on reading: 1079

it's high time for a post on reading. 

i've been reading infinite jest. for those who are unfamiliar, infinite jest is considered one of today's most smashing works of [dystopian] contemporary fiction. david foster wallace has written several books, but this one is a scary and apparently brilliant giant—the hardcover comes in at a healthy 1079 pages. for a bookgirl in her twenties, this is kind of the book of books, and it's a formidable one. when i bought it at last, the purchase felt ominous. to add ij to your library is to invest in a masterpiece that more or less scares the bejesus out of you, but which you must have... and therefore must read. it's rather scary. at least, that is how i felt.

however, i am liking it so far. for the record, i will sheepishly admit that i am a mere 60 or so pages in. also for the record: that is only 6% of the entire book. still, it's actually going rather well. i worried that i wouldn't get david foster wallace's ideas, or that i'd find his style too inscrutable... but i was wrong. dfw is carrying me along relatively effortlessly. plus, i'm okay with taking my time reading something so gargantuan. hopefully that means i won't miss anything. of course it would probably be good if i didn't wander off the tracks and into the thorny brambles of, um, other books.

exactly.

case in point: one evening a week or two ago i was scheduled to work at an author event. predictably, i am the type of person who is always packing at least two books in her handbag. that day, however, i had no books. none. i mean—i'm reading infinite jest, and that lovely doorstop doesn't leave the apartment. and so i made the heartrending decision (not) to buy a new book. i had to choose between patti smith's just kids and deborah eisenberg's stories (so far)... and la eisenberg won.

and now, i am almost finished reading her short story collection... and only 60 pages into ij.

needless to say, it's time for some disciplined reading... sigh. wish me luck. it is evidently very hard for me not to be distracted from my reading by o t h e r  things to read. but i am adamant, and so here i go.

i'm going to leave you with a song that is in honor of the bluegrassy nature of my upcoming weekend (hellooo, outdoor music festival season...).

have a lovely wednesday.

images: 1, 2