Liz

Sounds great! I'll look forward to reading it.

Yeah, I am enjoying reading the Guide again. I find it's one of those books that you don't have to concentrate on too much, so it's easy to pick up for a short while and not have to have marathon reading sessions to understand what's happening and get into the story and style. I haven't read any of his other books, though. But I'm not sure if I want to. I like the Guide, but I think that would be about it - the Guide doesn't make me want to read any others of his.

Definitely have to agree with you there, Kell. I have a few Orwell's waiting on the shelf. Must get round to reading them soon!

This About the Author one sounds to be quite good. I've heard a little about it and have read a few reviews on it, most of them being very positive towards it. May have a little look for it at the library, I think.

MOSTLY HARMLESS DOUGLAS ADAMS The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has, in what we laughingly call the past, had a great deal to say on the subject of parallel universes. Very little of this, however, at all comprehensible to anyone below the level of Advanced God and, since it is now well-established that all known gods came into existence a good three millionths of a second after the Universe began rather than, as they usually claimed the previous week, they already have a great deal of explaining to do as it is, and are therefore not available for comment at this time....

SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH DOUGLAS ADAMS Just as Arthur Dent's sense of reality is in its dickiest state he suddenly finds the girl of his dreams. He finds her in the last place in which he would expect to find anything at all, but which 3,976,000,000 people will find oddly familiar. They go in search of God's Final Message to His Creation and, in a dramatic break with tradition, actually find it.

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING DOUGLAS ADAMS In consequence of a number of stunning catastrophes, Arthur Dent is surprised to find himself living in a hideously miserable cave on prehistoric Earth. However, just as he thinks that things cannot possibly get any worse, they suddenly do. He discovers that the Galaxy is not only mind-bogglingly big and bewildering, but also that most of the things that happen in it are staggeringly unfair.

THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE DOUGLAS ADAMS When all questions of space, time, matter and the nature of being have been resolved, only one question remains - "Where shall we have dinner?" The Restaurant at the End of the Universe provides the ultimate gastronomic experience, and for once there is no morning after to worry about.

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY DOUGLAS ADAMS On Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place.

After a while he got dangerously bored with this train of thought, felt the air slipping away beneath him, felt that he was drifting down into the paths of the bouncing boulders that he was trying so hard not to think about, so he thought about Athens airport for a bit and that kept him usefully annoyed for about five minutes - at the end of which he was startled to discover that he was now floating about two hundred yards above the ground. He wondered for a moment how he was going to get back down to it, but instantly shied away from that area of speculation again, and tried to look at the situation steadily. He was flying. Life, the Universe and Everything Douglas Adams

I love Nineteen Eighty-Four as well. Read it at the beginning of the year and thought it was fantastic.

Ok, well I don't think it's put me off too much. I'll still give it a go sometime. I'll also probably read Northanger Abbey at some point. I've been told it's not too bad by a few people. Thank You

Oooooo... I've got Mansfield Park waiting on the shelf. Is it any good, then?

Hey, this trailer looks pretty good. I really like Judi Dench and Bill Nighy, so this looks like it could be a good film.

"Look, I just don't know." A low voice echoed dully round the cabin. "I know," said Marvin. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Douglas Adams

(Zaphod speaking) "I put the two ideas together and decided that maybe that somebody had locked off part of my mind for that purpose, which was why I couldn't use it. I wondered if there was a way I could check. I went to the ship's medical bay and plugged myself into the encephelographic screen" The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams

Finished off The Talented Mr. Ripley during the early hours of this morning. Thought it was a fantastic book! Enjoyed it very, very much. The book is far better than the film, I thought. I'm definitely going to try the other books in the Tom Ripley series. Anyway, I'm going to have another read of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I read it about 18 months ago and quite enjoyed it, so fancied having another go at it. I wasn't too impressed with the film version last year, though. Didn't seem quite right, somehow.

"Yes," Tom said. "He's supposed to be there by one o'clock." Freddie nodded. The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith

Haven't had much time this past week to read, but I've finally got around to finishing Breakfast at Tiffany's. Really enjoyed it. I haven't seen the film, but after reading the book I wouldn't mind seeing how they made a film out of it. The other short stories in the book were ok. I was not too impressed with A Diamond Guitar - thought it was a bit of a pointless story. But, I enjoyed the other two. I'm now going to move on to The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

Terry Pratchett always makes me laugh.... especially Moving Pictures.

Well, I finished off my copy this afternoon. Enjoyed it very much. I thought it was brilliant!!

Finished off The Shining this afternoon. Really enjoyed it and thought it was excellent. Definitely a 10/10 read. I think I prefer this S.K. book to The Green Mile. I'm now going to move on to Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. The copy I have also has three other short stories: ~ House of Flowers ~ A Diamond Guitar ~ A Christmas Memory

I'm not too keen on the new black covers, actually. I prefer the older Kirby covers. The new Kidby ones are good as well.

DAY 38: November 1 At breakfast the captain announces that the Susak will pick up the Singapore pilot at 11 tonight, and will be in berth by midnight. 310 containers will be unloaded and 150 loaded. Departure from Singapore will be 3 p.m. tomorrow. Around the World in 80 Days Michael Palin