Life, the Universe, and Everything

Who wrote this book and when?
Douglas Adams in 1982.

Has there been a film version?
No. It was even rejected as a plotline for the TV series.

Who are the main characters?
Arthur Dent – a man from the late planet Earth who is still coming to terms with being a space hitchhiker
Ford Prefect – a space hitchhiker and Arthur’s friend
Slartibartfast – the award-winning designer of fjords and also on a mission to save the Universe
Trillian – a woman from the late planet Earth, she’s taking care of Zaphod
Zaphod Beeblebrox – the former president of the galaxy, now moping because he has no purpose

What’s it about?
This is mainly a book about time travel in an attempt to save the Universe from total destruction by a race of close-minded extra terrestrials from the planet Krikkit. These aliens have decided to destroy every other race in the Universe to have their sky clear again and have escaped from the time loop prison they were placed in. Now, they’re collecting all the parts to the open the portal to destruction and the only ones who have sense enough to try and stop them are Slartibartfast, Arthur Dent, and occasionally, Ford Prefect. The Universe is in…well, someone’s hands at least…

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s part of the HHGG series.

Do you recommend I read this book?
Yes.

How did this book make your list?
See the “classic/bestseller” question.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“Arthur’s consciousness approached his body as from a great distance, and reluctantly. It had had some bad times in there. Slowly, nervously, it entered and settled down into its accustomed position.” – p 23

Personal thoughts:
I think this book would have been better for me if I actually understood cricket. The game, I mean. There were so many subtle references and jokes to cricket, I felt I was missing out on half the humor of the novel. But of course, being American puts me at a disadvantage. However, there still were some exceedingly funny parts. I loved that Arthur learned to fly simply by falling and forgetting to hit the ground. And Adams wow-ed me with the creature killed over and over by Dent who wants revenge. But my favorite part of this novel was the return of Slartibartfast. Ever since the big screen made a swipe at telling this story, I’ve thought of Slartibartfast as Bill Nighy – who is a hilarious actor. So picturing Nighy in a bistro comprised of mathematical probabilities and equations was delightful.

I know I said the plot would dissipate more, but this book proves me wrong. The random factor was still there, of course, but I’m not sure if it was toned down or if I am simply growing used to it. Nevertheless, this installment in the series had more of a plot than the previous ones.

Madame Bovary

Who wrote this book and when?
It was published as a book in 1857 by Gustave Flaubert.

Has there been a film version?
Several, the most famous one being in 1949.

Who are the important characters?
Emma Bovary – the daughter of a farmer and wife of a doctor, she dreams of an exciting life
Dr. Charles Bovary – Emma’s husband, a staid doctor who wants to be cutting edge
Leon – a young man who loves Emma when they live in the same small town, he eventually moves to Paris
Rodolphe – a libertine who is interested in Emma as one of his mistresses
Lheureux – a merchant who knows how to cater to people’s tastes while enticing them into debt
Homais – an apothecary with a big ego

What’s it about?
This is a story of disillusionment and the search for fulfillment in life. Emma Bovary is a doctor’s wife but she longs for something that feels more real, more deep, more romantic; especially after a decadent ball attended by a dashing viscount. She searches for things to fill up the empty space in her life, whether it is material possessions, a child, love affairs, even religion.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It was one of the first novels to define real life in it’s ugliness – how many people truly were searching for a deeper feeling of reality and fulfillment. It resonated with them and set a standard for the rest of literature even to this day.

Do you recommend I read this book?
Not really; I, personally, think it’s boring.

How did this book make your list?
It’s considered a classic and was one of the banned books.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“It was the beginning of April, when the primroses are in bloom, and a warm wind blows over the flower-beds newly turned, and the gardens, like women, seem to be getting ready for the summer fetes. Through the bars of the arbour and away bwyond, the river seen in the fields, meandering through the grass in wandering curves. The evening vapours rose between the leafless poplars, touching their outlines with a violet tint, paler and more transparent than a subtle gauze caught athwart their branches.” – p 87

“Because lips libertine and venal had murmured such words to him, he believed but little in the candour of hers; exaggerated speeches hiding mediocre affections must be discounted; as if the fullness of the soul did not sometimes overflow in the emptiest metaphors, since no one can ever give the exact measure of his needs, nor of his conceptions, nor of his sorrows; and since human speech is like a cracked tin kettle, which we hammer out tunes to make bears dance when we long to move the stars.” – p 144

“No matter! She was not happy – she never had been. Whence came this insufficiency in life – this instantaneous turning to decay of everything on which she leant?” – p 209

Personal thoughts:
I was saving this book for a special occasion after hearing so many astoundingly wonderful things about it. Nearly everyone who has read it has recommended it – and frankly, I’m horribly disappointed. Which makes me wonder if something is wrong with me and my reading skills. The poetic prose in it, I admit, is gorgeous. Flaubert was an obsessive wordsmith and it shows in his writing. The language itself was great – just the story was lacking.

The longer this book went on, the more depressed I grew and the more I wanted to just read faster to finish it. Everything – from romances to death scenes was drawn out beyond my level of endurance. And I didn’t understand why the book began with Charles’ life and then suddenly switched to Emma’s after their marriage. I think as a modern reader, it’s a little hard for me to grasp the profundity of this work. I appreciate what it’s trying to get across…it’s just…I experience real life every day…why would I want to read a book about it that ends in a thoroughly depressing manner?

Pain Pills R Us

It’s wonderful how snuggly a little hydrocodone pill can make one feel. I’m home from the hospital with 13 staples in my stomach and less one gallbladder. I’ve been prescribed enough painkillers to knock out a buffalo, and there’s nothing better feeling than snuggling with a pain pill and a fluffly little kitten named Kiki (or Keykey depending on your mood). My surgery went fairly well, although they had a little bit of a tough time waking me up from anesthesia (or so I heard.) All I can remember is waking up gasping for air a few times in the recovery room and the nurse looking at me in a concerned manner. And a long, uncomfortable night in the surgery ward. My stomach is sore and I’m paranoid about ripping staples out, but I’ve been getting a lot of knitting done and lots of movies watched and lots of books read. Unfortunately, along with the swoony feeling of pain pills also comes a distinct lack of focus. I can’t seem to concentrate on a single project for more than 20 minutes tops. So little Jasper’s blanket is so close to being done that you can practically wrap it up and ship it, but I’m instead working on gifts for a baby shower I’m going to next Saturday. I’m very grateful that I am no longer hooked up to an IV and that I can go to the bathroom unaccompanied now.

Jason and I have rented a car and will be setting out tomorrow morning for Boise and the Patrick’s abode. I’m thoroughly excited to get caught up with one of my bestest friends in the entire world as well as get acquainted with her daughter. I’m just bummed i won’t be staple free for the visit. Hence, the rented car. That and we desperately need an air conditioned vehicle to travel in if it’s going to be for longer than 10 minutes. I will try and post some pictures of our jaunt when we get back. And hopefully, I will be able to focus long enough to finish Mr. Jasper’s binkie somewhere along the way to next Wednesday. Considering he’s due sometime in the next 2 weeks, he might be needing it.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Who wrote this book and when?
Douglas Adams published this in 1980.

Has there been a film version of it?
No, although it would make a great film. I think the idea was tossed around for a while but when the HHGG didn’t do spectacularly, it was tabled for a while.

Who are the important characters?
Arthur Dent – one of the last two surviving earthlings in the universe
Ford Prefect – a hitchhiker for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur’s friend
Zaphod Beeblebrox – a two headed, three armed alien who happens to be the former President of the Galaxy, he’s currently on the lam for stealing the fabled ship the Heart of Gold
Trillian – Formerly Tricia McMillan, the other last surviving earthling in the universe
Zarniwoop – the president of the company which produced The HHGG
Marvin – a depressed android

What’s it about?
This is the continuing story of the space travelers aboard the Heart of Gold. This book follows their quest to find something to eat. Along the way, Zaphod and Marvin get separated from the rest of the crew due to a malfunction when the Heart of Gold tries to discover what tea is. The motley group is also on the run from the Vogons, who destroyed Earth in the previous book and are after Arthur and Trillian to finish the job. Now, if they can only figure out exactly what Zaphod’s plans were before he removed them from his own brain and also find their way to Milliways – the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It is part of one of the great comedy/science fiction series – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – by Douglas Adams.

Do you recommend I read this book?
Yes.

How did this book make your list?
It’s part of the HHGG series. And I like random, funny, science fiction novels.

Has it won any awards?
No, oddly enough.

Favorite quotes:
“The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is one of the most extraordinary ventures in the entire history of catering. It has been built on the fragmented remains of…it will be built on the fragmented…that is to say it will have been built by this time, and indeed has been – One of the major problems encountered in time travel is not that of accidentally becoming your own father or mother. There is no problem involved in becoming your own father or mother that a broad-minded and well-adjusted fmaily can’t cope with. There is no problem about changing the course of history – the course of history does not change because it all fits together like a jigsaw. All the important changes have happened before the things they were supposed to change and it all sorts itself out in the end. The major problem is quite simply one of grammar, and the main work to consult in this matter is Dr. Dan Streetmentioner’s Time Traveler’s Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations.” – p 98

“It is a curious fact, and one to which no one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85 percent of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N-N-T’N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme.” – p 177

Personal thoughts:
The insane randomness continues in this next installment of the HHGG series. I do love Douglas Adams. Just when I have had about enough of random, he gives you just enough plot to keep you interested…and vice versa. I really can’t complain about anything with these books, although I know that further along in the series, the plot is going to dissipate even more. I love all the characters, including Marvin, no matter how annoying he gets he brings perspective. I love the computer on the Heart of Gold and I even love Zaphod Beeblebrox, who reminds me of a pubescent boy on crack at times. I do wish sometimes that Trillian would get to be a little bit more of a developed character, but with so much creativity flying about in the novels, there almost isn’t room for character development. In fact, there is almost no character development – there’s simply too much going on; what with spaceships crashing into suns and rock concerts and the universe ending and time skipping and the like. But I’m ready to forge on right into the next book…which I haven’t read before (the first two in the series I had…)

The Thin Man

Who wrote this book and when?
Dashiell Hammett published this in 1934.

Has there been a film version?
Yes, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. The book actually spawned a very successful series of movies and television shows.

Who are the important characters?
Nick Charles – a retired detective now married to a beautiful and sarcastic heiress
Nora Charles – Nick’s wife, a young socialite
Wynant – an inventor who happens to be slightly crazy
Dorothy Wynant – Wynant’s daughter
Mimi Jorgenson – Wynant’s ex wife, an abusive woman used to getting her own way
Guild – the police chief
Julia Wolf – Wynant’s secretary
McCaulay – Wynant’s lawyer

What’s it about?
When former mob girl turned secretary Julia Wolf is murdered, everyone suspects the off-balanced inventor, Clyde Wynant. He’s her employer and has some violent tendencies – also, he’s nowhere to be found. Nick Charles, former star detective, is convinced to take the case because his wife, Nora, thinks it would be fun. But when the bodies start to pile up the Charles realize they might have gotten more than they bargained for.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s a Hammett mystery, and most of those are best sellers. It also made famous Nick and Nora Charles. The movies are classics as well.

Do you recommend I read this book?
Yes, if you enjoy noir mysteries.

How did this book make your list?
I love the movie series, and so this piqued my interest when I found out it was written by Hammett.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“Mimi’s face was becoming purple. Her eyes protuded, glassy, senseless, enormous. Saliva bubbled and hissed between clenched teeth with her breathing, and her red throat – her whole body – was a squirming mass of veins and muscles swollen until it seemed they must burst. Her wrists were hot in my hands and sweat made them hard to hold. Nora beside me with a glass of water was a welcome sight. ‘Chuck it in her face,’ I said. Nora chucked it.” – p 147

Personal thoughts:
This book didn’t get a fair chance with me, I’ll be honest. I love the movie version of this book so much that it’d be nearly impossible for it to match up. In defense of the book, however, there are scenes and dialogue taken directly from the book and put into the movie. Nick’s spirit is captured wonderfully on the screen, although the book makes him out to be a little harder of a character than the movie. Nick, Nora, Mimi, and Guild are pretty much the only characters exactly realized from the page to the screen. The rest of the plot is subtly altered – the book’s twists and turns would be way too much for a movie audience to keep up with. It truly is a fantastic mystery, and while the film’s storyline is superb, it’s nothing detail wise when compared to Hammett’s novel. I appreciated how glamorous the movie made the story come across…otherwise, I don’t think I would have cared for a single character! They were all so mean-spirited and selfish and crazy…I guess how they would be if they were real people. Anyway…overall this was a great read, I just feel obligated to admit I like the movie(s) better.