OK, let the madness and mayhem begin.
Only, don't share any secrets!

I listened to this last week in the car, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I especially liked Arthur's character and the robot.

Just started this using the e-book link... what ever took me so long. It's brilliant!!

Great choice everyone, thanks!

My boyfriend introduced me to this series years back with "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish". Which is actually the fourth book in the "trilogy". ;) I loved it so much that I had to track down the other books, read them in order, and now have them all in one hardcover edition.

This series is perfect for me... It's got humor in general, but British humor especially, which I LOVE, and cynicism and enough brains to make you really think about things. It's just genius.

This is one that I would love to listen to as a dramatization. I love the book, the entire series really, but I bet the audio would be amazing. I might try to locate an audio download...

I didn't know this was in a series. Wow--thanks for the info. :)

Becky wrote: "My boyfriend introduced me to this series years back with "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish". Which is actually the fourth book in the "trilogy". ;) I loved it so much that I had to track down t..."

I´m on my way to read it, right now.

I just didn´t decide if I´m going to read it in English or Portuguese :/

I really love the whole series too! I haven't listened to it on audio, but bet it would be great. I love what Becly said about it making you think. It's silly, but smart too. Very hard to find combination:)

The movie is one of my and my husband's favorite movies. I'm excited to read the book. I'm only a chapter in, but I'm enjoying it so far. I like the writing style and I like to imagine the narrator's voice sounding like the narrator in the movie (who, I think is also the narrator for the Little Big Planet video game).

I look forward to read this :) I have to finish the two other novels first but hopefully I'll manage :)

I have seen the film but it was a long time ago and I barely remember anything but the ending. And that there was a shiny thing that I thought was cute.

I first read this one when it came out - but I'm game for a re-read.

The movie did the book justice in a sense for me! I got a kick out of it!

I thought the movie was great too! The song especially. My kids and I still sing that song all the time. It's a hoot:)

This will be the second time I read this. The first time through, I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away. My hopes are high this time, though. I wonder if it will help reading Hitchhiker by itself instead of cruising through all five books.

Guess I'll be the odd ball...this is the first time I've read this book. I'm 80 pages into it and just don't care for it at all. It's probably because I'm not into the whole outer space, alien type thing. But, I'm going to finish it and am hoping that it gets better.

Okay, I'm done reading it. Sorry, it didn't improve much for me. I probably won't read any of the other books. My husband, on the other hand, started reading it an hour ago and LOVES it so far! Different strokes...

I haven't read this in 12, 13 years, but I did love it, and I don't always get British humor. The only bad thing is that it's left me with all these obscure inside jokes that I feel compelled to come out with and no one ever gets them. Maybe I'll make my husband read it.

I know what you mean JG! I'm always answering questions with "42" and making reference to "our Mice rulers" and people look at me like I'm insane. *sigh*

Kandice wrote: "I really love the whole series too! I haven't listened to it on audio, but bet it would be great. I love what Becly said about it making you think. It's silly, but smart too."

The audio is AMAZING! I couldn't stop listening! I HIGHLY recommend it!! I love the narrator's voice for Zaphod... *snorts* But it's great to hear everything pronounced. I know if I read "Betelgeuse" I would probably just think, "big B-word", when really it's pronounced "Beetlejuice"! :)

I just wish my library had the other 4 in audiobook (assuming there are audiobooks). It took me about... 3 or 4 days to get through Book 1, and about 3 weeks to get through Book 2. That's as far as I've gotten so far. Funny funny books.

42 was exactly what I was thinking of. I've explained it to my husband several times, but it's just not the same after you explain it.

I can never remember if it's 42 or 47. 47 was an important number in the show Alias, you see. But yes, it's fun when you answer "42" and people get it!

I haven't read that part yet! It's a first for me and I'm loving it too. Very quirky funny humor, which I love. I hear an ex-colleague's voice in my head, very funny guy from Manchester or Liverpool, or somewhere north. Don't know why it's his voice, but I think the character fits, so I chose it, or it chose me, or something.

Best Quote so far (Chapter 5):

One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about human beings was their habit of continually stating and repeating the obvious, as in It's a nice day, or You're very tall, or Oh dear you seem to have fallen down a thirty-foot well, are you alright? At first Ford had formed a theory to account for this strange behaviour. If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, he thought, their mouths probably seize up. After a few months' consideration and observation he abandoned this theory in favour of a new one. If they don't keep on exercising their lips, he thought, their brains start working. After a while he abandoned this one as well as being obstructively cynical and decided he quite liked human beings after all, but he always remained desperately worried about the terrible number of things they didn't know about.

I'm glad to see so many people enjoying the book. I'm a long time fan of Adams, and I celebrate Towel Day every year:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day

I was devastated when Adams died. He was one of the cleverest minds of his generation, and he died way too soon.

If you guys like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, definitely check out Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It's the second in the series (some of the series are better than others, IMHO), and is actually my favorite book in the series. Even more so than the original. :)

Also, I highly recommend Last Chance to See, which is a non-fiction book he wrote about endangered species.

Ha ha!!!! I answer my children with 42 all the time when I don't know the answer to something. It's a huge family joke.

i never get tired of this book. really - the series. I find something new each time

Sara- I'm so happy to hear that the audio version is good. I'm going to start it tomorrow after I'm done listening to Stargirl.

Way good! I actually just checked it out from the library yesterday so I could burn it to my computer... :)

How are you liking the audio for Stargirl? I really liked the narrator. (I just listened to that one last month.)

Jill wrote: "I'm glad to see so many people enjoying the book. I'm a long time fan of Adams, and I celebrate Towel Day every year:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day

I was devastated when Adams died. He w..."

While strolling/trolling through my local bookstore yesterday ( and the day before that...and that before that) I noticed THGTTG Trilogy in one bound volume so all of Adams can remain close to your heart while under your arm!

I was lucky enough to Meet him before he died, hear him read from both So Long, and Thanks for all the fish and Last chance to see. Very fun!

I loved this and thought it was really hilarious. Definitely worth the read if you have even the slightest sense of humour! My only regret is that I waited until now to read it.

Clara wrote: "I loved this and thought it was really hilarious. Definitely worth the read if you have even the slightest sense of humour! My only regret is that I waited until now to read it."

For what it's worth, I'm a bit jealous of you. You still have the rest of the series to look forward to. You only get to read these books for the first time once. It's fun to re-read them and find things that you missed the first time 'round, but it's never quite like reading it and enjoying those surprised guffaws upon reading a particularly hilarious sentence for the first time. :)

Terri wrote: "I was lucky enough to Meet him before he died, hear him read from both So Long, and Thanks for all the fish and Last chance to see. Very fun! "

wow. That must have been fun. I would have loved to hear Adams read from his books.

WE we lauging a lot!

Another thing I love about these books are the guide entries. If there really were sych a book it would be incredible useful. But the way the entries are written are just plain fun

Just finished Shadow and started this yesterday. This man is ridiculous! I love it and can't wait to get further into the story.

I haven't gotten to "42" yet. I think that Adams is a comic genius. So far, it is absolutely hysterical.

So do you have a favorite character? I love Marvin of course, and Zaphod is a complete hoot. I never liked Trillian that much - and both the BBC series and the movie did not do a good job with her either

I'm not quite sure how to assimilate this...I have been listening to the audiobook for a day or so and though I adore the narrator's voice and character intonations, I am thinking I need to just let go and ride with it. How do others approach Science Fiction? and a classic, no less.

Amy wrote: "I'm not quite sure how to assimilate this...I have been listening to the audiobook for a day or so and though I adore the narrator's voice and character intonations, I am thinking I need to just let go and ride with it. How do others approach Science Fiction? and a classic, no less."

Hitchhiker's isn't what I'd call a "hardcore" sci-fi book. It's a sci-fi comedy! So yes--let go and ride with it! It's not a classic in a great-American-novel way... It's classically hilarious!

I listened to the audiobook, and I LOVED the voice the narrator did for Zaphod! SO funny!!

saranicole wrote: "Amy wrote: "I'm not quite sure how to assimilate this...I have been listening to the audiobook for a day or so and though I adore the narrator's voice and character intonations, I am thinking I nee..."
It's beginning to feel like Monty Python meets Jim Carey's The Grinch. I'm laughing out loud at red lights and getting stared at - not so bad, getting stared at !!!

That's not bad. I was at a stop light one time, and a song I love to play on Guitar Hero came on... I got caught air-guitaring... :)

Of course, I sing in the car on a regular basis, so I'm not as embarrassable (is that a word?) as some people might be....

saranicole wrote: "That's not bad. I was at a stop light one time, and a song I love to play on Guitar Hero came on... I got caught air-guitaring... :)

Of course, I sing in the car on a regular basis, so I'm no..."

That's hysterical - you sound just like my daughter, Jess, she's a guitar hero JUNKIE !! It is all we heard for her entire winter break. I even got hooked (on the easiest level) :)

I got Rock Band for my birthday in November... So now I get to sing and play the drums, too! PLUS, the guitar parts are generally easier on Rock Band, so I can finally play on hard! I thought adding in the blue button was hard when I went from Easy to Medium, but adding the orange button is just crazy! You have to start shifting your hand around.... Not easy!

BUT, I'm glad you're having a laugh-out-loud experience! The book is just so random!

I'm almost done with it and so far I just don't really understand what the big deal is. It's humorous and entertaining but I just don't get it so far - maybe I need to finish it?

My question is do other people recommend reading the sequels?

I do recommend the sequels. The first is mostly set up, but I remember loving at first sight, so maybe they just aren't really for you.

Christina wrote: "I'm almost done with it and so far I just don't really understand what the big deal is. It's humorous and entertaining but I just don't get it so far - maybe I need to finish it?

My question is..."

Usually I would recommend reading the sequels. But if you are not much into it after finishing the first book, I doubt if sequels will change your mind about it. I was hooked from the first book itself.

I've only read the first two books. Loved them both. I love the part in the second about verb tenses while time-traveling. I about DIED laughing. (That's not really a spoiler...)

saranicole wrote: "I've only read the first two books. Loved them both. I love the part in the second about verb tenses while time-traveling. I about DIED laughing. (That's not really a spoiler...)"

I liked the "Dish of the Day." :) (Also not a spoiler.)

I will admit that I absolutely love the depressed robot. Great character.

saranicole wrote: "I got Rock Band for my birthday in November... So now I get to sing and play the drums, too! PLUS, the guitar parts are generally easier on Rock Band, so I can finally play on hard! I thought add..."

My 50+ year old girlfriend got a blister from playing her 30+ year old's Rock Band Christmas gift !!

Before even realize there was a book I watched the movie and I really like. I found the movie really interesting considering I didn't read the book but than I bought the first two and loved it. I still haven't heart the others but I already bought them. It's just so addicting and yes, I'm reading little by little because I want to experiment the first time reading really slowly.