u/mynaj564

I’d walked past The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at Crossword so many times that the title was basically rent-free in my head. I finally bought a copy(cuz why not). I got home and was barely two pages in before I was completely hooked.

It’s easily one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.

There are so many absurd moments and bits that genuinely cracked me up, like the intergalactic soul-crushing bureaucracy, like Marvin, the depressed robot, or the fact that hyper-intelligent mice were >!actually running Earth as a massive experiment!<. Then you have the number 42 >!being the answer but no one knew what the question was!<, the immortal alien traveling the universe to insult everyone in alphabetical order, Ford Prefect trying to pay an alien bar bill with an American Express card, the person/alien/beast who keeps getting killed in every rebirth by >!Dent!<, and SO much more Also, krikkit.

In true Adam's fashion the trilogy has five books loll.

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

3. Life, the Universe and Everything

4. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

5. Mostly Harmless is such a wild journey. .

I will say, the third book felt pretty different tonally. It wasn’t as funny and felt a lot more plot-heavy, but it still fits into the bigger picture.

And as funny as the whole series is, the actual ending in Mostly Harmless is shockingly bleak, like VERY dark compared to how silly it starts out.

If you’ve been eyeing it for a while, just read it. It's a very simple read.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Juyt finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and honestly, the best way to describe the whole experience is like going on a 400-page acid trip.

At first, it definitely a bit difficult to get a handle on. The cast of characters is massive, and pretty much every single guy is named some variation of José Arcadio or Aureliano. But once you stop trying to fight it, you realize that's actually the magic of the whole thing. You can't approach this book with cold logic or try to map out every detail like a traditional story. You just have to sit back, surrender to the madness, and let the story flow over you.

The magical realism is on another level entirely. One minute someone is casually ascending into the skies while folding laundry, or geting followed everywhere by a swarm of yellow butterflies, or turning into a snake. The next minute, you’re reading about the brutal reality of firing squads, military massacres, and the systematic destruction of an entire family lineage. Then you’ve got the gypsies and Melquíades' mysterious prophecy, that >!can only actually be read at the exact moment it comes to pass.!<

As for the writing style, the actual prose isn't overly complex or filled with obscure words. However, Márquez loves writing insanely long sentences and dense paragraphs. It takes a second to get used to the rhythm of it, but once you catch the momentum, it carries you right along.

Oddly enough, finishing this book finally made me understand the actual weight behind that line from True Detective Season 1"Time is a flat circle." The way generations repeat the exact same mistakes, names, and fates in Macondo captures that concept perfectly. You'll definitely get what I mean once you read it.

Overall, if you want something bizarre, hypnotic, and totally unique, I can't recommend it enough. Make sure to bookmark the family tree page, because you will 100% get lost in all the Arcadios and Aurelianos without one.

Anyone here read the book? What did you think?

​I’ll start.

​I am absolutely in love with the Casio Edifice EFB series. On paper, they have to be the ultimate king of value for money under 10k. You get a sapphire crystal, solid link integrated bracelets, great brushed dials, and 100m water resistance.

​However... I just can't bring myself to buy one because I absolutely abhor the edifice logo.

​I’ve tried so hard to look past it, but I just can't make myself ignore it. It’s weird, the font is pretty bad, and it completely ruins the clean, sharp look of the dial. It’s a rare, frustrating case where a tiny design detail completely triumphs over otherwise perfect specs. I want to love it so bad, but that logo stops me dead in my tracks.

​What is that one petty, irrational, or frustrating watch opinion you hold that stops you from buying something you otherwise love?

My brain is honestly turned to mush right now, but in a good way.

​The book was a total page turner from start to finish. Once I picked it up, I had such a hard time putting it down (literally stayed up way too late last night because I couldn't stop reading). Blake Crouch had the exact same affect on me when I read Dark Matter. The guy just knows how to write stuff that moves a mile a minute.

​I'll admit it got a bit confusing at times with all the memory stuff and jumping back and forth through different timelines. Had to pause a few times just to figure out what was actually happening lol. But overall, it's a solid sci-fi thriller that kept me right on the edge of my seat. It clanesed my palette perfectly too, which was exactly what I needed after finishing The Grapes of wrath.

Trying to figure out what to dive into next. I'm torn between two totally different books: 100 years of solitude or Blood meridian.

I have ordered Planet Ocean 42 VSF from Steve. Before I get the QC pictures, I just wanted to confirm how I would confirm the pictures that are sent are a VSF model and not a VS+? Is there a serial number that only VSF uses? Are there any other tells? Will share the album here for QC once I receive them.

Just turned the last page of The Grapes of Wrath and I’m honestly hollowed out. A total gut punch. Every time you think the Joad's hit rock bottom, there's more.

Those short side chapters completely blee me away. I literally felt scammed by the car dealers and felt the heat in the roadside camps. Like chapter 3 with the turtle getting run over but just... flipping back over and keeping going. Such a perfect metaphor for the working class.

Plus the "Monster" banks Steinbeck describes feel very modern. It's the exact same corporate greed destroying regular people today, just with different tech.

And that ending. Jesus. A brutal gut punch but somehow the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing ever. Like a lone match struck in a pitch black room. It doesnt fix anything but it keeps the dark from winning. (This last sentence was inspired by the movie Satluj. If you haven't watched it, you must!)

Ma Joad is now officially in my top 5 literary characters.

Correct answers will get a lifetime supply of zubaan kesari.

Been seeing a lot of longines posts. Reminded me of this meme loll