Reading Diary: On Deck

Two demanding books to read; one new release, one classic

You may wonder why anyone (like me, for instance) would be so foolish or even so pretentious as to want to tackle some of the more difficult volumes of literature, some of which are considered unreadable in the opinion of many scholars. I’m thinking of enigmas like Finnegans Wake, The Making of Americans, The Tunnel, or Infinite Jest, to name a few.

As someone who enjoys a challenge, I will tell you it can be gratifying. Take Ulysses by James Joyce. I have read that beast twice, once on paper and once on audio. The audible version was much more enlightening because the narrator knew how to read it, with all the right inflections and phrasing. I realized how hilarious it is, but I wouldn’t go so far as to pretend I understood every bit. I will admit I needed to read supplemental material to fill in the blanks.

Finnegans Wake is another story. I liste…