Reading List Completists discussion

Justin wrote: "Really enjoying it, but reading at a much slower pace than anticipated. Going through pages of filmography now.... how important is this section?"

I found the filmography to be really interesting! Especially toward the end, where some of the films seem to get really autobiographical and there are also some recurring themes like sandwich bag salesmen for some reason. I did feel like there was a lot of subtext going over my head, but it was a fun read.

Hopefully you both noticed certain titles of the films

I am also at the section with the film titles. I was thinking when I read the section from pg 63 to 65 it would be a quick read . . . then I saw footnote 24 . . .

I will admit I just gave it a cursory glance, but I will probably refer to it again a few times later in the books as I assume it will mean more to me then.

Up to page 29. I loved the stream of consciousness part. I really hope he got his pot! Lol Happy that the book is easy to read(so far). Though 29 pages never felt like such an accomplishment!

The year names are hilarious and I find myself wondering how far away we are from something like that. Ominous...;-)

Harold Incandenza(awesome name) playing verbal tennis with the dentist was great! Right out of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Which I highly recommend, especially to those of you who just read Hamlet. The movie is just as good as the book.

I also appreciate the fact that they're discussing Quebec and its politics. This being where I'm from. La Belle Province and its numerous referendums are easy to poke fun at.

The Kate Gompert section (p68 to 78) was the first time this book really riveted me.

Kirstin wrote: "I also appreciate the fact that they're discussing Quebec and its politics. This being where I'm from. La Belle Province and its numerous referendums are easy to poke fun at. "

Kirstin, where are you from in Quebec? I used to live in Montreal and also really love all the Quebec mentions. And they just keep getting more intense. I'm right now in the middle of a very detailed footnote all about a Quebecois separatist group called les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents (yes, really).

I'm really impressed at how detailed and accurate his descriptions of real Quebec politics are, including the FLQ, the Bloc Quebecois, Jean Charest, Lucien Bouchard and Gilles Duceppe, and the parts he's made up I can imagine actually happening in Quebec, even the wheelchair assassins :)

I'm from Aylmer(Gatineau). I go to Montreal a few times a month for work. I'm loving all the Canadian stuff! Quebec separation was such a huge part of my childhood. I'm enjoying the book for the nostalgia. I have to say, it is all so unexpected! His research is very impressive. I actually Googled DFW to see if he was from Canada. Lol

DFW researched like mad writing IJ. It took him something like 8 years to write. He submitted something like 2000 manuscript pages.

It definitely shows. It reads very authentic.

I'm always excited when American authors even mention Canada so for it to be such a big part of the plot is awesome!

That's a great idea, Stephanie. I wish I could get a digital copy from my library to do that. I've got the endnotes bookmarked, but the book is cumbersome to flip around in...

My kindle just let's me tap the endnote number. It pops up in the middle like the dictionary function. That I'm not flipping back and forth. Does yours have that function?

Maybe I should be taking notes . . . for all the pretending to pretend to pretend to pretend but not actually pretending . . . or something like that . . .

Matthew
Ha! It's good to take notes. The plot is labyrinthine to say the least.

I think this book is perfect to read on the kindle PW as you can access the footnote within the page you're on with one touch without any need to flip back or navigate.

However, having read the first 127 pages, I've decided not to continue. I have to say that I got no enjoyment whatsoever out of those pages. The topics do not appeal to me .. I dislike tennis, have very little interest in the politics of Quebec and I'm really not a fan of youngsters-slacking-off-doing-drugs-coming-of-age things or intellectual narcissism. To me, the writing feels mostly pretentious .. kind of like when you're meeting this group of friends you once used to know and there is this one guy who studied something humanities/philosophy etc and he just really REALLY likes to hear himself talk and so he does. On and on and on and on ... and he has an opinion on everything and doesn't even realize that few people see him as grandiose as he thinks he is.
Well, that's how reading the book felt to me. I can understand how it could appeal to other people, but I am not going to waste more of my time forcing myself to read it. For no benefit so far and based on the reviews I've read I doubt I'd find any in it for me.

I hope you all enjoy it a lot more though!

I am re reading my notes to follow along. Bummer some aren't enjoying it, but life is too short indeed. I gave up on the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
and lots of people love that book.

I had the same problem with Tigana and Cloud Atlas. Couldn't get into either one and both are praised by so many. But they weren't for me.

I've fallen behind on reading. Been working in the yard, got a new job, and getting ready for little man's first day with a nanny. A lot of changes.

p118 - more Clockwork Orange reference. Lots of "tennis dudes talking" chapters lately . . .

Yes! Page 127! I have completed the group's part 1 - and this group is all about competing things.

Lots of random anecdotes. Will they all come together and matter in the end? Or, are all the random little stories what this book is about.

I definitely feel there is more to this that I would understand better if I knew what is going on. I wonder when that will happen?

So, one thing about this book so far is that it definitely messes with my reading goal system . . .

I like to set goals like "Hey, I have an extra 5 minutes and the next section of this book is a short one and a half pages, so I can knock it out right now!". When I do that with this book, and I get to the end of the short section, there is a foot note . . . and that footnote is 10 pages long! :)

So, yeah, can't really count on my goals working here . . .

Matthew wrote: "So, one thing about this book so far is that it definitely messes with my reading goal system . . .

I like to set goals like "Hey, I have an extra 5 minutes and the next section of this book is a ..."

Ha! That happened to me last night when I finally made it the filmography footnote. I'll just read a few pages, I said...

I'm only about 60 pages in but those 10 pages contained my favourite parts so far!
When Gately came at the Frenchman and gagged him, that was panic inducing for me. Superb writing! Also, the 'face in the floor' nightmare was great! I wasn't expecting this book to have any frightening moments. I was pleased.

I loved the films! Andy Warhol would be jealous! I would totally watch 'The Pre-nuptial Agreement Between Heaven and Hell' and the one about the killer baby. Lol

Ugh . . . I need to pay better attention . . . the two scenes you described above I did not remember . . . In fact, amusingly enough, I started Googling them to see if they were from another book and you maybe posted this on the wrong book discussion (I know, silly right!).

There is just so much and it is so weird it is hard to keep up! But I am enjoying it . . . maybe it will all come back along the way.

I can say for sure that the Kate Gompert part of this group's "Part I" was the most interesting part to me. I am wondering when she will come back into the story.

Matthew wrote: "Ugh . . . I need to pay better attention . . . the two scenes you described above I did not remember . . . In fact, amusingly enough, I started Googling them to see if they were from another book a..."

Or, maybe the book is just so Avant-Garde that each copy is slightly different and everyone thinks they're reading the same book but it isn't until a group gets together that the secret is figured out! :-P

Kirstin wrote: "Or, maybe the book is just so Avant-Garde that each copy is slightly different and everyone thinks they're reading the same book but it isn't until a group gets together that the secret is figured out! :-P "

Ha! You know . . . that actually did cross my mind . . . no kidding!

Matthew wrote: "Kirstin wrote: "Or, maybe the book is just so Avant-Garde that each copy is slightly different and everyone thinks they're reading the same book but it isn't until a group gets together that the se..."

Ha! I love it!

This book is a lot of fun! At my pace it may take me all year to finish it but I'm ok with that. I think I'm going to fill a notebook with all my musings too.

I loved the films too and am just dying for a kickstarter to contribute to to get them made. I did kind of skim the filmography at first but I've bookmarked it and go back to reread it any time there seems to be a reference to one of the films (which happens a lot!) and keep noticing new details.

I think this is really a go-at-your-own-pace kind of book. I've been getting really addicted to it and have been reading it pretty fast but have probably missed some of the subtext. I guess I'll just have to read it again when I'm finished!

I noticed that some of the films related to parts of the book. The only one I can remember is the father, concerned with his sons muteness poses as a conversation specialist. So, are we reading some of the movies or are the movies based on life events?

Yeah, this book is so weird!

Really glad to hear you guys are getting into it

Stephanie wrote: "2 innocuous comments so far:

1) I really liked the Foreward -- and it makes me anticipate the book in a positive way (love that David Eggers wrote it)

2) I am glad that the sport is tennis, which..."

Be careful what you wish for...

Tracy wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "2 innocuous comments so far:

1) I really liked the Foreward -- and it makes me anticipate the book in a positive way (love that David Eggers wrote it)

2) I am glad that the spor..."

Tracy . . . I had to go and see your star rating of Infinite Jest to determine if this was a good or bad warning. I still cannot tell, but you did give it 5 stars, so I am not as scared! :)

Page 109. Kate Grompert is an interesting character. Very sad. Her quote "It's not about wanting to hurt myself, it's about wanting the hurt to stop." I can't help but think about the author.

So the medical attaché (view spoiler)[ his wife and some others are the first people to watch Infinite Jest? And it's left them happily drooling in their own filth? Makes me think of Wall-E. (hide spoiler)]

I definitely want to know more about the hamster herd.

Is this bug that continues to pop up important?

Jessica wrote: "Is this bug that continues to pop up important?"

Ugh . . . I don't remember a bug and I am on page 211 - so I hope not!

Of course, I keep seeing other mentions of things I don't remember. SO MUCH STUFF IN THIS BOOK! SO MANY TREES AND DRUGS DIED IN THE MAKING! (See previous comments Kristen made suggesting that every copy of the book is different . . . I believe it!)

It's the bug that Hal watches crawl in and out of his et center. Later in another chapter another character watches a bug crawl around and it's described the same way. I will get pg numbers later.

Jessica wrote: "It's the bug that Hal watches crawl in and out of his et center. Later in another chapter another character watches a bug crawl around and it's described the same way. I will get pg numbers later."

Oh man, yeah, I don't remember either of those!

As far as I remember, bug doesn't matter.

I don't know if it matters but I remember it's the roach that gives Orin the howling fantods. Lol

I have a strange memory. I fixate on things that don't matter. But it can also be a steel vault if random things. Lol

I just thought it was interesting that the big kept popping up in random moments if drug use or daze.

Matthew wrote: "Jessica wrote: "It's the bug that Hal watches crawl in and out of his et center. Later in another chapter another character watches a bug crawl around and it's described the same way. I will get pg..."

Matthew, I have serious concerns that you're reading a different book! Lol

I want to know more about the 'CadaverGate' scandal in The Year of The Perdue Wonderchicken.

Not really, I just wanted to write that sentence. :-)

Kristin - It is quite possible, but how many other books have this much tennis and drugs in them?

My Review:

tennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&drugsennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&drugs&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&drugs&weirdmovies

Kirstin just won the internet for the day! :)

Matthew wrote: "Kirstin just won the internet for the day! :)"

He may have even had his own sweat licking guru! Lol!

Tracy wrote: "My Review:

tennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&drugsennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&drugs&Drugs&tennis&drugstennis&ennis&ennis&tennis&tennis&..."

Take out the tennis and you just described my twenties! ;-)

There are moments where I'm interested in what I'm reading. And then other moments I read with the most awkward expression on my face. I'm still 20 pages away from the first goal.
Sigh.
I googled reading the book... Only to find that I now need some weird dictionary, a companion guide, and a blank notepad... >>
<<
That's a bit intimidating. I reacted like a bird hearing a gunshot 8 miles away. Dropped my kindle in a panic cause I'm not in school right now and don't want to work that hard. Can I just read and enjoy it? Am I going to miss something that important?

I'm losing steam quickly.

Jessica wrote: "There are moments where I'm interested in what I'm reading. And then other moments I read with the most awkward expression on my face. I'm still 20 pages away from the first goal.
Sigh.
I googled..."

I just read, very little internet , companion stuff. You're gonna miss stuff other people notice, but everyone must. It's just too much. It took me quite a few months to read, though, because I lost steam at times too. TENNIS. Screw that.