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Guides

• Avery Edison, Eden M. Kennedy, Kevin Guilfoile, Matthew Baldwin, Rountables

  Midsummer Roundtable, Part I

  08.10.09 | Permalink | 41 Comments

  This is the first of a five-part roundtable discussion with the Infinite Summer Guides. Infinite Summer: Congratulations on reaching the halfway point. Eden M. Kennedy: Thanks. Matthew Baldwin: Huzzah! Avery Edison: Thank you. Although I think that once you factor in the endnotes, we technically haven’t even started. Kevin Guilfoile: I turned 40 last year, [...]

• Avery Edison

  Humble Pie

  08.06.09 | Permalink | 24 Comments

  Alright. You got me — I’m kind of enjoying this book now. And when I say “kind of”, I mean “a lot”. I’m writing this post extremely late because I’ve been staying up at night to read Infinite Jest. I’ve skipped out on plans with my family to stay in and read it. Heck — [...]

• Kevin Guilfoile

  I Love You Though You Hurt Me So

  08.05.09 | Permalink | 16 Comments

  Years ago when I was a creative director at an ad agency/design firm, I wrote a campaign for a wood-fire Chicago steakhouse that included print ads and billboards featuring an illustration of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the headline: “IT’S PAYBACK TIME.” Based on assorted letters to the editor there was virtually no one who liked [...]

• Eden M. Kennedy

  Something Smells Delicious

  08.04.09 | Permalink | 8 Comments

  I went out to our community swimming pool the other day festooned in sunscreen, reading glasses, and a hat with a large brim, lugging my Giant Book. I put out my towel on a chair near one of my neighbors. Neighbor: “Gosh, that’s a big book. What is it?” Me: (Assembling a winch to hoist [...]

• Matthew Baldwin

  That’s Entertainment

  08.03.09 | Permalink | 38 Comments

  At some point in Infinite Jest, around page 73, I abandoned my highlighter. There was simply too much to absorb on the first read, I decided, and I would save the markup for the second pass. But last week, on page 389, Old Yeller rode again: ‘You burn to have your photograph in a magazine.’ [...]

• Guides, Miscellaneous

  Amanda French: ∞/2

  08.02.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

  The midpoint of Infinite Jest is rapidly approaching (next Thursday, according to the schedule). What better time to organize meet-ups, so that readers in various cities can discuss their progress through the novel? Militant Grammarians in the audience will notice a conspicuous lack of actor in the preceding sentence. Specifically, we did not say that [...]

• Avery Edison

  I Am Not Enjoying this Book

  07.30.09 | Permalink | 122 Comments

  (Note: This post was not a reaction to Kevin’s post from yesterday, but works in tandem with it, I think. Although it’s safe to say that we each draw very different conclusions.) I am not enjoying Infinite Jest. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not going to quit. I’m going to read the whole thing [...]

• Kevin Guilfoile

  Cause I Got the Real Love, The Kind That You Need

  07.29.09 | Permalink | 26 Comments

  When I started writing my second novel,54 I imagined it would be structured like a teraktys, an ancient Pythagorean symbol that plays a role in the story. Specifically, the second section would be twice as long as the first, the third three times as long as the first, and the final section four times as [...]

• Eden M. Kennedy

  P.S. Allston Rules

  07.28.09 | Permalink | 7 Comments

  I have to admit, I had doubts that I would reach the point where I’d have the privilege of telling you that I have finally, really started loving this book. Speaking as a somewhat emotionally stunted adult, a lot of the ETA scenes are my favorites, how the gravely serious roots of an Eschaton scenario [...]

• Matthew Baldwin

  The Bully Pulpit

  07.27.09 | Permalink | 25 Comments

  A few weeks ago I was speaking to a journalist and struggling to explain how a novel so revered by people who have read it could also be so off-putting for those wading through it for the first time. I mentioned the length of course, and the endnotes, and the 84¢-words, and the sentences that [...]

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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 pages¹ ÷ 92 days = 75 pages a week. No sweat.

1. Plus endnotes^a.
a. A lot of them.

The Sponsors

The Queue

In October we are reading Bram Stoker's Dracula in October. See the announcement.

In January & February of 2010 we are reading 2666, the paperback of which was just released.

At some point in between we are reading a novel TBD.

The Search

The Last 10 Posts

• Infinite Index
• Acknowledgements
• Summer’s End Roundtable, Part IV
• Summer’s End Roundtable, Part III
• Summer’s End Roundtable, Part II
• Summer’s End Roundtable, Part I
• The End
• Roundup
• Greg Carlisle: Reading Infinite Jest Changed My Life (and Now It Will Change Yours)
• Mission Improbable

The Last 10 Comments

• Pemulis' Yachting Cap on Mission Improbable: Ooh, I’m thinking maybe Gately’s ginormous head has to do...
• Pemulis' Yachting Cap on I Got This Fire In My Heart, Won’t Let Me Sleep, Can’t Concentrate…: Nucks...
• Pemulis' Yachting Cap on Summer’s End Roundtable, Part III: I just realized that Mario reminds me a bit of Owen...
• Pemulis' Yachting Cap on Summer’s End Roundtable, Part III: I’m finished! I’d started last summer...
• Tao Joannes on Infinite Index: So, are we doing it again this summer as an official thing? I’ve got some...
• Melissa on Infinite Index: Thanks, Matthew. I was keeping pace with y’all last year up until August, when I had...
• Peer on Acknowledgements: Thanks for the link. I will check it out. I was just hoping for some announcements here...
• Prolixian on Acknowledgements: Peer – if you are interested in 2666, check out bolanobolano.com. A group read...
• Peer on Acknowledgements: When will we start the new book?
• Todeswalzer on Acknowledgements: RIP Infinite Summer. It was great while it lasted.

The Directory