Well this should be fun. Usually I'm pretty up front about my inability to finish a book (see: Confederacy of Dunces). Gianna lies about everything, though. I actually think she might be illiterate.
Gianna:
Well I may have “implied” to some people that I finished this book. But I want to stress that those people who it really mattered to--and you people know who you are--I never said I finished this book. In fact I was pretty honest (i.e. incredibly honest) about this book. So not only did I not finish this book (and I want to say that I didn’t not finish it because I couldn’t, or because I had too many other things to read for work), I didn’t finish this book because I just really did not want to (I am being nice). But it was on my “must reads” for work so a bit of a charade went on (more of a don’t ask don’t tell). So what I did, because I sort of did want to know how it ended, I made my friend Colleen Devine read it. I do that a lot. I say, “Colleen, taste this… it's horrible”, or “does this smell bad?”, or “does it hurt when I push this bruise?” We have that relationship. If you don’t have that friend, I urge you to drop what you are doing (Hey, wait a minute! Keep reading our blog! Your life depends on it!) and go get one; they are most excellent. Anyway, she did me a total solid and read it and filled me in on the latter half of the book...which she enjoyed as much as much as I had enjoyed the first half, by the way. I feel bad naming the book so I won’t. Just kidding, you can’t like ‘em all so I don’t feel bad. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. I know… you all just loved it.
Liz:
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| That "Infinite" certainly sums it up well. |
I lived in Austin, and I worked at the cool kids' bookstore, and I may have suggested to a few people that I finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. But that period (the lying about it) only lasted for a couple of weeks. I realized that I didn't care if I wasn't a pseudo hipster and that I have better things to do than read endless footnotes. I don't hate David Foster Wallace, but he's definitely not my thing either. I guess I don't understand the cultish DFW worship. I'm fine with that, too.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteInfinite Jest was nearly my pick as well. At the last Texas Book Festival I attended the DFW panel, and it was so interesting. Then I read, 'Although You End Up Becoming Yourself,' and it was great. I figured the time had come to finally tackle Infinite Jest and become one of the hipsters. Nope. Still can't get through it. What does it say when I like all the ephemera around an author (and the stories ABOUT the author) but can't actually read any of their books?
Push through. I had the same feeling about Infinite Jest for years, and now it is one of my favorite novels.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I used to let people believe that I had finished Ulysses for similar reasons. Those days are over. That book is horrible.
Beatrice and Virgil is two hours of my life I'll never get back. It would be more time lost, but I could not get through the entire play in the middle of the book and stopped reading it. Worse than any taste testing at LaMorte's. Tied with the worst bruise pressing, same location.
ReplyDelete