So many books, so little time
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2Today is Towel Day (two weeks after the anniversary of Douglas Adams' death), so seemed like a good time to re-read HGTTG, and it was just as wonderful as I remembered!
The first book in particular, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is truly incredible! So much joke density and such a wildly detailed and zany plot. The chapters are only a few pages long, but every single one feels like it has something big happening in it, and every page has a joke (and it's almost always a good one). That makes it so hard to stop reading - you always want to know how their going to get out of their latest crazy situation.
The 4th book, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, might be my favorite though. It's relentlessly hilarious, has a somewhat tighter central plot than some of the other books, absolutely nails its big philosophical moments (God's last message to his creation is one for the ages), and somehow also manages to be a very endearing, not at all too-sweet love story at the same time.
I think the thing that really sets these books apart and makes them timeless is the way Adams' raises big philosophical questions and answers them in a truly unique way. Instead of trying to dispense wisdom or tell you how to live your life, the books poke fun at the entire notion of universal answers to life's big questions. Instead, Adams suggests we could all do with taking life a little less seriously and finding our own answers to those big questions instead of looking for them from other people. '42' is the most famous example of this, but the books have so many other related jokes that are just as good.
Looking back, it feels like a ton of other creative work have been hugely inspired by HGTTG. Futurama, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Rick and Morty, and Everything Everywhere All At Once all came to mind right away - and I'm sure there are tons more too!
Rest in peace Douglas Adams, thanks for making something so wonderful in the time you had, and for inspiring so much amazing work that came after. So long, and thanks for all the fish. And don't forget to bring a towel!
PS: part of an ongoing series of posts about the best sci fi books of all time. If you're interested in a deeper discussion about HGTTG, recommendations of related books, and pointers on finding the best sci fi without having to read through all the bad ones search Hugonauts on your podcast app of choice. No ads, not trying to make money, just trying to spread the love of good books and make something fun and entertaining to put something positive into the world. Happy reading everybody!
The world today is incredibly stressful. Gun violence, women’s rights, climate change, the list goes on and on. I have a hard time dealing with reality so I read many hours a day. I think it’s becoming an avoidance technique that I’m relying too heavily on. I brought it up with my psychiatrist and she said “well, there are worse ways to cope.” Which I suppose is true. I’m wondering if anyone else is in the same boat.
So I grew up as a reader. The first book I ever fell in love with was Where the Red Fern Grows. I found it at 7 or 8 and marathoned it and cried. Then I became an obsessive reader but I had a hard time recalling events and plot points.
It wasn't until I was a freshman in highschool and I had this amazing English teacher, A. Thompson. I was a f'off at that point and my way of rebelling was to not do my schoolwork, but instead bring a novel and hide reading it during the lesson. Mr. Thompson noticed and took me too the side.
I got the expected lecture but he also noticed my method of reading and gave me a talk about slowing down to enjoy each paragraph, he gave me an example of the pace at which he reads. I started doing it. I started reading at close to a snails pace and it has benefited me so much.
30 years later my wife frequently has her mind blown when we get into a Convo and can recall the smallest of details but m a book we are talking about.
Slow it down, seriously. If you've intentionally try to read slow ( and outloud as a sidenote ) your experience will change drastically.
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