IJ is the only book I've read that's funnier (despite all of the soul-crushing sadness) than Confederacy of Dunces. After the first read through, you can literally pick it up and turn to any page and enjoy the non-stop jokes. I'm totally in for a full re-read.

God, I totally read the whole thing two summers ago. You haven't read it yet, Alison? Un-fucking-believable. And I was just starting to like you. I thought you were smart and stuff, but I guess if you haven't been able to get through Infinite Jest... well, lets just say you are no longer invited to my wine and cheese parties. Call me when you're done, though. Then we'll actually be able to have an intelligent, adult conversation.

God I hope that comes off as snobbish and effected as I wanted it to be. Otherwise I'm totally going to deserve all those dirty looks.

@patrick

ahem: affected

I hope you're wearing your vest with the rainbows on it when we have our intelligent, adult conversation. :)

Once you get into it, you're gonna be reading way more than 75 pages a week.

If I hadn't just reread Infinite Jest last summer [rearranges monocle, disdainfully brushes lint off of tweed jacket], I'd totally do this. That book is nothing short of amazing.

@Alison....Bwahahahaha...Good one!

"IJ is the only book I've read that's funnier (despite all of the soul-crushing sadness) than Confederacy of Dunces."

Hmmm that is purty high praise as I consider "Dunces" the funniest book ever. I shall read your "Jest" and register my thorough opinion on your plebeian "internets"

Confederacy of Dunces is my favorite book ever ever ever. But I'm gonna give Infinite Jest one more shot.

We should totally have a blogtown sub-reading-club for this (and put the merc's robo-spam-decimated forums back to work). I don't trust most jerks on the internet to discuss anything potentially "high brow," but I trust you jerks on the internet.

I've been thinking about doing this as well.

I'm reading this right now! I started it in January...
I got 200 pages in, then took a class that required a lot of other reading. And now I'm plowing through it again (aka, like 3-5 pages a day, at most). I'm nearly on page 300. I really like it, and I'm totally determined to finish it. Should we start a book club to talk about it as we read it???

Does this book have dragons and/or elves in it?

If not then I'm OUT.

*slams door to bedroom and turns up Rush's Fly By Night super loud*

*specifically By-Tor and the Snowdog*

I picked it up a few years ago and haven't read it yet, but I totally want to. I blame college.

The only book I haven't been able to get through is DeLillo's "Underworld." God, that thing is dense. Blissfully poetic, but dense.

There're big catapult things that shoot all our garbage out to space. And there are wheelchair-bound assassins. Intrigued??!

Okay, we're gonna do it. Stick to the schedule on the infinite summer site, and I'll try to remember to post weekly open threads here so we can talk about it. Sound good? ROM, no spoilers.

kiss ma butt

But, at the same time, great!

Okay, I'm calibrating my schedule.
(was that a spoiler, too??*)





*no

I feel like I need to get a running start to actually crack Infinite Jest. I love DFW, and Confederacy of Dunces is in my top 5, so this thread may be the thing that finally gets the damn thing off my shelf and into my hands. I've said that about other things before. I'm not sure I've ever physically met anyone who has finished it, DFW-lover or no (we all know it's far more common to meet those who tried and failed).

Colin, I'd recommend GWCH as a warm up if you need one. Brief, multitudinous, and fun. Also, a good primer in how to deal with DFW influences/affectations. BotS is good (esp the ending, which blew my little highschool brain), but not perfect, and could put you off IJ unnecessarily.

That was way to many acronyms.

Anyone read the New Yorker article about the unfinished DFW novel that they are publishing posthumously? The article ran, like, two months ago or so?

Unfortunately I lent my copy of IJ out to a good friend who is slowly destroying the paperback as he reads. Wish I could join in the book club fun.

Patrick, I've got an extra copy you can borrow if you want.

I read the whole thing about a decade ago. I think there was a wonderful 300-page novel somewhere within those 1,000 pages.