I still didn’t quite understand how she could get such joy from such an endeavor until I decided to read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Weighing in at 3.2 pounds and 1079 pages, it’s the reader’s equivalent of running a marathon. After successfully completing the novel and actually enjoying it, I thought I’d share some tips for reading this intimidating yet rewarding book.

1. Don’t go it alone. I never would have stuck with it to the end if I hadn’t been reading it along with several other friends. Checking in with each other on our progress and chatting about the various characters and intersecting plotlines helped keep me motivated.

2. Get three bookmarks. I thought I was so smart for purchasing a copy for my Kindle so I wouldn’t have to lug around a 25 cm thick book. It didn’t take me two weeks to search out a physical copy. Infinite Jest is full of foot notes, and flipping back and forth on the Kindle was tedious and time-consuming. You’re going to want a bookmark for your page in the novel, one to mark where you are in the endnotes, and one to mark p. 223 which contains important information to help make sense of the narrative (don’t skip ahead and read that page first, though).

3. Keep a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary handy. Again, I thought the Kindle version would be ideal because I would have instant access to the definitions of the infamously esoteric vocabulary words Wallace sprinkles so effortlessly in every sentence. Alas, even the Kindle dictionary didn’t recognize many of the medical terms. Learning new words was my favorite part of reading, and I would have been lost without the dictionary.

4. Take notes. If I hadn’t used an entire package of post-its and filled a good portion of a slim Moleskin notebook, I wouldn’t have been able to retain so many of the details or appreciate recurring themes.

5. Take a break and watch Hamlet. I prefer the Kenneth Braunaugh version, but there’s also the Mel Gibson version and  a BBC production with David Tennant. DFW took the title from a line in Hamlet: ”Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!” There are other parallels and references worth noting. If you haven’t read it since high school, a good refresher is in order.

6. Don’t give up. I was often wistfully glancing at my stack of YA novels while I trudged through Infinite Jest, longing for linear plots. But now that I’m done, I’m really glad I stuck with it. When you’re finished, you’re going to understand jokes in Parks & Rec that baffle your friends. You’re bound to learn some new vocabulary words while reading. Don’t be surprised if you are soon inviting your friends out for drinks at The Bourgeois Pig to cure your dipsomania, noticing the guilloche on buildings as you stroll downtown, and commenting on the fulvous trees come fall. You might even find yourself nictitating anytime someone mentions Byzantine erotica or refers to a DVD as a cartridge, because you get the joke.

Ultimately, Infinite Jest is a fascinating novel and worth the effort to read it in the same way that marathons are worth it to some athletes. I enjoyed looking for order in the chaos. It’s a book about addiction, about how people fail to communicate with one another, about why we seek entertainment. If for no other reason than to maintain your hipster cred, I’d suggest it to anyone who has ever been curious about this novel.

For reasons never explained, Adam Strand has been unable to kill himself, and not for lack of trying. No matter what method he utilizes, he always wakes up hours later, alive and well. His friends, family, and the whole town know of his condition, and mostly just seem annoyed. But this book isn’t really about suicide: it’s about family and friendship and finding the will to live while recognizing the inevitability of death.

But even if you’re not slightly morbid (like me), there’s plenty to enjoy about this novel. Galloway has constructed a world within this Midwest town that is more than just a place. The banks of the river—with the the grimy angel statuary and rotting cow carcass, next to the murky water winding between factories that make wheels and corn syrup and pollution—was atmospheric, yet realistic.

Adam’s narration rambled, moving forwards and backwards in time with frequent asides. Incidents and stories were strung together. This isn’t a book full of action. There’s not a lot that happens. Instead, it’s best appreciated as a character study. Adam is so well-developed, and has such a unique voice, I wanted to keep reading about him, even if he doesn’t even want to tell me his story. Every now and then, he reveal something so wise, you wonder why he can’t see what a fool he is.

It isn’t just Adam that won me over, however. Each character is believable and well-developed. Maddy, the ten year old genius, was my favorite. She was absolutely endearing. Each member of Adam’s group of outcast friends was distinct and memorable. The 911 dispatcher who develops a habit of calling Adam each night, just to talk, will capture reader’s hearts.

Not only did I love the dark humor inherent in this story’s premise and structure, I loved the writing. It’s witty and touching, sarcastic and sensitive all at once. Though the novel is marketed as young adult fiction, Galloway hasn’t dumbed down the language.

I’d recommend this for fans of absurb novels, like one of my favorites, Death with Interruptions by José Saramago (I’ve discussed my love for Saramago here). It kind of reminds me of Tom Robbins, in that ridiculous-in-the-real-world kind of way. Try this novel if you’re a fan of Holden Caulfield. (Personally, I’d like to see some 39 Deaths/Catcher in the Rye crossover fanfic where Adam and Holden get drunk by the river.) Those who wanted to love Perks of Being a Wallflower but found all of Charlie’s crying annoying (I didn’t, but I know some readers did) then this is the book for them, though it unfortunately lacks a soundtrack and references to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (I’d also read some fanfic in which Charlie takes Adam to Rocky Horror.)

I enjoyed 39 Deaths of Adam Strand so much, I can’t wait to check out Gregory Galloway’s debut novel for adults, As Simple as Snow. 

Josie grew up in the French Quarter, the daughter of a prostitute who works at one of the more posh brothels in New Orleans. The madam of the brothel is more of a mother-figure to her than own, and she’s lived on her own in a small apartment above a bookshop for years. From a young age she’s relied on herself and dreamed of escaping New Orleans.

Not only is she street-smart, she’s been reading all those books in the store where she works and excelled in school. She wants to go to college, and not just at one of the local universities, but an elite school on the East Coast. Not only does she value her education, she wants to escape the place where everyone knows her as a whore’s daughter and expects her to someday follow in her footsteps. But Josie has one foot in each world; even if she works in a respectable book shop, she also spends her mornings cleaning the rooms of the prostitutes in the brothel and is a known associate of Willie, the madam. Getting out of the Big Easy won’t come easy.

A couple of chance meetings give her hope of leaving the Quarter, but also connect her to a murder investigation and provide the opportunity to see how far she is willing to go in order to gain acceptance into the university of her dreams.

The plot is intricate. It was nearly half way through before the mystery had been mapped out. Each secondary character has their own thread, but they all intersected. Though the story was slow to establish itself, the writing was so good I had no problem keeping interest. The narrative was rich in historical detail and transported me back in time. Sepetys certainly did her research, but it is all so effortlessly integrated. Readers who generally shy away from historical fiction should give this one a try.

All of the secondary characters, from Josie’s friend who also works in the bookstore, and his father, the owner, to the colorful girls of the brothel, were delightful to get to know. Though Josie had a terribly selfish, mean, and stupid mother, friends like Cokie, who drives a taxi and often carts her around at Willie’s request, and Jesse, the neighborhood mechanic who has a nice smile and a big heart, provide her with affection and support. My favorite character had to be Willie, the tough business woman who was a legend in the Quarter. She was crass and elegant at the same time, exacting but supportive. Though she was rough on Josie, her affection for her was also obvious.

What I sometimes find disappointing about young adult literature is the happily-ever-after endings (I’m looking at the neat and tidy epilogues to popular series like the The Hunger Games and Harry Potter). It’s silly, really, and reads as false, because these characters are still so young, no matter what they’ve accomplished, that it’s ridiculous to think that all is well now the story is over and there will never be any more conflict. What I loved so much about the ending to Out of the Easy was that it felt true. It was hopeful without being trite. Josie wasn’t singing “the sun will come out, tomorrow” like Little Orphan Annie. There’s no redemption of villains or quick, easy fix for Josie’s problems. She deals with loss and disappointment, yet life goes on.

If you’re skeptical about the literary merits of young adult fiction, this novel might change your mind. It was so well-written and enjoyable I’m going to grab an extra box of tissues and curl up with Between Shades of Gray, and I’ll look forward to Sepetys next historical novel.

– Molly, YA

Since I had tried unsuccessfully to listen to fantasy novels and ended up getting confused if I missed a line or two, I thought realistic fiction might be a better fit. Since I work in the Teen Zone and had yet to read a book by YA superstar John Green, I checked out Looking for Alaska, his Printz honor winning debut. This was a good pick for me, because my husband had already read it so it wasn’t as annoying for him to have it playing through the stereo while I was cooking dinner, even though he’d only catch certain sections. The narrator was easy to listen to even when adopting a Southern accent for a female character, and the dramatic pauses emphasized the highly quotable lines well. The awkward teenage sex scene that the book is famous for wasn’t even too embarrassing to listen to; my husband and I were cracking up while chopping vegetables. Now I can say I’ve read a John Green book, and even if I found it a bit contrived, I see the appeal and thought it was well-written. Listening to a book I was less excited about reading but thought I should read was a good solution for me.

Though I was proud of my first successfully completed audiobook, an 8-9 hour novel wasn’t the ideal length for me to listen to. I feared if I got engrossed in a book, I’d want the paper or e-book copy since I can read more quickly than listen. I’d also been meaning to read more non-fiction, and thought Bossypants would be perfect, since it was read Tina Fey, the author. Since 30 Rock is airing its last episode next week, the timing was perfect. My husband and I both loved it. Each track was fairly short, so it was easy to put on while tidying up the house. Since it was broken into small stories, it was not hard to listen to in spurts rather than long sittings. It felt less like reading and more like having a conversation with Tina Fey. Her story of a failed cruise trip on her honeymoon reaffirmed my aversion to that form of travel, and I loved hearing about her adventures with gay theater friends during high school. Listening to the audio of this was more enjoyable that just reading the book would have been! It was such a successful listening experience, I added Mindy Kahlig’s Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? And Other Concerns to my to-listen list.

I also discovered in my adventures in audiobooks that we have an audiobook poetry collection, and many are read by the  poets. My first selection was e. e. cummings. Poetry is ideal for listening to, in my opinion, because it is easier to fall into the rhythm. Of course, with some poetry, including cumming’s, the layout is as much a part of the experience as the words themselves, and for those who want to read along, there’s a booklet of the poems included with the audio. At just over an hour, with short tracks, this was the perfect audiobook to listen to while I cleaned out my closet. We have several other poetry collections in the poet’s voice, including T. S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, Anne Sexton, and Sylvia Plath, among others.

In addition to listening while doing housework, the gym has been a great place to work audiobooks into my routine. I’ve even been able to access books that we don’t own physical copies of this way. I’m very hit or miss when it comes to paranormal romances, but a friend suggested I try Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series, so I loaded up my iPod with the audio version of Magic Bites, available through the State of Kansas library. I’m not in the mood for heavy literature on the elliptical, but thought the minutes on the machine might go by more quickly with a fun book to listen to.

My experience has been that although audiobooks aren’t my favorite format, they have their place. Even if you don’t have a long drive ahead, audiobooks are a fun way to read books you might not otherwise check out or to get some “reading” done during times when you can’t actually read a book. I hope to get not only more reading done this year by listening to audiobooks, but more cleaning and working out done, too!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is an adorable romance. Rowell inverts a traditional romantic comedy by telling it from the guy’s perspective. We only get glimpses into Beth and Jennifer’s lives through their email exchanges, and the other chapters follow Lincoln as he stumbles through life, not sure where he belongs. We get all the tropes of your typical rom-com — the womanizing sidekick, the makeover, a bad break-up, missed chances and near misses, even a wedding and a baby — but packaged in a refreshing way.

Though I was skeptical about a book comprised mostly of email exchanges, the format worked. Beth and Jennifer’s friendship was honest and fresh. They were supportive but firm with one another, and even talked about things besides the men in their lives!  Since I’m at that just-before-thirty stage, a lot of their insecurities and dilemmas were familiar. I think a lot of women will relate to their conversations.

The ending tied up the romance rather neatly, and like all those movies, ends just as the characters get together. Will Lincoln and Beth live happily ever after? I hope so. This isn’t the type of adult fiction I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The same story in the hands of a less insightful author would have, quite honesty, fallen flat. But Rowell has a way of crafting characters who you feel like you know and inviting cynics to revel in optimism, if only for a couple of hours. Readers who want something light and fun but don’t relate to most chick-lit should check this out. It’s clear that Rowell gets nerds and portrays real characters, not the magazine spread types that seem so prevalent in these types of stories.

– Molly, YA

Though our catalog lists it under “romantic suspense fiction,” this doesn’t quite capture the magic of Baltasar and Blimunda. Set in early 18th century Portugal against the backdrop of The Inquisition, Baltasar, a solider who has lost his hand in battle and now wears a hook, falls in love with Blimunda, a woman with the the ability to see inside and beneath things, on the day he firsts glimpses her in the crowd of the auto da fé where her mother is burned at the stake. Together, they partner with a heretical priest obsessed with flight. The lively characters and historical details anchor the fantastical plot and compel the reader through sentences that span pages.

While characters are the heart of Baltasar and Blimunda, other novels by Saramago explore high concepts. Though a brief summary of Death with Interruptions — death takes a vacation and falls in love — may remind you of Meet Joe Black, Saramago’s novel is much more. Immortality may be a cultural obsession, but those who wish to live forever would do well evaluate the consequences of a society in which no one dies. Of course there are the obvious complications of  a sharp drop in business for funeral directors and life insurance salesman, not to mention the problem it poses for the Catholic Church, whose teachings rely on the threat of death. The political, social, and economic upheaval that follows the celebration of death’s vacation provides much fodder for searing commentary on bureaucracy and a contemplation of the foundation of faith. When death resumes her work, she unexpectedly falls in love with one of her marks, a middle-aged cellist, and ponders her legacy and mission. Though its narrator would have readers believe “the many things that have been said about god and about death are nothing but stories, and this is just another one,” there’s not a Grim Reaper tale quite like Death with Interruptions.

Saramago’s most famous novel, Blindness, won the 1998 Nobel Prize in literature and in 2008 was adapted into a movie of the same name. Chronicling the aftermath of an epidemic of “white-blindness” that effects the entire population despite quarantine, the story is a harrowing picture of human nature and the violence born out of chaos. Literal blindness is the vehicle used to explore humanity’s figurative blindness. As Saramago explains in a 1998 interview in The Paris Review: “The cruelty to which you refer is the everyday cruelty that occurs in all parts of the world, not just in the novel. And we at this very moment are enveloped in an epidemic of white blindness. Blindness is a metaphor for the blindness of human reason. This is a blindness that permits us, without any conflict, to send a craft to Mars to examine rock formations on that planet while at the same time allowing millions of human beings to starve on this planet. Either we are blind, or we are mad.”

Out this week is a newly translated novel by Saramago. Raised from the Ground is not about zombies, but a very personal look at three generations of landless peasants in the author’s native Portugal. Readers looking for an introduction to Saramago should try The Lives of Things, a collection of his early short stories. Other works by Saramago include An Elephant’s Journey, based on the real-life story of an elephant and his trainer’s journey across 16th century Europe, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, a profoundly religious novel for a self-identified atheist who thought the world would be more peaceful without religion, and All the Names, the story of a clerk in the Central Registry who becomes intrigued by one woman’s records. Fans of Saramago will also enjoy his biography, Small Memories.

– Molly, YA

Leviathan is an alternative history of World War I. This period of time always interested Westerfeld, and he was particularly intrigued by how the tragedy of one family — the death of the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife — could start a war that would leave 37 million people dead and Europe devastated.

When planning out his trilogy, Scott Westerfeld took inspiration from real rumors about the plot to assassinate the Archduke, followed the timeline of the real war, but centered the story on the Archduke’s (fictional) son, Alek. After his parents die Alek finds himself on the run with little more than his meaningless title and a few followers who remain loyal though his people have turned on him. His path crosses with Deryn, a girl who wants nothing more than to be a pilot in the British Air Force but must disguise herself as a boy and adopt the name Dylan in order to enlist.

In Westerfeld’s re-imagining, the Germans and Austrian-Hungarian Empire are known as the Clankers because they have steam-powered machines: enormous tanks on legs called Dreadnaughts, and Stormwalkers, which are two-legged machines operated by soldiers and meant for combat. The British and French are Darwinists, named for their genetically engineered beasts made possible by of Darwin’s discovery of DNA in this alternate universe. The Darwinists have message-delivering lizards who repeat what’s spoken to them, Huxleys, which are giant jellyfish-like creatures fabricated from the life threads of the medusa jellyfish, and the creature that gives the book its name, a large, fabricated airwhale that serves as Alek and Deryn’s transportation during the book.

This highly imaginative and action-packed story is enhanced by illustrations drawn by Keith Thompson. Westerfeld got the idea to do an illustrated novel after finding out that all Japanese genre fiction written for adults and young adults contain pictures when he received the Japanese version of Uglies. In fact, this was the case until the early 1900s in American fiction as well. With the advent of the camera, illustrators were largely out of work and illustrations in books became less common outside those published for young children. From witnessing his fan’s reaction to knowing that Japanese readers got pictures in their version of Uglies, Westerfeld knew that drawings weren’t absent because of a lack of interest.

During his closing speech at the YA Literature Symposium, Westerfeld discussed how we worked in tandem with the illustrator Thompson to write Leviathan. The story evolved and new elements were added due to their collaboration. Particularly with a story involving complicated machines and frightening beasts, the illustrations bring the story to life and help the reader envision this alternate version of the war.

If you’re a fan of war stories, steampunk, or science fiction, Leviathan is a book you can’t miss, and you might want to place holds on the sequels Behemoth and Goliath when you check it out. If you are looking for more illustrations of the Leviathan world, check out The Manual of Aeronautics which contains more drawings of the machines, uniforms, creatures, and characters of the Leviathan book series. I also highly recommend the audiobook version, which is narrated by Scottish actor Alan Cummings. If you’re interested in exploring more young adult steampunk, check out this list of YA novels with steampunk elements.

- Molly, YA 

It isn’t only the content (which is certainly not new) that makes Moran’s books so useful; it’s the witty way in which her message is delivered. Full of laugh-out-loud funny stories of her childhood, the self-deprecating humor in her book is endearing. Peppered with Britishisms, PUNCH LINES IN ALL CAPS, and much unfeminine cursing, this is not your average memoir.

And it’s certainly not for everyone. The chapters on childbirth and abortion are not for the squeamish, and some may find the discussion of appropriate terms for genitalia absurd. If you read only one part of the book, let it be chapter 4, where Moran endeavors to reclaim the word feminism and get to the bottom of why so many modern women won’t stand up on a chair and say “I am a feminist!”

In Moran’s words: “We need to reclaim the word ‘feminism.’ … When statistics come in saying that only 29 percent of American women would describe themselves as feminist—and only 42 percent of British women—I start to think, What do you think feminism, IS, ladies? What part of ‘liberation for women’ is not for you? Is it the freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? ‘Vogue,’ by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good …[ness] GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF SURVEY?”

For anyone who wants their feminism with a dash of pop culture, this is the book for you.

But WAIT! You’re a man, you say? Well, you could probably gain some insight from How to Be a Woman, but if what you’re really looking for is a guide to being a man’s man, you’re in luck. Time Magazine columnist Joel Stein’s Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity is just the book for you.

Full disclosure: Joel Stein only registered on my radar after I read his scathing opinion piece in The New York Times on young adult literature. I did not think I’d really enjoy his book, but I was presently surprised. Stein panics when he hears the news that he is going to be a father to a son, and sets out on the task of learning how to be a manly man. He does what anyone embarking on such a quest would do: hangs out with the manliest men he can find in the hopes of learning through observation. His quest includes such manly activities as going camping with Boy Scouts, hunting, driving a Lamborghini, spending a day with firefighters, jumping in a ring to do some ultimate fighting, enduring 3 days of Army boot camp, tossing a football around with professionals, and day-trading. Instead of a bunch of macho chest thumping (like I expected), it’s a heartfelt memoir filled with the same self-deprecating humor as Moran’s book. What Stein seems to ultimately conclude is that “all the action [of masculinity, or perhaps, life] is in the risk taking, whether I want it to be or not.”

Perhaps the simplest answer to the questions of gender is it’s all relative. There is no essential way to be a woman or a man. But Moran and Stein’s memoirs are entertaining attempts to explain and deconstruct what it means to perform as a man or as a woman in modern society, and both are sure to give you a chuckle in the process. Just don’t expect it to be Gender for Dummies.

- Molly, YA 

The Shadow Society is the story of Darcy Jones — at least that’s the name given to her by the uninspired Department of Children and Families social worker when she’s found outside a Chicago firehouse when she’s five years old. Ever since, Darcy has been shuffled between foster families and group homes. Now that she’s sixteen, she’s finally found a cozy home, a group of friends, a part-time job, and a passion for art. But she still feels like a freak. When she’s paired with the mysterious new boy at school, Conn, on a school project, she slowly realizes that there may be a reason for that.

As Darcy and Conn try to unravel the question presented by T. S. Eliot in “The Love Poem of J. Alfred Prufock”: Do I dare/Disturb the universe?” for their English class assignment, she becomes increasingly attracted to the enigmatic and slightly dangerous boy who rides a motorcycle and seems to have a secret.

Turns out, he does. When she kisses him, he slaps firecuffs on her and arrests her for being a Shade. Conn is an officer for the Interdimensional Bureau of Investigation and has been sent to capture this rogue Shade. Thus begins Darcy’s journey to find out where she comes from, who her parents are, and what exactly she is that takes her into an alternate Chicago where the Great Fire didn’t happen, and those with the ability to “ghost” — or become their shadow selves — are at odds with the human race. Darcy certainly does more than disturb the universe; she sends two into upheaval.

Rutkoski has taken a great concept and a quirky cast of characters and woven them into a highly readable story that fans of her Kronos Chronicles will enjoy as they graduate from middle grade reads into young adult fiction. Full of snappy dialogue and fast-paced action, the story moves so quickly I found myself wanting more time for world-building and getting know Darcy’s friends — and enemies — better. Still, readers will love exploring the Chicago of this alternate dimension where you can find a copy of Jane Austen’s long lost novel Reservations and the United States had its first female president in the 1970s, not to mention the strange shadows that may be lurking in your own.

Join us in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium at 10:30 am for a virtual author talk with Marie Rutkowski as our grand finale to Read Across Lawrence for kids and enter to win a drawing of an advanced readers’ copy of The Shadow Society!

– Molly, YA Staff

Note: A review copy was provided by the publisher.