2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams the omnibus book containing the full The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.

Pages: 815 pages

Length: 1 Month (May)

Participants: Helene, Raviteja, Sara .

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Can I join this book?

The more the merrier 😊😊 haven’t completely decided when I’m starting this one but hopefully before the end of next week 😊 can’t wait

I've read this, but last year (but two of the books I have read twice, so I'll join in either when it's time for final comments on the whole thing or for specific things that come up. I rated them separately, but two of the five main books got 5 stars from me.

Sounds good 😊 is anyone else starting this soon? I’m starting it today 😊

I'm probably going to start this next week. I'm swamped with finals at the moment, but the second I'm done with school I'm definitely relaxing with some books. :)

I have read the first book now. It is ridiculous, funny, weird and strange all at once. I think I expected it but it’s just nutty funny

Sara wrote: "I'm probably going to start this next week. I'm swamped with finals at the moment, but the second I'm done with school I'm definitely relaxing with some books. :)"

Look forward to hearing your thoughts once you start.

Helene wrote: "I have read the first book now. It is ridiculous, funny, weird and strange all at once. I think I expected it but it’s just nutty funny"

It is. The first time I listened to the audiobook, but then last year I read the omnibus and laughed just as much when I read it in print. BUT only the first and 3rd are full 5 stars for me (but then I rarely give out 5 stars to anything).

Hello i have the omnibus edition too and havent yet finished it, i left it almost a year back at around 500 pages , i loved but dont know yet why i left it . maybe i want to join you guys and start it once more from the beginning . I know i am too late . Why not suggest this again for June so that we can continue ???

@Shantanu

I'm not sure we can suggest it again, but maybe I can see about getting an extension? I've been swamped with school so I'm not even starting this till this weekend and maybe everyone would appreciate an extra month to finish the entire omnibus. It is quite long.

Already a couple of members in the BR have started reading and I am starting this today. All the BR threads are going to be open till 25th of the next month, so I think we have enough time to read this book. We can probably request for an extension if needed!

Hello Sara ,
To be honest i have school work too and the omnibus IS really long .
So yes maybe an extension is better , thank you

Again i would like to join you guys then

Hello Raviteja ,
Does this mean this thread is open till June 25 or May 25 which is 3 days from now?

Shantanu wrote: "Hello Raviteja ,
Does this mean this thread is open till June 25 or May 25 which is 3 days from now?"

June 25.

I have been a part of BRs in the past which went beyond the month and the threads were kept alive.

OK , thanks for the confirmation .

Well, I've finished the first book of this omnibus. I've got to say, it's a lot like the movie. And it definitely still has that Monty Python like comedy. I wasn't sure how much this would be like the movie when I went into it, so I'm pleasantly surprised it's just as zany and weird. Probably even more so.

I also liked reading the foreward. It was interesting reading about Douglas Adams. I'm pretty sure I've seen some of the Doctor Who episodes he's written. He's certainly got a familiar and distinct style to his work.

Anyways, hoping to finish this book over the week. I'm going to keep plugging along through each of the books.

Finished this! A few days past June, but still, I finished this monster. I was really enjoying the books at first. The first two were awesome. The third was pretty good. The fourth was getting a little less funny for me but I still enjoyed it. The fifth was just meh. Also a little bleak at the end. And I don't even know about the short story. The Young Zaphod short story was pretty weird. I'm not sure I got it.

Sara wrote: "Finished this! A few days past June, but still, I finished this monster. I was really enjoying the books at first. The first two were awesome. The third was pretty good. The fourth was getting a li..."

I didn't like the fifth one and the fourth one was going downhill for me as well. For me the first and third were the best :)

I’m on the third one now. So far I like the first one the most. The second one was kind of a chore to make myself read. The third one I’ve just started so don’t know what I think about it yet 🤓

Helene wrote: "I’m on the third one now. So far I like the first one the most. The second one was kind of a chore to make myself read. The third one I’ve just started so don’t know what I think about it yet 🤓"

I am looking forward to seeing what you think of the third one.

How is everyone here doing? I’m working my way through so long, and thanks for all the fish. I must admit that the first book was really amazing and I loved the humor and thought it hilarious but now I feel like it is a little bit used up even though it’s definitely still got funny bits in it. The shock value with the crazy just seems a bit much now? I don’t know. But what do the rest of you think?

Sara, I agree with you in that it’s sort of going downhill after the first one. It isn’t so much that I don’t find it funny anymore it’s more that it feels a bit like it’s been used up the kind of ridiculous and crazy humor or something.

Karin, I think I agree with you about the first and the third? Maybe, but I would only give five stars to the first one, then maybe 4 stars to the third. Second one gets 3 stars. Longing to finish this monster now though 😅

@Helene

I definitely felt like it was bit of a slog after the fourth one. Took awhile for me to make it through the fifth book. I kind of mildly enjoyed the fifth one I guess. But I don't know if I thought it was necessary. I think it could have safely ended on the third book or the fourth book and it would have been perfect. As you said, I think the shock factor just doesn't really work at a certain point and the humor sort of starts to fall flat and grow stale after the same joke has been repeated so many times.

Helene wrote: "Sara, I agree with you in that it’s sort of going downhill after the first one. It isn’t so much that I don’t find it funny anymore it’s more that it feels a bit like it’s been used up the kind of ..."

I can see that--humour is quite subjective.

Sara wrote: "@Helene

I definitely felt like it was bit of a slog after the fourth one. Took awhile for me to make it through the fifth book. I kind of mildly enjoyed the fifth one I guess. But I don't know if ..."

I disliked the fifth one and thought it unnecessary :)

I agree. After the fourth book there wasn’t any need for more I think. I finished it yesterday, and I’m happy I read it even though it felt a bit like Mount Everest on the last two books.

Has everyone finished now?