Brain Pain discussion

Hello everyone!

Earlier this year we reached the 1000-member mark, and right now we’re at 1100+. Thinking back to the genesis of this group, I was reminded of the 2011 conversations about David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest in another GR group, which eventually led to the creation of Brain Pain.

To mark our progress, I thought it would be a good time to consider a re-read of Infinite Jest, and of course, a first read for members who haven’t read the book yet. As a warm-up, I would also propose a group read of Shakespeare’s Hamlet a few weeks before we begin IJ. I know that many members have already read IJ and might not be interested in a re-read, so I will schedule this as a side project to our main reading. I have posted a poll and would appreciate it if you would cast your vote.


Also, we ought to read another Thomas Pynchon novel. I would like to propose two of his longer works, Mason & Dixon, and Against the Day. I have posted a poll for this question as well. Both polls can be found here:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/5...



For our 2015 reading schedule, we will stick with tradition and kick off the year with a Virginia Woolf novel, Orlando. For the rest of the schedule, I’ve gone back through earlier member suggestions and created a list which includes authors like Clarice Lispector, Albert Camus, Flann O’Brien, Richard Brautigan, Fernando Pessoa, and many more. There isn’t a way to make a multiple selection poll in GR, so instead, I opened a discussion thread with the list of potential books for 2015. Take a look at the list and then add a post letting me know which books most interest you. I’ll then use some sort of ad hoc, half-assed imaginary algorithm to create a schedule for next year. The list can be found here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


Okay, thanks for reading this far. I thank you in advance for taking the time to vote on the two polls and to voice your opinions about possible books for next year.

Jim