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Classic Chunkster Nominations - The Most Challenging Book of the Twentieth Century
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Zulfiya
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Sep 02, 2014 03:09PM
If it does not, we can always read as a buddy read if there are other people who are willing to read it.
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Zulfiya wrote: "If it does not, we can always read as a buddy read if there are other people who are willing to read it."If it doesn't win, I would definitely be interested in a buddy read :)
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about the difficulty of reading/understanding Dahlgren? I hadn't heard of it until this thread, and was just wondering how it would compare to Ulysses or Pynchon, for example, for my voting. I am super looking forward to reading something with a group that I would find very challenging to read by myself, so just wondered what rumors might be floating around about this one.
I think the book is on par with Pynchon's works, but it is also quite 'trippy' (as Paula said) and otherworldly.
I'm in for a buddy read of Dahlgren, as well.
Excellent! I would like something I'd probably struggle through on my own. Every nomination sounds great!
Sarah wrote: "I'm in for a buddy read of Dahlgren, as well."If all those who want a buddy read vote for it, it's likely that it will win and we can all read it together.
If Dahlgren wins I don't think I 'll read it. Or I will. No...I won't, I've just decided that.
Luffy wrote: "If Dahlgren wins I don't think I 'll read it. Or I will. No...I won't, I've just decided that."That's actually why I was liking the idea of a buddy read. There are plenty of people who want to read it, but I think it would turn a lot of people away.
Sarah wrote: "Luffy wrote: "If Dahlgren wins I don't think I 'll read it. Or I will. No...I won't, I've just decided that."That's actually why I was liking the idea of a buddy read. There are plenty of peopl..."
Yeah, I have a method to my madness. My strategy goes like this: 1) I want to read Ulysses, but there is an excellent group devoted to it that is currently reading The Odyssey for prep, followed by Ulysses on September 29. So I'm covered for that. 2)I wouldn't mind reading Dahlgren again, but I've read it before and I'd rather this one be a Buddy Read. And if we get that going, I'm covered.
That leaves Mason & Dixon and Infinite Jest as my final two. I started M&D years ago and put it down. But, perhaps an organized group read would be just the ticket.
I have read Infinite Jest twice. I loved it. It is one of the best books I have ever read - so good that it kind of ruined me for other books for a while (I kept mentally comparing everything I read to it). So, while I have read it and I wanted to vote for a book I haven't read, I'm really torn because I would love to see how Zulfiya moderates the read for this one. And really, Infinite Jest? People have read it over and over and still uncover connections they missed in prior readings. I know there are layers and connections yet to be discovered by me. Definitely a reading challenge, but, for me, so so good.
So, I'm hoping for a M&D and IJ playoff, but I won't know how I will vote until I actually press a key.
What it really comes down to is that I want to have my cake and eat it too. :D
In hopes of a certain book winning the polls, I will be ordering a copy of Infinite Jest today. :)Although doing so might possibly put a jinx on it, but I do intend to read it at some point in the near future.
Cleo wrote: "Okay, Paula, I think that you've sold me on Infinite Jest. I'm now intrigued!"Me too! I think I'm swayed.
so good that it kind of ruined me for other books for a while (I kept mentally comparing everything I read to it)
I did this for a while after I read 1Q84. It seems like it's how an addict would feel, you just want to find another book that will give you that same rush :D
I'm two thirds through 2,666; its good but I'd love to read a long with all of you on something I haven't tackled yet. Same goes for Infinite Jest. I'd vote for The Name of the Rose by Ecco, already nominated, or Only Revolutions by Dainelewski (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Rev...) who also wrote the amazing and dark, depressing House of LeavesBPGallucci.com | LexusSam.ca | @BPGallucci
John wrote: "I did this for a while after I read 1Q84. It seems like it's how an addict would feel, you just want to find another book that will give you that same rush :D"Oh yes, I had the same reaction after 1Q84. And Anathem.
BP wrote: "I'd vote for The Name of the Rose by Ecco, already nominated, or Only Revolutions by Dainelewski"I haven't read Only Revolutions, but I believe it came out in 2006, so it wouldn't meet the 20th Century criteria.
Paula wrote: "I haven't read Only Revolutions, but I believe it came out in 2006, so it wouldn't meet..."Also, it's not a chunkster -- only 300-some pages :)
Paula wrote: "Oh yes, I had the same reaction after 1Q84. And Anathem."
Argh! I have the Anathem audiobook on my iPod waiting for me. Impatiently.
John wrote: "It seems like it's how an addict would feel, you just want to find another book that will give you that same rush :D "This is why I read! Book addict, here! :-)
Kaycie wrote: "This is why I read! Book addict, here! :-) "I come home with stacks of books from the used bookstore. Then the nominations and polls go up in these group reads and the books chosen are usually ones that I don't already have, so then I have to go out and buy more books. lol.
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: "This is why I read! Book addict, here! :-) "I come home with stacks of books from the used bookstore. Then the nominations and polls go up in these group reads and the books chose..."
I know!! There are always so many great books! I don't know if its good or bad that one lifetime will NEVER be enough to read my entire to-be-read list!
Kaycie wrote: " I don't know if its good or bad that one lifetime will NEVER be enough to read my entire to-be-read list!"I did a quick calculation not too long ago on how many books I could read in the rest of my lifetime, estimating I have (hopefully, at least, and maybe more) another 40 good years in me. Being a slow reader, if I can read 12 books a year, that allows me only 480 books! It sure doesn't seem like that many. :( I set my 2014 Reading Challenge to 15 books, and I'm happy to say I will surpass that goal, and that includes four ~1000 pagers in there. So maybe there is hope that I can read more than 480. Plus I have two young children right now, so they slow down my reading pace.
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: " I don't know if its good or bad that one lifetime will NEVER be enough to read my entire to-be-read list!"I did a quick calculation not too long ago on how many books I could read..."
Oh you are right, that doesn't sound like many! I'd be scared to do that calculation, myself! Have you tried audiobooks? They've been pretty invaluable for me, and definitely let me squeeze in way more books per year. It takes some getting used to, but I think its well worth it!
Congrats on exceeding your reading goal for the year, and with some 1000 pagers in there, that must feel awesome!
Linda wrote: "I have two young children right now, so they slow down my reading pace. "Same here (Three kids for me though)! I'm basically just waiting for retirement, when I'll knock out a book or two every week.
Kaycie wrote: "Have you tried audiobooks? They've been pretty invaluable for me, and definitely let me squeeze in way more books per year. It takes some getting used to, but I think its well worth it!"I've only listened to a couple of audiobooks - one on CD and one on tape cassette (long ago!). So, I need to figure out the new technology. I'm usually behind the times on electronic devices...
And yes, I love checking off those 1000 pagers from my list!! :)
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: "Have you tried audiobooks? They've been pretty invaluable for me, and definitely let me squeeze in way more books per year. It takes some getting used to, but I think its well worth ..."Ya, I think the audiobooks are great, and worth looking into. I usually listen while I'm doing something like cleaning the house or even working (when its just mindless stuff), and found that I can get through sooo many more books than I thought possible! And I get all of the audiobooks from my local library through Overdrive, so they are all free. And use a cheap $30ish mp3 player, so its pretty easy!
Kaycie wrote: "or even working (when its just mindless stuff)"That's what I was thinking of trying. There are times I have mindless benchwork to be done that I could use to listen to an audiobook! Half my coworkers usually have earbuds in anyway.
I still enjoy reading actual tree-books much more than e-books, but sometimes it is hard to beat the price of an e-book. As for audiobooks, I am using my desktop with wireless headphones and then I can move around my house quite freely, and even some yard is still covered by these headphones, or if you are really on the move all the time - a portable small player will be perfect.
I am not a person who spends oodles of time outside, so I use Kindle Fire when I drive or my desktop.
Local libraries are good for some audio-books (and I do use digital downloads), but I still use my Audible subscription for the brand-new books.
BP wrote: "Only Revolutions by Dainelewski (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Rev...) who also wrote the amazing and dark, depressing House of Leaves"BP, Only Revolutions is a very promising book, but I will have to veto it because a. it was written in the twenty first century, and b. it is only 360 pp. long, and it is a chunkster group, well for the main reads at least.
Rules for the buddy-reads are more lax, so maybe someone wants to read it with you - only post a thread with a question, and you might find a reading companion there.
This part of our group is quite active, and we have read many interesting books for the last six or seven months.
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: "or even working (when its just mindless stuff)"That's what I was thinking of trying. There are times I have mindless benchwork to be done that I could use to listen to an audioboo..."
Benchwork? What is your job? Sounds like mine! (chemist!) But yes, I do get through a lot of books in mindless benchwork :-)
Zulfiya wrote: "I still enjoy reading actual tree-books much more than e-books, but sometimes it is hard to beat the price of an e-book. As for audiobooks, I am using my desktop with wireless headphones and then..."
I used to say that I loved actual tree books more than ebooks until I read a whole bunch on my kindle, then tried to read a "real" book...it was so uncomfortable to hold, I couldn't lay with it in bed and hold the pages open, and reading in bed with the light on annoyed my husband! I didn't realize how much I came to love the conveniences of an ebook! I'll also take the kindle on vacation so I can take more books with less suitcase space.
That being said, its not stopping me from keeping a stack of paper books on my coffee table! :-)
Kaycie wrote: "Benchwork? What is your job? Sounds like mine! (chemist!) But yes, I do get through a lot of books in mindless benchwork :-)"I work in a biochemistry/molecular biology lab!! :) So, it would depend on what I'm doing - actual experiments that take full attention and concentration, or mindless prep work like mini-preps and sequencing. There are times I definitely need some mind stimulation!
Linda wrote: "Kaycie wrote: "Benchwork? What is your job? Sounds like mine! (chemist!) But yes, I do get through a lot of books in mindless benchwork :-)"I work in a biochemistry/molecular biology lab!! :) S..."
How cool!! I definitely listen to audiobooks while doing minipreps! I hope it can add some more reading to your life!
John wrote: "I'm basically just waiting for retirement, when I'll knock out a book or two every week. "BWAHAHAHAH!!
Everybody thinks they'll have more time in retirement to read, or for hobbies, or whatever.
I've been retired ten plus years, and it ain't happened yet. I'm busier than I was when I was working. Of course, having four grandchildren around the house very day may be part of it, but if it weren't that it would be something else.
Good luck. It's a nice dream that you'll be able to read and read and read. Let us know if you actually manage it!
Just an indication of what can interfere with reading time: Yesterday one of the grandkids found a kazoo in the attic. Have you ever tried concentrating on a book while a seven year old is "practicing" his new kazoo for hours? Today, the two youngers (both 4 years old) are playing getting spooked by footsteps on the porch. So they go listen by the window and then come running squealing to me to report that there were footsteps and there's some big animal out there. So at their insistence I go and open the door and we look, and no animal. So I go back to my chair and they go back to listening at the window and I've barely gotten the book back open and found my place when the come tearing in squealing that this time there really were footsteps and there must be some big animal out there and ... If you have any knowledge of four year olds, you know that they can keep a game like this up for well over an hour. And of course Grandpa can't do anything but go back to his chair and start to read; that's part of the game. So he's as stuck in his rut as they are in theirs.
So you think retirement is a great time for peaceful reading? HAHAHAHAHA!
Haha, don't burst my bubble Everyman! :)
OH NO a KAZOO!! I think that is worse than a recorder. As for the reading list......I must say is fantastic. I can not wait to see who wins.
Everyman wrote: "Just an indication of what can interfere with reading time: Yesterday one of the grandkids found a kazoo in the attic. Have you ever tried concentrating on a book while a seven year old is "pract..."This entire post was hilarious! You must have considerable stamina. I love my grandchildren and I don't see them enough (my older daughter and her family live in Utah and I am in Maryland just outside of D.C.), but they can be exhausting. Kind of like the three stooges...always bopping each other on the head, pinching, poking, etc.
A kazoo (shudder).
John wrote: "Haha, don't burst my bubble Everyman! :)"Of course, one of the reasons my TBR pile is growing faster than I can read is because I follow E'man's comments and end up buying books he references. And today? Well, The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire arrived on my doorstep.
Everyman wrote: "John wrote: "I'm basically just waiting for retirement, when I'll knock out a book or two every week. "BWAHAHAHAH!!
Everybody thinks they'll have more time in retirement to read, or for hobbies,..."
I just saw your post, John, thanks to Everyman's post!
Yeah, I was thinking of retirement too, but my mom is retired and I think she's read a total of two books for the year. I don't understand what she does with the rest of her time, though. She doesn't have a house and the grandkids are not over that often since we live an hour away.
Anyway, I HOPE to read more when I retire!
**edited to add - I didn't mean to sound like my mom *should* be reading more, everyone has their own priorities of how they want to spend their time. I think she does a lot more socializing than I prefer to do myself. And golf. :)
Paula wrote: "Of course, one of the reasons my TBR pile is growing faster than I can read is because I follow E'man's comments and end up buying books he references. And today? Well, The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire arrived on my doorstep."Ha ha! That's great, Paula. I remember a few months ago Everyman brought that book into the nomination ring (or maybe just talked about it) and then I checked into it and was intrigued. It didn't quite make it to my purchase list, but it's definitely on my radar now.
Everyman wrote: "Just an indication of what can interfere with reading time: Yesterday one of the grandkids found a kazoo in the attic. Have you ever tried concentrating on a book while a seven year old is "pract..."This was hilarious! My reading time is when my 3 year old is in bed and my 8 year old gets to read his own book for school while I read mine. Yay for school (which started today)! In the summer we are outside most of the time, so less reading gets done.
Paula wrote: "And today? Well, The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire arrived on my doorstep. "I hope they put it down gently -- if they had just dropped it it could have cracked the doorstep!
I'm getting a bit closer to opening a separate GR thread to discuss it. Not there yet, but seriously thinking about it.
I am busy teaching today, but I will be at home after 5 p.m. Central time to open a book banter thread. Meanwhile, it is a good idea to post only nominations here and/or why you are nominating your books.
Zulfiya wrote: "Meanwhile, it is a good idea to post only nominations here..."Sorry. I consider myself spanked.
Everyman wrote: "Paula wrote: "And today? Well, The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire arrived on my doorstep. "I hope they put it down gently -- if they had just dropped it it could have cracked..."
Please, yes, open a thread. Please, please?
Ok, Zulfiya, I'll stop :) :)
Everyman wrote: "I consider myself spanked."um...we're not that kind of group...
All right, guys, I have opened a new thread with a short synopsis of this current discussion and also posted other ideas that could be interesting to discuss. Here is the link to this thread 'All Things Chunkster'
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Happy book banter.
(Also posted in the Book Banter thread)I wanted to go back and check all the nominations so far, so in case this is of help to anyone else, here is the list of current nominations for easy reference. Hopefully I did not miss any.
Mason and Dixon
Ulysses
Infinite Jest
Doctor Zhivago
The Name of the Rose
An American Tragedy
Atlas Shrugged
Dhalgren
The Golden Notebook
Thanks Linda. I fixed the nomination of Doctor Zhivago so that it's tagged in my original post.
Sandra asked whether Kristin Lavransdatter would qualify... did she intend to nominate the book? (I've not read this so I'm not sure whether it is a challenging read)
Reading the Chunksters
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Kristin Lavransdatter (other topics)Kristin Lavransdatter (other topics)
Doctor Zhivago (other topics)
Doctor Zhivago (other topics)
Ulysses (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Doris Lessing (other topics)James Joyce (other topics)
Samuel R. Delany (other topics)
David Foster Wallace (other topics)
Ayn Rand (other topics)
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