LiterariLeigh

"42. The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!" I used to wear a button on my coat that said this (I wonder what happened to that button?), and at least one person passing by me that day would say "That's right!" or "Don't Panic!". It was always cool when people recognized where that phrase comes from; that even though we didn't read the book at the same time, or even know each other, that commonality and enjoyment of a book made a little connection between us.

The book I refer to is one of my favorites, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Have you ever had a bad day? The kind that starts with people planning to destroy your house and ends up with you on a spaceship? Average guy Arthur Dent is saved from the destruction of the Earth by his friend Ford Prefect who turns out to be an alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse (of course). They are captured by Vogons, saved by two-headed Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox, meet a depressed robot named Marvin, and set off to find the Question to the Ultimate Answer. Confusing? Not at all- once you read the book!

If you've read Douglas Adams, try some other off the wall writers like Terry Pratchett, Robert Rankin, Jasper Fforde, Spider Robinson, or Tom Holt.