Douglas Adams’ 1979 science fiction novel is often called one of the classics, and after reading the book it is easy to see why. The adventures of Arthur Dent after he takes refuge in space from the destruction of the earth are filled with irony, and improbable coincidences that turn out to be not that improbable after all. Arthur, along with guide-book researcher Ford Prefect, President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox, fellow human-turned-space-traveler Trillian, and depressed, paranoid robot Marvin, speed through the galaxy on a stolen ship searching for gold, mythical planets, and the answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything.
Their adventures and mishaps were hilariously captivating and the book was a joy to read, though sometimes the out-of-this-world logic was difficult to grasp (though I imagine Arthur Dent himself had similar difficulties). I would recommend The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to anyone who wants a story with intriguing characters and humor throughout.
Availability: USMAI and SMCM Library
Review Submitted by: Brianna Glase
Rating: Must Read
Don’t read this book in the winter! I didn’t rate this as a Must Read mostly because of the theme of sexual perversion which seems to have carried over from the previous book, Hard Truth. Get back to the basics of just plain murder 
Published in 2009, The Windup Girl is the first novel by Paolo Bacigalupi. Winner of the Hugo and Nubela Awards (Sci-fi industry top prizes), The Windup Girl is set in a near-future Thailand. The kingdom of Thailand is a kind of fortress state, crouched in a defensive stance vis a vis the rest of the world. And not without reason; rogue diseases such as “blister rust,” “cibiscosis” and others only obliquely hinted at are poised to destroy Thai sovereignty. These diseases are both the unintentional, and quite intentional machinations of “calorie companies” (think Monsanto, Cargill, etc.) who have “taken over the world” by enslaving its peoples to genetically modified crops resistant to the latest competitive enterprise plagues. The plagues have greatly depleted natural biodiversity, and only those nations who have jealously cultivated and guarded seed banks have the bio-capital to engineer food and energy independence from the Iowa-based calorie companies. Bangkok runs expensive coal-fired fuel pumps to keep the city alive below rising seas, and the Environmental Ministry ruthlessly fights “Trade” and other foreign “invasives.”
Anne Perry paints such realistic pictures regardless of the period she is writing about and this first novel of likable British characters who find themselves on the brink of war draws the reader into a very different world from what we have today–a world where war is unthinkable instead of almost commonplace. I wouldn’t call this light summer reading, but it certainly isn’t very taxing and does bog down at times. Still, the novel takes us back in time to a very different mindset and I found that curiously refreshing. Great for taking along on vacation!
It is the fourth book in a series about a female bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The book is a fast paced light-hearted read, even though it contains dead bodies and explosions. It is not necessary to have read any of the other books as the author introduces the main characters as they appear.