You always go through Hi’s and Lo’s while reading a book. Even if it’s one you really enjoy or are interested in. There are just down periods, or chapters or characters you don’t quite enjoy as much, and that’s ok.

I recently went a reading spree and made a lot of progress in my book. While I find it all a great read, it had gone through a slower period. But it’s picking up and I have a few theories about what’s going to happen, and now I’m in that “can’t put it down” stage. I also still have about 700 more pages to read, so it’s very likely I’ll have at least one more slumpy bit. But just remember to stick with it and usually the interesting parts will come.

[photo by Annais]

Even the exposition is fabulous, but after 200 pages, you still get a little antsy. The appitizer is good, but you’re ready for the main course. But it also shows that you often just have to stick it out.

Infinite Jest doesn’t fall into this category, but I have a rule of reading a book to the halfway point before putting it down. By then, you have a better understanding if the book is something you want to finish. If you want dessert.

I decided that a month to read the rest of it would be a good time frame. I’ve already taken a month to read 100ish pages. So I decided I wanted to read a little each day. 1200, divided by 30 is 40. So my goal is to read 40 pages a day. Not bad, very manageable.

Reading schedules are great things to set up for yourself, particularly with school. Whether it’s a book for English or a textbook for History, if you set up a reading schedule you can finish the book in the amount of time you need to. Schedules can look very different, they don’t have to look anything like mine. For example, if you know you can read Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because of your schedule, and you have 2 weeks to read a 300 page book, you should read about 50 pages each day, and you’ll have the book done in no time!

After reading this, reading anything else is going to seem so fast and easy!

Foster Wallace takes them above and beyond what you could ever imagine they could be used for. Almost like a third plane of existence that every other author has been missing out on utilizing. His footnotes are anecdotes, inside jokes, calirifiers, and short stories. I just finished one footnote that I was expecting to explain why one character lost his legs. Instead, the footnote is a short story for a second character writing a term paper about the organization that the wheelchair bound character belongs to, and therefore, how he looses his legs. And I haven’t even scratched the surface. I am only on #45 out of over 400 footnotes.

Let the journey continue.

But, I’ve found a system that is working for me. Timeline wise, I’ve been keeping track of everything that’s going on. I’ve been using those highlighter tabs you can buy to mark paper. I’ve been using different colors to mark off the different chapters, which indicate the different years within the book. It’s been a great way to quickly revisit information, and remember what events are happening when. Even for a less complicating book, this can be a great tip to use as you read. Just mark pages as you go for quick reference later. You’ll be all set!

One thing I love about the book are the Chapter titles. “Year of the Trial Sized Dove Bar” Amazing!

I am totally dorking out. I have my highlighting tabs, highlighters and am all set to go. An idea I had. Since my brother told me to pay attention to the chapter titles in terms of chronology, I am flagging each type of chapter with a certain color. I think this will help me keep track later down the road.

I’m interested by Wallace’s use of the word “like”. I haven’t decided if it’s a stylistic choice, character voice, or just part of Wallace’s own speech. However, every word is so delibrate, I can’t imagine he would just use “like” in everything. So far it seems confined to the character Hal, so I was thinking maybe it was a Hal thing? Just something interesting.

Good Quote: Pg 26 – “He didn’t reject the idea so much as not react to it and watch as it floated away”.

So far it has been a fun challenge. It’s definitely a book that you have to pay attention as you read. It is not something you can read when you are half conscious before bed. Wallace’s grammar is astounding, and his sentence structure requires you to use a little cranial elbow grease. And, it is the first book where I have felt the need to highlight things and use tabs. Only 45 pages into this monster, I am already wanting to go back and reread some portions. Now, armed with my highlighters and tab markers, I am fully prepared to tackle the phone book of a novel that is “Infinite Jest”.

I wanted to share my journey with you as I read this book, and maybe you’ll find some reading tips for your own books!