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Book Review by Claire Stewart

Claire Stewart is fifteen years old and a 2021 Summer Teen Volunteer.

In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

Douglas Adams

Though this isn’t the first line of the novel, it’s one of the first mentioned in the film, and as soon as I heard it, I knew I was going to love this movie (and, later, the book). Douglas Adams has a unique way of writing that is just so indescribably hilarious; some more honorable mentions are, “the ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t” and “a common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” I mean, aren’t those lines just amazing? 

    This book, as the title suggests, is a guide for someone to use in the event that Earth is “demolished to make way for a galactic freeway” as the summary on the back of the book suggests. The story follows normal dude Arthur Dent (played by one of my favorite actors, Martin Freeman) as he is plucked from his garden, bathrobe and all, and is suddenly touring the galaxy with some of the oddest folks you’ll never meet. Complete with two-headed, three-armed ex-hippies, chronically depressed robots, and grad students obsessed with the disappearance of ballpoint pens, this tale keeps you laughing while also vaguely wondering what the meaning of life, the universe, and everything is – that’s an inside joke for those of us who know the story.

    This absurd tale follows Arthur as he hitchhikes through space, unintentionally saves the world (well, part of it), encounters infinitely knowledgeable supercomputers that answer questions with more questions, and learns that his boring life on Earth was nothing compared to what the rest of the galaxy is doing. Adams uses cynicism and wit to spin this tale, and it’s quite enjoyable for anyone who’s humor is just a little dry and, from time to time, enjoys wondering what else the universe might have up its sleeves. 

    I definitely enjoyed this story, with its unique characters, confusing backstory, and random lines that, to this day, sort of leave me reeling. It’s the perfect read for, as I said, dry-humored folks, in addition to science and fiction lovers (or science fiction lovers!) with big imaginations.  This book is also the first installment of a five-part series by Douglas Adams, all of which have interesting titles and even more interesting beings. There is also a sixth novel, written by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl fans, anyone?) after Adams’ death, plus a 12-part series on BBC radio. In short, it’s a beloved story, and quite famous for it, that everyone should read once in their lives. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!

The Lineup

DPL staff tells us about five things they’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and doing

Justin’s Lineup

1. Movies: The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan

The first time I watched this movie was in 1999. I was 19. Cool movie I thought, that twist was crazy! That’s about as far as my young mind allowed me to dive into the movie but 22 years later I decided to re-watch it. It is easy to make this film about the twist but taking that out of the equation, the Sixth Sense is such a beautiful and well-made ghost story. The acting, especially from a young Haley Joel Osment is great and this is some of Shyamalan’s best writing. One might even say this movie is masterpiece of film-making. Now how about a follow-up with an older Cole Sear please.

· Available through check-out with the Derby Public Library.

2. Videogames: Chrono Trigger by Square Enix

Chrono Trigger is coming up on 26 years of age this August. I first played it when I was 15 and was sucked into the amazing story-telling and beautiful art work of this game. I’ve been replaying it the last 3 weeks and I can say it is just as amazing of a game as it was back then. CT is a JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) first released for the Super Nintendo in 1995 and has always played second fiddle to the Final Fantasy Series. I would argue it is a much superior game but opinions are just opinions.

· Available to you via Steam for your computer at the link below if you don’t want to pay an obscene amount of money on Ebay. https://store.steampowered.com/app/613830/CHRONO_TRIGGER/

3. Music: Benee

I’m getting older and I’m starting to slip into that phase where I ignore all the new music coming out and stick with what I grew up with. But I try to keep myself open and I recently discovered an artist by the name of Benee. She is a songwriter from New Zealand and I first saw her on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon singing her hit song “Supalonely”. It is a catchy pop song that drilled its way into my head and I’m not even sorry. Also check out another one of her songs, “Find an Island”.

· See the music video for Supalonely here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb6Scz-5YOs

4. Article: Fossilized Footprints Found in New Mexico Track Traveler with Toddler in Tow by Livia Gershon

I really love reading about ancient history and the lives of people back then. Especially ancient humans before recorded history. This article is about fossilized footprints of a small woman or adolescent boy traveling quickly across a landscape with a child. Trying to imagine what it was like and the hardships being faced is fascinating to me. The article is a great read and really gets you thinking about how humans lived so long ago.

· Available here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/11000-year-old-new-mexico-footprints-track-adult-and-toddlers-trip-180976057/

5. Hobbies: Scanning found slides

I enjoy finding old slides in estate sales, auctions, flea markets, etc. and scanning them into a digital format. It is like taking a peek into the world of someone else’s life history and recording it before it’s tossed out and lost. I recently won an auction with quite a few slides of one family’s trip south of the border in the 1960s. Here are a few of those pictures.

DPL staff tells us about five things they’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and doing.

Terese’s Lineup

1. Books: What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories by Laura Shapiro

I’m one of those people who want to hear every detail of what you’ve eaten today. Please don’t breeze right past telling me you went to a restaurant without sharing what you ordered. I rescued my aunt’s old recipe box from the trash. Why did she have six different notecards for the relatively simple dish of guacamole? I want to know! The recipes she’d saved reflect the fads of the time and also her personal tastes, much as reading about what the women in this book ate and cooked tells us something about the times they lived in and who they were as people. The voyeur in me loves reading memoirs and journals to begin with (I want all the mundane details) but throw in a focus on food and I’m sold. · Available in our catalog: https://kanshare.bywatersolutions.com

2. TV: Borgen

If you liked West Wing, give this Danish political drama a try. It’s less talky but has a nice balance of politics and personal. It revolves around Denmark’s first female prime minister, but it’s her mysterious and complicated “spin doctor” Kasper and his ex-girlfriend journalist Katrine whose stories are the most compelling. I also just enjoy listening to the rhythms of another language for a change.

· Available on Netflix

3. Podcasts: Exit Scam by Treats Media

I sometimes have a hard time listening to podcasts and audiobooks in the car, as my mind tends to drift. But this real-life mystery surrounding the death of Gerald Cotten, founder of a large Canadian bitcoin exchange, easily holds my attention. This, despite having little to no interest in cryptocurrency so you know it’s a good story. · Available here: https://www.exitscam.show/

4. Movies: Talk to Me

I just happened upon this one the other day. I’m a big Don Cheadle fan and he’s fantastic in this moving biopic about the ex-con turned radio DJ, television entertainer, and political activist Petey Greene. Laughs and Tears in this one! · Available for rent on Amazon or requested through interlibrary loan

5. Articles: A Suspense Novelist’s Trail of Deceptions by Ian Parker

This New Yorker article came out in 2019, but I recently gave it another read after seeing that the film adaptation of Dan Mallory’s book (published under the pseudonym A.J. Finn) The Woman in the Window was released on Netflix. It’s fascinating to me how some people manage to hang on to their success despite such blatant lies. I’ve even read that Jake Gyllenhaal will play a version of Mallory (and literary scammers more generally) in an upcoming TV show I’ll be sure not to miss. · Available here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions

First Line: “If someone had told me yesterday that I’d be spending my Saturday morning in the aisle of a stuffy bookstore searching for ghost stories, I would’ve told them they were nuts.”

Summary: Claire is the daughter of a ghost-obsessed writer slash ghost tour bus owner. She hates that. She is a scientist and doesn’t believe in that phooeoy. That is, until she is forced to help her dad on the bus. When the ghost follows her home she is forced to face facts she would rather not. To top that off, she’s also has a school science fair to prepare for, a middle school she has to prevent from finding out about her recent outing (hello, rumor mill), and a best friend who might be moving on. Middle school is rough, but ghosts are worse.

Ratings: 8 out of 10

                Once again I read this book alone. No kiddos. It’s too long for the little’s consideration, and it’s a bit scary for the bigger of the two. Perhaps this should be more of a “Mama Lala Reads” blog, as I’m reading these books for my kids, but not always to. Anyhow…

My Thoughts: As an adult who remembers all too well how hard middle school was, I cried. It was a good cry, though. A “I finally can approach this with understanding” cry. I, too, had a friend who moved on without me. I acted much like Claire. Unfortunately, life isn’t like the books, and our ending didn’t turn out like this book’s ending for Claire. Then again, I’ve never been haunted quite like Claire has, and I count that a blessing. This book definitely gives the creepies. It’s a great read for all those creepy kids out there… and their parents too. It addresses real life issues like divorce, friendship, and *gasp* crushes, all while entertaining the reader with a plot line a bit more theatrical. For the cherry on top, it has a historically accurate thread as well.

All in all a great read. Points only discounted for giving a too perfect wrap up. Life isn’t pretty, and sometimes endings have to be a little ugly, too (twelve year olds don’t know how to work out those kind of relationship issues.)

Happy Reading my friends,

Mama Lala (Chelsea)