Friday, December 7, 2012

SF Book Discussion

We've wrapped up our 2012 science fiction reading here at HPL.  In our SF Book Discussion group, we rounded out our 6 apocalypse-themed selections last evening with Douglas Adams' classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I, for one, enjoyed re-reading the book, which I first read some time in the 1980s.  The things that stood out for me were the facts that the Hitchhiker's Guide was an ebook, Douglas Adams' sense of humor still resonates with me, and that I hope his estate got residuals from Amazon for describing the original Kindle and from Yahoo! for creating the Babel fish - a species of creature that translates one language to another for its host.

In reading up on the book and the series, I was surprised to find that the story had been retold in so many different ways and through so many different media.  The book, I believe, was based on a BBC radio series, but there have been movies, a TV show, stage plays, a series of sequels, and so many editions of the book, it's amazing!

Our SF book discussion group has decided to continue into the new year, meeting monthly and ranging out into fantasy as well as science fiction.  We've generated a list that we are mulling over and would gladly consider others from new members.  We're looking at classics in the genre as well as new and authors from all walks of life.  If you'd like to participate, please contact me at gwamsley@hutchpl.org and I'll add you to the email list.  We meet the first Thursday of each month 7 pm at the library.

As we move toward the end of this 400-year cycle of the long count calendar, just remember the sage advice offered by the Guide:

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