It's not often that I read a collection of essays. But I must say, I was immersed in this collection almost immediately. What caused this, was rather than preaching to me, piling on facts, trying to convince me his thoughts were correct, Wallace engaged me in a dialogue. There's no questioning his intelligence, and no doubt that Wallace sees things from a very different perspective. But time after time after making what seemed a valid point. He would ask a question. What about this ? How about that ? Could this be the case? Hours after I'd put this book down I'd find myself not just reflecting on the points Wallace made, but pondering upon the questions he asked. The more you think about a book the more it stays with you. This one will stay with me for a long time. ( )

¿Tienen miedo las langostas antes de ser devoradas? ¿Tenía Frank Kafka un sentido del humor enfermizo? Por cierto, ¿quién ganó el Adult Video New's Female Performer of the Year Award cuando Gwyneth Paltrow consiguió su Oscar? David Foster Wallace contesta a estas preguntas y a otras más delirantes en su nuevo y divertido libro de artículos. En este volumen, DFW se sumerge en el circo en que se han convertido las campañas electorales, a la búsqueda de un documento, en los comicios más agresivos de la reciente historia americana. Más tarde se pasea con descaro por el Festival de la Langosta de Maine, arriesgando su vida para llegar al fondo de la cuestión. También se dirige, cargado de cubos de pollo, a un estudio de radio de Los Ángeles, y asiste a un debate conservacionista presentado por un periodista con una tendencia poco natural a vestir bien solo en la radio. El uso de temas modernos y su atrevido punto de vista convierten este libro en referente del género.

There are ways in which footnotes can be made works of art, and ways in which subjects of review become implements to explore the human condition. ( )

This is the second David Foster Wallace essay collection I've read. Man, I love this guy. What a mind. When I read him, I feel like I'm being invited into his thought process (Consider the Lobster is as much an argument with himself as it is persuasive to the reader), and the experience is both challenging and entertaining. And the subject doesn't really matter-after reading two collections of his essays, I really believe he could write about anything and it would be original, thought-provoking and good.

It's a weird combo of essays. Maybe that's just how these collections turn out, since the other collection I read was like that too. Here in one book, we have essays about the 2000 presidential election (he wrote an article for Rolling Stone about the McCain campaign), the porn industry (more than I ever wanted or needed to know), book reviews and reflections on authors past and present, American language usage, September 11, and the ethics of cooking lobster. It's hard to pick favorites, because they're all so good, but I liked the American usage one a lot, as well as the one on the election (weird, because I hate politics) and the title essay.

When I read [b:A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again|6748|A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again|David Foster Wallace|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344270821s/6748.jpg|574], I had to use the dictionary a lot. This time, I put the book on my kindle. Built-in dictionary. I do believe that is my favorite feature. The funny thing is, there were still words my dictionary didn't know. But it never comes across like he's just throwing around fancy words to show off. I think he had a very large vocabulary, and he chose his words carefully. That's the picture I get of him when I'm reading his essays, anyway.

In short (cough cough), I think the world of this writer. I wish he were still around, thinking deep thoughts and writing about anything and everything. ( )

Wow.. I've never read DFW and just don't have the nerve to tackle Infinite Jest, so thought I'd start with this collection.

Really enjoyed most of the stories. Though interesting, I seriously struggled with Authority and American Usage (ouch). My favorite was Up, Simba. I wouldn't have voted for him, but McCain's story and DFW's take on the campaign was interesting. Also liked Host; didn't realize we lived less than a mile from the KFI studio at the time (though I've never heard of them actually)...

Aside from the asides (!), I really do enjoy his writing. Still doubt I'll ever make Infinite Jest though!

( )