For two and a half months now I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the book Infinite Jest. I've been wanting to read it for ages, ever since my buddy Dave in Seattle (OK, Tacoma, same thing), recommended it. I put a hold on it at the Los Angeles public library in mid-November. I was a little shocked to realize I was #98 on the waiting list. I knew it was supposed to be a good book, but wasn't expecting it to be so much in demand, especially since it was published in 1996. I'd never been on a waiting list for an LAPL book, ever. So while I was waiting I did some research on the book and found out the author committed suicide on September 12.Hence the wait.
But it arrived finally at our local branch and I picked it up on my way home from work. It's a monster! 981 pages, plus another 98 pages of "Notes and Errata." I am a painfully slow reader and I usually have to renew a checked out book two or three times before I can finish it. I don't believe LAPL lets you extend a check-out if there are others waiting for it, so I might be in a tough spot. Now I'm just staring at it sitting there on my chair, apprehensive and somewhat at a loss. Do I dare start what I won't stand a chance of finishing? I circle it like a dog checking out a new neighborhood canine, not sure if it will be friend or foe. I waited two and a half months to get Infinite Jest and it appears the joke is on me.
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