Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy--Douglas Adams

That's right. I read a book. A wicked long book that had nothing to do with baby poop. Actually it was more than one book... the Ultimate Hitchhiker has all of the individual Hitchhiker books in it. I read it so I can see the movie, although in retrospect I won't be able to see the movie until it comes out on DVD. Oh well.

The first few stories were great--I would have been irritated had I read them separately though and had to wait for the sequels--as it was I started reading one as soon as I finished the last one and that worked out well. Most people know the story-- Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass and the only survivor is Arthur Dent, an everyman type wearing his bathrobe. He survives by hitching a ride with his friend Ford Prefect, a newly outed alien, on the ship responsible for demolishing the earth. Hilarity ensues.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 or 4 stories (I can't even remember how many). The last one "Mostly Harmless" didn't seem as strong. It completely dropped two characters. It just didn't feel right.... but I'm glad that I finally read HHGTTG and I can't wait to see the movie.

************
Reading: Looking for Alaska -- John Greene
On My Nightstand: Gifts--Ursula K. LeGuin; various baby poop books

Airborn--Kenneth Oppel

Crikey, I'm a loser.

I finished Airborn months ago. I liked it, liked the story--adventure, fantasy, little romance. Had some wicked errors--unnecessary words and at one point a character was referred to by a different name--but I still liked it. I think a movie is in the works.

I don't have the energy for a proper review.

I haven't been reading much. Too hard. Brain hurts. But I have lots on my nightstand waiting to be read. Soon as the boy can feed himself...

************
Reading: As if
On My Nightstand: the Complete Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy--Douglas Adams; a couple of YA books that looked good; Ultimate Breastfeeding Guide; American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Nutrition and Caring for your Baby up to age 5, can't remember the exact titles.

Godless--Pete Hautman

I actually started and finished a whole book--and it had nothing to do with babies. Woo-hoo!!

Jason Bock is the product of a hypochondriac mother and religious father. Most of the time things are okay. When Henry Stagg, physically smaller but intimidating, clocks Jason one day, he looks up from the ground and sees a water tower in the distance. That moment changes everything.

Jason decides to create a religion based on the water tower. The water tower is God. Jason is the Kahuna, the founder, and whatever else he wants to be. All he needs is a couple of disciples and he's good to go. He finds them in his best friend Shin, his ordinary friend Dan, a local girl, and the unlikely Henry Stagg. What starts as a summer joke turns into something much more serious. Shin immerses himself in the new religion, claiming that the Ten-Legged One (the water tower) speaks to him and through him. Henry still views it as a joke, but twists it into his own demented version. In the end Jason is left alone.

This is less a book about "religion" than it is about teenagers and cults and society and how easily things get out of control. Some might not like it--crying heresy and other nonsense--but it has very little to do with Catholicism. Jason could have been a dissatisfied Buddhist or Jewish and it would have been the same story. Godless captures that time of teenage confusion when teens question everything and try to make their own answers.

I highly recommend it!

************
Reading: Airborn--Kenneth Oppel
On My Nightstand: Baby Sign Language

I do read, really, I do

Well, maternity leave is over. :-(

What I've read lately:
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg and the new one The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems. I highly recommend both. It's mostly common sense but when you're a new mom sometimes you need things spelled out to you! The baby whisperer's plan is similar to BabyWise, but not as strict. She doesn't believe in crying it out. I'd recommend it to all new moms!

I read a few teen books during my leave, but not many. None I can remember.

I'm currently reading Godless by Pete Hautman and loving it. Soon as I finish it, I'll get a real review up.


************
Reading: Godless by Pete Hautman
On My Nightstand: Airborn--Kenneth Oppel