#17 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams

Though it feels like cheating, I have finished the first book of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy. It feels like cheating because the story is hardly over. But as I am enjoying the writing immensely (nothing like totally random sci-fi comedy to lighten your day) I will hopefully finish all three books soon.

Hitchhiker's for those of you who don't like Douglas Adams, Martin Freeman or Zooey Deschanel, is the story of Arthur, a less than ordinary earth man who's alien friend Ford saves him from death when both his house and his planet are destroyed--one by a human demolition crew, the other by an alien species who were owed a debt by the mice for the commissioning of the planet. Though ultimately I would imagine the book ends like the movie, with Arthur (Freeman) trying to find a new home in the universe, thus far it has covered many subjects, none of which are very imaginable. The entire book is in and of itself an improbability drive of literature.

But like I said, I'm loving it. Adams' style is right up my alley and the first of the series gets an A+ for readability and humour.

#16 "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

 
This is a book I've been wanting to read for a long while now. When the film first came out it was Emma Watson's first big thing after Harry Potter (which we all know I love) and I was so excited about it but I knew there was a book and I promised myself I would read it first. Then I moved to Germany and broke that promise. But in the end I find it important to remember that I did eventually read the book.

The novel is the story of Charlie, a high school freshman with absolutely zero friends and a very broken mind. The entire novel is written in the form of letters from Charlie to his "Dear Friend" who is never named and you only learn a little about. Charlie is intelligent but damaged and the combination is disastrous for his social life until he meets two step siblings who introduce him to a whole new world of people and experiences that he gets to observe and participate in. All the while Charlie is being challenged by his English teacher, being an amazing brother, and trying to survive high school. None of which is easy. But add on top the psychological battle Charlie is fighting as he discovers drugs and sex and music and literature, and it just all seems impossible. I'll stop before the spoilers start.

Admittedly I thought the film was better than the book. Not because the book was bad. The book was and is beautiful. But Chbosky is a film writer, Perks is his first novel, and as wonderful as reading Charlie's letters to this anonymous friend is, the film had a more solid progression of events. I also felt that the medium of film was just better suited for the complicated story of a kid who is so cerebral he doesn't even know what's happening in his mind. The book was certainly good enough (and expensive enough) to warrant a spot in a box back to home; all in all a solid A-.

#15 "Roots" by Alex Haley

I tried watching the Roots mini-series when I was 13. I thought I was being cultured carrying the 6 video tapes out of the Estacada library. I was after all going to learn the story behind this intimidating book. But at 2 hours a piece, I never made it past Kunta Kinte's first experience being beaten.

So finally at 22, I'm getting around to it. And the book is nothing like I thought it would be. I loved some of the people, hated some others, got confused by the flow of the book where a chicken fight would sometimes take 4 chapters but the entire civil war was covered in 2. I've struggled with this text for 3 months, and it was only reading the end last night that I understood everything. This is a familial autobiography by Haley. It's paced by what information was available. The characters aren't characters at all. It's all in some way or another true.

I will not be trying to read Roots again, not for a very long time at least. But for all the ignoring it on my bookshelf for 3 years, carrying it to Europe, reading one chapter at a time and then having to reward myself, I'm glad this saga is in my head.

#14 "Dead Poets Society" by N.H. Kleinbaum

While this book is literally just an adaption of the film into novel format, it was also kind of great. I read it in about 2.5 hours (thanks typeface!), so it's only a few minutes longer than the film. But since Dead Poets Society is one of my favorite teacher movies, I really enjoyed reading the story and finally figuring out what names go to what boys. They all look the same in their school uniforms.

If you haven't seen the film, go watch it, and if you've got a two hour car trip, train, bus or plane ride in your future and you stumble across a 50 cent copy of this book, pick it up because it will make you smile and staring at a book is a whole lot healthier than staring at a screen for two hours.

#13: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by J.K. Rowling

 
Maybe the 121 book challenge will end up being just me reading Harry Potter 40 times...

#12 "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan

It's a good thing I didn't end up in Belgium, because I did end up in a bookstore, spending more money than is reasonable on books. Unfortunately this bookstore was in down town Munich, so the English section, while comparatively large for Germany, consists only of books which made it onto the bestsellers list. Fortunately, Penumbra's made that list.

I'm a scifi nerd, I love a good puzzle, and bookstores are my happy place, so this novel was perfect for me. A well balanced combination of everything I love in real life, tied up nicely in a 288 page novel. The characters are quirky but believable, and the plot is relentlessly intriguing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Moffit, because it's his spirit, like his name, that I recognized sprinkled throughout the pages.

Definitely the best book I've read so far. This book challenge at least.

#11 "Starter for Ten" by David Nicholls

If you fell in love with James McAvoy before he did Becoming Jane and Atonement, or if after seeing these movies you watched everything he's ever done (Wanted is a fantastic movie, so please watch it even if you don't like violent movies)--the you've probably seen Starter for 10. I had no idea it was also a book, but having enjoyed the movie and had the book dropped in my lap I clearly read it.

The book and the movie follow identical plots. It's one of those magical things where I don't think the producers even changed the dialog. They are the same. The book was entertaining, and had me laughing out loud, but I think it's best if you choose one or the other, or at least if you've seen the movie already, don't bother with the book.

The beauty of the book is with the main character, Brian Jackson, who is by all accounts an exceedingly average 19 year old. He is written with all the rough edges, painfully awkward, with no social or hygienic skills. His portrayal is so honest that it is at times uncomfortable to read. You want to yell at him to stop talking or just go home or for god's sake get up and do something with his life. But if you power through, there are enough sweet or funny true to life moments to make up for Brian Jackson's failure to function as a basic human being.

Nicholls is a strong enough writer that I will likely pick up some of his other works when they fall into my lap. But then again, reading the book leaves the reader McAvoy-less.