Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Summer Reading

Hello Misfits!

My summer reading plans have been hijacked by www.infinitesummer.org. It's a group challenge to read all 1000 pages of Infinite Jest between June 21 and September 22.

As they say:
A thousand pages1 ÷ 92 days = 75 pages a week. No sweat.

1. Plus endnotesa.
a. A lot of them.

7 comments:

Amanda said...

here's my library list, that, on top of reviewing and vacations (and dragging callum to various summer sports) should take me through much of the summer:

*the secret life of prince charming (deb caletti)
*same difference (siobhan vivian)
*king of the screw ups (k.l. going)
*diary of a chav (grace dent)
*along for the ride (sarah dessen)

and even some adult books:
*admission (jean hanff korelitz)
*best friends forever (jennifer weiner)
*dune road (jane green)
*i'm down (mishna wolff)

what about everyone else?

also, should we pick a fun summer book to read? ideas?

kristin said...

my june list:

*catching fire (suzanne collins) -- got the ARC today, will be reading this one TOMORROW (if i can keep myself away from it tonight)
*the brief wondrous life of oscar wao (junot díaz)
*the goose girl (shannon hale)
*the unbearable lightness of scones (alexander mccall smith) (a mystery)
*the professor and the madman (simon winchester) (about the making of the OED)
*wintergirls (laurie halse anderson)
*dreams from my father (obama -- the audiobook, read by the man himself)

i also want to re-read jellicoe road at some point.

i need to read complex books with a mystery element, actually. let me know if anyone has any recommendations :)

Dawn said...

my summer tbr:

*first, i need to finish little dorrit by dickens (i've been reading it for ages)
*twinsies again amanda: i have diary of a chav and along for the ride in my pile
*shelf discovery by lizzie skurnick
*it sucked and i cried by heather armstrong aka dooce
*after the moment by garret freymann-weyr
*treasure map of boys by e. lockhart

i'm sure more will crop up as they inevitably do. i still have lots of catch-up from 2008. keep me posted about a summer book if anyone thinks of one; i'll let you know if i have a bright idea.

Amanda said...

dawn, we're SUPER twinsies, because i, too, have it sucked and then i cried sitting on my shelf. matthew brought the ARC home to me months ago and i just need to be in the right mindset to read it! also, thanks for reminding me to add the freymann-weyr and lockhart books to my lists! (ha! my word verification is "enaque." in a queue? how fitting!)

Cassandra Mortmain said...

GAH! Amanda, we're SHOE twinsies, because I just last month bought the BLUE version of the sequined chucks you're featuring in your Blogger picture. Additionally, I got the ARC of Treasure Maps of Boys from your former workplace, and can attest to its epic fabulousness.

But then, you all know about my impossibly huge girlcrush on E. Lockhart. She *can* do wrong (see: Dramarama, which I didn't particularly care for), she just rarely does. In my opinion.

I too am going to attempt Infinite Summer. My brother gave me the book for graduation two years ago, and I made it about 70 pages in before I was defeated by one 12 page long endnote detailing the fictional surrealist filmography of a fictional character. I had every intention of going back to it.... but then Terri handed me A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotsen, and my dedication to Serious Adult Literature Containing 12 Page Long Endnotes crumbled almost immediately. However, perhaps with the support of a small army of TMN readers, I'll make it through this time around.

Similarly, my dedication to Infinite Summer has not, by any stretch of the imagination, curtailed my borrowing and acquisition. Right now, on my plate I have:

* Murder Must Advertise and The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (Because I've been shamefully behindhand on Peter Whimsey for years now, and the time has come to catch up)
* Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily's Quest by Lucy Maud Mongomery (at the prompting of Bookshelves of Doom)
* The Inimitable Jeeves and Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (because if it's good enough for Frankie, it's good enough for me)
* The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (because I pay attention to things like the Edgar Awards, even before John Green started receiving them)

And that's just a handful of the books I have clamouring at me on deck. I currently have 30+ books out from MIT, and at least 12 out from Minuteman and the BPL. Which is not even considering the vast number of books I've bought recently.

I think I need a 12 step program.

Meaghan said...

Oh, Lord Peter! Now I want to go reread those...

kristin said...

MMA and Nine Tailors are 2 of my *favorite* Lord Peters! and I love Jeeves and Wooster -- haven't read them for YEARS and need to go back and read them again. Thanks for reminding me! (Plus, I agree -- if it's good enough for Frankie...)