Going to hit up Girl With Curious Hair after. I think if you really feel a connection with DFW read Infinite Jest first. It's almost inevitable if you like his non-fiction and short stories and for me I figured if I didn't read it now I'd wouldn't be able to not face when I'm older. I wanted to have experienced it now and gained insight on addiction while I'm younger (22) ... personally, there is no way I could have seriously read this book in highschool.

In IJ the last amazing passage to me was the Eschaton game... holy! OTIS P. LORD. the book is very sad, but it is also incredibly entertaining.

Anyway, David Foster Wallace is just one of those people... words fail. He reminds of Elliott Smith in way... he was a genius with so much heart. just tuned to a different frequency... and he eliminated his own map for keeps. He was also extremely prophetic with IJ in regards to entertainment.

but honestly turning back is for bitches so fook all the people who didn't even read past page 200 then flooded amazon with unfavorable critiques.

P.S another thing I've noticed with IJ is that it is sort of like training in reading. After reading that book, between the length and the language, almost nothing will ever phase you in reading again...

before I started IJ I had just finished Man, Nature, and Woman and a book of essays called This Is It by Alan Watts .

also will be reading You Are Not A Gadget per recommendation from M. Sandison
In much agreement for this post, DFW was so passionate and genuine - huge respect for the man. Keep at it though man, its just a beautiful book. Also I definitely sympathise with the whole meticulous way of re reading something, I do it myself too.

One tip for IJ if you haven't already done it: Use two book marks so flicking becomes much easier

Im about to start The Magic Mountain again, so so good.
To be honest, I was using about three or four bookmarks by the time I finished, ie one for reading, one for end-notes, one for the page with the list of years (Year of the Trial-Sized Dove Bar, etc), etc. Plus a few more to mark pages of interest, since I don't like highlighting or marking up my books.

It's been only a few months since completing IJ and I'm already considering re-reading.

yeah, i got p. 223 marked as well. DFW did say how it was sort of pretentious for him to write such a long book that was designed to be read twice, haha. when I am finished i plan to reread the first chapter immediately to see how it ties together.

my copy of infinite jest already looks archaic. i think it looks sick all beat up though.

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:10 am

About to start this bad boy. Can't wait

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:10 am

About to start this bad boy. Can't wait

WeHadNormality · Post by **WeHadNormality** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:15 am

Mexicola wrote:About to start this bad boy. Can't wait

Just started this myself. Race ya.

Treefingers · Post by **Treefingers** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:16 pm

It is very good.

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:08 pm

My favourite Pynchon, Against the Day is close second.

Amo Bishop Roden · Post by **Amo Bishop Roden** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:02 pm

Island by Aldous Huxley. Simply incredible so far. Also, I had a panic attack in a Barnes and Noble the other day (don't ask) and in my weird emotional haze I left with the complete works of Alan Ginsberg, so I have that to look forward to.

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 11:37 pm

WeHadNormality wrote:Just started this myself. Race ya.

Ha! Sadly, I'm still midway through another book. Won't be starting this for a week or so yet.
Giving you a head start

Incidentally, apologies for the double-post above. Bleedin' dodgy mouse...

Magrathea · Post by **Magrathea** » Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:50 am

René Barjavel - Ravage, uber old Sci-Fi from 1943, precursor to so much other things, good read so far.

bkillsb · Post by **bkillsb** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 7:44 am

The Unwinding by George Packer

fujee · Post by **fujee** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 10:27 am

Who REALLY won the space race? - by Thom Burnett. Great conspiracy book for anyone interested in post war/cold war space race insight.

miklatov · Post by **miklatov** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 10:05 pm

Minority Report: Collected Short Stories of Philip K. Dick

Oh, and the Viz

Mexicola · Post by **Mexicola** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 10:43 pm

miklatov wrote:Oh, and the Viz

Viz as in Sid The Sexist and Roger Mellie etc?? Superbly puerile!! Highly recommend Roger's Profanisauras.

Amo Bishop Roden · Post by **Amo Bishop Roden** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 1:16 am

sevenELIXIR · Post by **sevenELIXIR** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 1:37 am

Mexicola wrote:Cold Earth by Susan Moss.

'Six young people meet on an archaeological dig in a remote corner of Greenland. Excavating the unsettling remains of a Norse society under attack, they also come to uncover their own demons, as it becomes apparent that a plague pandemic is sweeping across the planet and communication with the outside world is breaking down. Increasingly unsure whether their missives will ever reach their destination, each of the characters writes a letter to someone close to them, trying to make sense of their situation and expressing their fears and dwindling hope of ever getting back home...'

Wow! that sounds intense! interesting

TaoTapeTao · Post by **TaoTapeTao** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:16 pm

White Noise