Important links and tips for reading

[Jen]

I will be posting discussion topics in three sections (one third of the book each month).

IJ is a very complex book and most readers who tackle it, fail to finish it. I'm currently leading a group read over at Litsy and of the 40 who signed up, perhaps 10-15 will make it to the half-way point this read through.

Here are a few tips for reading it and making it successfully through the book.

1. Read the endnotes. They may seem tedious but they are important.
2. Three bookmarks. Use one to mark your current place, one for the endnotes, and one to place on page 223
3. Try to persevere to at least page 200. It may seem like there's no connecting threads or that you'll never get the point but trust the author and push through because there will be pay offs if you keep pushing through.
4. Take notes initially. Don't go crazy but highlight, use tabs, jot down characters and timeline info. I found that helped orient me to what was happening. Once you get the hang of it, you can abandon notes
5. Brush up on Hamlet.
6. Take advantage of online references. I will post useful links below.

[Jen]

Here are some good links:

Infinite Jest Glossary: http://www.erasing.org/etc/ij_glossary/

Article: How I read Infinite Jest: https://www.bustle.com/articles/13156...

Group read of Infinite Jest with interesting commentary and blog posts: http://infinitesummer.org

Infinite Jest Wiki: http://infinitejest.wallacewiki.com/d...

[Jen]

Finally, feel free to join the group read at Litsy. If you have an iPhone or android, you can download the free app and then search for hashtag #infinitejestbuddyread. WE are currently in week 8 at the half-way point. To avoid spoilers, you can search for discussion by week. So search #week1, #week2, etc for discussions by each week.

We've really had a good time discussing the book as a group and it has made the book much more interesting.