See my video review here: https://youtu.be/hfJJDQOroho

This is a book written in 1979 which follows the story of Arthur Dent who is having a bad day because his house is about to be torn down to make way for a highway. However, he has more things to worry about because the Earth is about to be demolished to make way for the galactic highway. Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Perfect are scooped up from Earth just a second before it is wiped out. The two of them travel through the galaxy and encounter many different people along the way including a depressed robot.

The first half of the book was really funny. I was reading this with a family member, and we both were laughing out loud every couple of minutes. The second half of the book was less funny because it was more plot driven. This book won't be for everyone, because some of the humor is a bit dry. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am not sure if the jokes will really translate that well to the big screen.

Overall, it was a quick read and pretty enjoyable. However, as mentioned earlier, the pacing felt a bit off but keep in mind this book was written in the 1970's before the 8 second attention spans developed by YouTube.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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I read this book because it is my boyfriends' favorite series. I struggled with it so much. I already struggle with fantasy, and this book didn't explain what is happening thoroughly and develop the characters enough right away in the beginning. So like I said I really struggled.

However, I watched the movie and according to my boyfriend there was a lot in the movie that wasn't in the book, so I guess that didn't help.

این کتاب ترکیبی از استعاره‌های ناب برای اتفاقاتیه که در اطرافمون زیاد میفته و گاهی شاید حتی بهشون توجه نکنیم، در کنارش با فلسفه‌ی زندگی و این سوال بنیادی درباره‌ی زندگی جهان و همه‌چی روبه‌رو میشیم که دلیل پیدایش ماجراهای این کتاب بود.
طنز کتاب خاصه، من یه جاهایی باهاش قهقهه میزدم اما نمی‌شه گفت که هر کسی با این سبک کنار میاد و می‌تونه ازش لذت ببره.

Thanks for all the fish.
[Reread, December 2024]

n  Summaryn
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Along with his friend, Arthur Dent escapes from Earth before it was demolished and goes for a hilarious yet intriguing trip through the galaxy.

n  Some fascinating facts related to this this book n
I thought that this was a book mainly for the younger audience, and I wouldn't enjoy it. Then I accidentally came across an interview of Elon Musk where he discussed his Hitchhiker’s-Guide-inspired Design Philosophy and told that it was this book that inspired him to make SpaceX. That, at last, convinced me to read this book. And it was an absolute joy to read.
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n  Why are so many people obsessed with this book? How did it influence Elon Musk’s design philosophy?n
For knowing more about it. I am sharing the excerpts from Elon Musk's interview here.

n  Science Fiction to Realityn
Here Elon beautifully lays out the philosophical points from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which have shaped the way he thinks through tough engineering challenges.

n  Elon Musks’ Hitchhiker’s-Guide-inspired Design Philosophyn
1. "Question everything, including the question".
As Hitchhiker’s Guide teaches us, if you are given access to the Universe’s most powerful supercomputer—a system that can answer any question you throw at it—don’t waste its time with a question you haven’t properly thought through. The same goes for a beautiful human brain.
When approaching any challenge, first ask yourself, “Am I asking the right question?” Alternatively, “Am I being asked the right question?”

2. “Take ages to form your question.”
The climax of the first book in the series focuses on relaying this lesson to its readers: If you don’t understand the question in the first place, you won’t understand the answer it produces.

3. “Question your constraints.”
The world of rocket science comes with a load of constraints: Time, physical, budgetary, the list goes on. But, Elon warns, “Don’t design to your constraints without calling into question those constraints.”

4. “Don’t optimize a thing that shouldn’t exist.”
We all find ourselves in the midst of a task that suddenly seems silly. “Why am I doing this?” We are creatures of habit, and we are great at following orders. But, sometimes, we forget that orders come from creatures of habit. And, sometimes, habits must be broken in the name of efficiency and progress. SpaceX’s extremely fast-paced innovation makes it clear that they are great at putting this lesson into practice.

5. “The product errors reflect organizational errors.”
To be a great leader, you have to understand the trickle-down effect of your organizational errors. They will flow all the way down the chain, injecting themselves right into your products and services.
That goes for any level of organization, all the way up to whole societies. Starting on page 1, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy does a wonderful job poking fun at the absurdity of error-filled bureaucratic processes that trickle all the way down from a government body, forming persistent issues in the daily lives of its citizens.

n  My favourite lines from this book n

n  “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” n  
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n  "For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.” n  
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n  n    “Don’t panic.”n  n

n  Verdict n
4/5 This is one of the best Science Fiction classics out there that can make us laugh and think at the same time.

Popsugar challenge 2020 - A Book with a Robot, cyborg or AI character / A Book written by an author in their 20's

Yeah, I'm not the intended audience for this book, with a male dominated cast in space I was never going to be able to relate.

I'd heard great things but I couldn't get into it, my mind kept drifting, i looked for the humor but couldn't find it (was it where the British guy wanted a cup of tea on a spaceship?).

It just didn't hold my attention i'm afraid which is a shame as its such a cult classic.

I can't remember laughing at a book so much!

Loved, loved, loved(!!) everything about it.

The delivery by Stephen Fry is outstanding also.

Hugely recommend! There aren't enough superlatives to throw at this!

This was my first exposure to the writing of Doug Adams. I went on to read the full Hitchhiker series with great enjoyment. The perfect tongue in cheek humor and a plot that pulls you along combination.

چی میگید اگر بهتون بگم توی این کتاب رئیس جمهور شدن "ترامپ "پیش ببینی شده؟
(کتاب سال ۱۹۷۹ نوشته شده )

کتاب طنز بانمکیه، توش میتونی جمله های فلسفی باحال پیدا کنی برای استوری اینستاگرامت و خودتو کول نشون بدی. درباره‌ی معنای زندگی ام سوال می پرسه و جوابشم نمیده طبق معمول. نکته‌ش اما این نیست . چیزی که همه‌ی این کتاب میخواد بگه اینه که برو زندگی کن،حالشو ببر و سوالاتی رو که جوابشون دو به توان بی‌نهایت غیر محتمله، بیخیال شو. مثل منکه هیچی از فیزیک کوانتوم حالیم نمیشه بنابراین وانمود میکنم اصلا وجود نداره.
راستی شاید براتون جالب باشه بدونید معنی اسم من به زبان ساکنان سحابی ماژلان میشه *دختری که هیچی از فیزیک کوانتوم نمیفهمه و هیچ وقت ته دیگ سیب زمینی هاش نمیسوزه.*
..
همه‌ی کتاب رو توی چهار ساعت خوندم. نه اینکه خیلی خفن و پرکشش باشه‌ها، فقط برای اینکه صدای رعد و برق و بارون نمی ذاشت بخوابم.
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عذاب وجدان گرفتم ...بی‌انصافی نباشه داستانش‌هم بانمک بود خب. احتیاج داشتم به طنزش. جلدهای بعدی رو هم میخونم.
فکر کنم نوجوونا بیشتر ازش خوششون بیاد. شاید!

A great book with a note: the story in the book has not finished.

This book reminded me why I like UK humors more than US ones. The jokes are clever

This is my second review of hilarious SF novel (the first is The Martian) and I decide not to discuss the content much. I believe the best way to enjoy a humor is if the reader has as little expectation/knowledge as possible, to optimize the surprises.

-«آرزو می کنم که ای کاش در بچگی حرف مادرم رو گوش کرده بودم.»
+«مگه مادرت چی بهت گفت؟»
- «نمیدونم. اون موقع ها به حرفش گوش ندادم.»

چند ساعته دارم فکر میکنم در مورد این کتاب چی بگم که شاهکار بودنش رو توصیف کنه ولی هیچی به ذهنم نرسید. فقد میتونم بگم بهترین و ناب ترین چرت و پرتی بود که تا به حال خونده بودم . اگر دوست دارید از این کتاب چیز خاصی یاد بگیرین بهتره اصلا سمت این کتاب نرید. یک طنز خاص خودشو داره که کمتر جایی دیدین.و اصلا سعی نکنید همه چیز رو بفهمید . فقد از خوندنش لذت ببرید.

رمان اینجوری شروع میشه که همون روزی که خانه ی آرتور به دستور شورای شهر برای احداث یک بزرگ راه بین شهری تخریب میشه. یک نژاد از آدم فضایی ها برای احداث یک بزرگ راه بین کهکشانی سیاره زمین رو نابود می کنن و...

Quirk.
Quirk quirk.
Quirk quirk quirk.
Quirk quirk.
Quirk.

Read the above. Read it again. Read it seven more times.

The cute thing about language is that if you see, hear, or say a word enough, it just doesn't seem to make sense anymore. You know it's a word, but suddenly the q just doesn't get along with the u anymore, the r and the k just can't see eye to eye, and the i wants to run away from home.

Read it again.

That's this book.

It's quirky. It's so quirky it's quirks have quirks, and those quirks have little quirks of their own. By the time you finally work you way through the whole quirk family tree, the first quirk doesn't seem quirky anymore.

It seems annoying.

Douglas Adams has force-fed and painfully injected so much quirk into this worthless little novel that it makes your head spin. There is no point to this novel. There is no deeper meaning. The supercomputer chose '42' because I'm convinced that's the highest Adams can count.

Quirk.
Quirk.
QUIRK.