Life Books

What are the books that, in some aspect, define you? Think about who you are in terms of spirituality, love, economics, values, worldview—the list could go on and on. These might be nonfiction, self-help, fiction, picture books, children's books, etc. Give us your life in books.

This was taken from kiwiria. I thought the idea was interesting, so I decided why not try it? It's a lot harder than it looks, though, so I'll probably think of some "better" books that define me later. But for now, this is my "rough draft" list.

The Bible - This is self-explanatory. This book has taught me everything a book can teach you. Without the Bible, I have no clue where I would be right now. Certainly, I wouldn't be right here, typing this, and I don't want to know what my life would be like if I hadn't had the Bible to turn back to whenever things got too much to handle.

Harry Potter - Odd thing to have on a life book list, but it's true. Ever since... fifth grade, I believe, I've read and adored the Harry Potter books. They're the first series of books I was literally obsessed with and also the first series of books I wrote fanfiction for. Without Harry Potter, I can't imagine what my writing would be like. Through Harry Potter, through getting involved in the fandom, I've met so many amazing people, and those people have helped me grow, not only in my writing, but in other things as well. The series of books may not be the best written things in the world, but they've changed my life. For the better, too.

...and I can't think of any more. Shoot. Is it bad if you only have two life books on your list? I'll try and add more later, but it's incredibly hard to think of life books—I've read really great books, but I don't think I can pick them up and say: "This book changed my life." 

I'll edit this post if I think of more.

Book Review #31

Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Genre: Fiction
Length: 215 pp.
Grade: B

Amazon Summary: Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue. The Hitchhiker's Guide is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations and stands up to multiple reads. Required reading for science fiction fans, this book (and its follow-ups) is also sure to please fans of Monty Python, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and British sitcoms.

My Thoughts: I've been wanting to read this book for ages, having heard so many great things about it that it was impossible for me not to read it. Also, it's on my summer reading list and the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list, so I had even more incentive to read it. Unfortunately, this book slightly disappointed me. Not because it wasn't well-written—it was, very much so—but it just didn't... connect. I originally started reading this in hopes that I could somehow be able to pick out quotes to "analyze," but having finished reading it, I can't think of any quotes I'm able to use. So, that means that reading this book won't count as the three books I've read over the summer, even though I did read it and enjoy it.

However, like I said, this book was very well-written. I didn't find it as funny as some, nor as true to life in a sort of indirect, unmeaningful, coincidental sort of way like some others have. It was good for what it was, but it's far from being one of my favorite books in the world.

This book is incredibly hard to explain, I think. To me, at least, it's one of those books that's incredibly hard to form an opinion on. One minute, you think it's really great, the next you think it's mediocre, and then the next you wonder what the entire point of reading this book was, but on a whole, your subconscious is telling you that you enjoyed the book, but you can't pinpoint why.

'Tis confusing. Let's see if I can try and pinpoint some of this.

Firstly, I liked the writing style. It was hilarious in a dry sort of way. Not dry as in boring, but dry as in deadpanning. For example, some things would have seemed a bit more hilarious if it had been "fluffed" up, but Douglas Adams just said it as if he was saying "hey, the sky is blue" or "it's a nice day today, isn't it?" And sometimes, that was hilarious, but other times, I skipped right past it without realizing what was so funny about it. 'Course, most of the funniness (is that even a word?) came from Douglas Adams turning the science fiction cliches on its head, and I haven't read many science fiction novels at all, so... yeah, wasn't as funny as it could have been for me.

Secondly, the characters intrigued me. Especially Marvin. *giggles slightly* I don't know why, but the idea of a depressed robot amuses me so much. And the scene near the end was so cute and hilarious. That was one of the few times I actually laughed out loud during this book and I adored it. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and the rest were also great, but Marvin was just... so CUTE. 

Oh, and I liked the idea of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I liked it when we could see the little snippets from the book. I have no clue why, but having excerpts from books in books keeps me entertained. As do emails, letters and other things like that inserted into books. 

Hmm. It turns out I liked more in this book than I thought, and if I say anything else, I probably wouldn't be able to stop, so I'll just say I liked it, although not as much as other people did and, if you can look past a few nitpicky things involving quotation marks, it was a really good book. Recommended, although not as highly as some other books I've read.

Currently Reading:
Nothing. Need to go to the library soon (preferably tomorrow), so I prolly won't be able to finish the other three books taken out from the library. But I might be able to finish one more, which will probably end up being Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.