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elihoughton · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 123

What is a swash and why is it so exciting when it buckles?

Beth · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 115 Location: St. Paul

Dan, I would absolutely be in for a fall and winter dedicated to Pynchon. I'm always happy to provide snacks.

Aside from Pynchon, here are some books that have been haunting my shelf of shame:

Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (though I would also gladly go back and reread Midnight's Children with the benefit of group discussion if people preferred)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
Women in Love (or Sons and Lovers) by D.H. Lawrence
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina (or, for Carter's sake, War and Peace) by Leo Tolstoy
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen

If people ever want to tackle Don Quixote I would join in for the second half. I read Book One for a class and feel satisfied with that experience, but I've heard Book Two is even better than Book One.

Also, The Magus would be a much-welcome reread for me. It's my favorite book of all time and the only book that has ever caused me to skip meals just because I couldn't be bothered to stop reading.

KariH · Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 1 Location: St Paul

My husband, Omman, and I would like to take part.

elihoughton · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 123

I am going to get started now. I will be in California for 10 days and this beast will not be my traveling companion. Entering with optimism and energy!

blahblahblah · Joined: 12 Feb 2008 Posts: 4

[quote="Carter"]OK, here's the deal: I know I said "NO WAY" -- all caps, no less -- earlier, but I could possibly be persuaded to do this if there were the right incentive. No, I'm not not thinking 'shared rewarding literary experience' here. I'm thinking 'We kicked this book's ass!' party at the end. If I can count on that, I may be willing to forego any other kind of fun this summer, like boating, biking, seeing the out-of-doors, interacting with fellow humans in any way whatsoever, etc.

BTW: I'm definitely in if anyone ever wants to do this for [u]War and Peace[/u]. The new translation is supposed to be, as Tolstoy would say, "the bombdiggity".[/quote]

I like the party idea, with the caveat about testing it out first.

joel · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Posts: 10

I've been carrying this book around in my backpack for the past couple weeks just to see if I can stand having to lug it around for the rest of the summer, and I'm in.
Also, if the test run goes well, I'd be up for Sound & the Fury, and Anna Karenina, as they too have taken up residence on the shelf of shame.

elihoughton · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 123

Beth · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 115 Location: St. Paul

I've read Faulkner before, although not As I Lay Dying. For my own shelf of shame purposes I'm sticking to my vote for The Sound and the Fury. Especially since I have already read and loved Absalom, Absalom!--which I should certainly read a second time.

Joel, I've been lugging Infinite Jest around already as well. Carter spotted me on the light rail the other day and pointed out that I was tipping to one side. I should probably alternate which shoulder I carry my tote bag on for the summer.

Beth · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 115 Location: St. Paul

In case you haven't been to the Infinite Summer site in the past day or so, they just posted a reading schedule: http://infinitesummer.org/archives/168.

Paula · Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Posts: 9

Okay, I admit I started reading early, but I'll be in Colorado for a week so I needed the headstart. And I must agree, this is a heavy beast of a book to carry around. Special ergonomically correct Infinite Jest backpacks may be needed. Wink

Carter · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Posts: 381 Location: Longfellow (Mpls)

joel · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Posts: 10

I think I'll give the alternating shoulders strategy a try first...

JeffKamin · Site Admin Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Posts: 1065 Location: MPLS

I'm starting to read Infinite Jest on Monday. This is it, people, get on board and stay on schedule.

softyelectric · Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 1

I'm new to this board, but I've been to a couple Books and Bars and happened upon this thread. David Foster Wallace is my favorite author and, somehow, I've read nearly everything he's written with the gaping exception of Infinite Jest.

I find it wildly fortuitous that I found out about this Infinite Summer thing here the day it's supposed to start, so I'm definitely in.
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ACK

JeffKamin · Site Admin Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Posts: 1065 Location: MPLS

12 pages a day - my pace/goal - yours?

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