I am not good at relaxing--not at all. I always have a million things I want to do, usually all at the same time. I could never spend a vacation, let alone a single day, sitting on a beach somewhere sipping Pina Coladas. I love tropical vacations, but I am happiest being in the water swimming, surfing, snorkeling... So even though I have a ton of things going on this summer, I absolutely could not resist when I read about Infinite Summer in my local paper. Infinite Summer is a group of online readers dedicated to reading David Foster Wallace's book, Infinite Jest. It's a huge novel, well over 1000 pages. Per my kitchen scale, it's a 40.25 ounce literary masterpiece. I've read so many amazing things about this novel, but I never seriously considered tackling it. Except for my beloved F. Scott Fitzgerald, I mainly read non-fiction.If you're interested in reading Infinite Jest along with the rest of us, here's the info and the site:
The Challenge
Join endurance bibliophiles from around the world in reading Infinite Jest over the summer of 2009, June 21st to September 22nd. A thousand pages ÷ 92 days = 75 pages a week, plus a lot of endnotes. No sweat.
The Rules
There ain’t none. Read Infinite Jest, start around June 21st (if you want), finish around September 22nd (if you want), gloat about having completed the novel afterward (required).
If you wish to read ahead, feel free. Think of us as a pacecar: you can leave us in the dust, but it’s probably best not to fall behind.
If you are ahead of the pack you should feel free to join the conversation. All we ask is that you adhere to the Inficratic Oath: First, Reveal No Spoilers. So, apparently, there is at least one rule.
http://infinitesummer.org/about
I have never heard of this...what is it about?
ReplyDeleteIt's a comedy, something about tennis and a very nutty family. My book just came in the mail so I haven't even started it yet. It's one of those books that "breaks all the rules", which usually means that it is very hard to read.
ReplyDeleteInfinite Jest is one of my boyfriend's favorite books and I do want to read this tome some day. I like how it's broken down to 75 pages per week, it makes it seem possible to finish. I'm not great at relaxing either, but luckily my commute permits a lot of reading time.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up my copy from the library. I only have 3 weeks to read it though so this should be interesting....maybe I'll give it to my mom. She loves to read and will probably finish it in a week.
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