A(n uninspiring) milestone in my literary career: finally read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I read in 2.5 hours. Up til page 41 I found the book juvenile, boring, and silly, and felt that this was probably because I am not a prepubescent boy (no offense to you males). The first line that changed my opinion somewhat was "The robot camera honed in for a close-up on the more popular of [Zaphod's] two heads and he waved again." I suspect my satisfaction with this line is because it is atypically Philip K. Dick-esque (c.f. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch). I found the rest of this book a mix of mediocre and mildly amusing. I really don't understand the enthusiasm people feel for this work, and this is coming from a blogger who ends most posts with "Highly recommend!" The only intriguing character for me was Zaphod, although he could not redeem this book for me. Would not recommend.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
A(n uninspiring) milestone in my literary career: finally read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I read in 2.5 hours. Up til page 41 I found the book juvenile, boring, and silly, and felt that this was probably because I am not a prepubescent boy (no offense to you males). The first line that changed my opinion somewhat was "The robot camera honed in for a close-up on the more popular of [Zaphod's] two heads and he waved again." I suspect my satisfaction with this line is because it is atypically Philip K. Dick-esque (c.f. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch). I found the rest of this book a mix of mediocre and mildly amusing. I really don't understand the enthusiasm people feel for this work, and this is coming from a blogger who ends most posts with "Highly recommend!" The only intriguing character for me was Zaphod, although he could not redeem this book for me. Would not recommend.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Tales of a Female Nomad
Wow... All I can say is that this woman has lived one heck of a life. The book is essentially an autobiography of Rita Gelman, who at the age of 42 turned her life into a travel story most of us only dream of.
After she had an argument with her husband, they agreed to a two-week break from each other, and then to try marriage counseling. She took off to Mexico, where two weeks turned into two months, which turned into four months, which turned into divorce.
After that, she was free to live however she liked, so she decided to travel to all different exotic locations that she had only dreamed of visiting. For the next 14 years, she visits places such as Indonesia, Thailand, Nicaragua (during Reagan's war!), New Zealand, and more, staying with locals, and truly bonding with the communities she visits.
The book is an awesome read that anyone will enjoy. Recommended highly.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Vagabonding
The book, while it is subtitled "An uncommon guide to the art of long-term world travel", is more of a philosophical text than anything, one that is certain to get one excited about traveling.
If you've ever wanted to travel (I know that seems like a broad category)... this book is definitely for you.
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