A week ago, I posted about the ever growing stack of novels on my bedside table.

It occurred to me that my opinions on these novels make for excellent blog fodder, and so I offer you a quick review of the most recently finished work from what I’ve termed The Stack.

People who know me really well should appreciate the huge leap it took on my part to approach reading a novel that might be categorized as science fiction.  I chose Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because, frankly, I found the movie slightly amusing and thought the novel was probably a good read.  I was right.  Sort of.

Completion of the novel solidly proves that (1) the movie was actually really awful and (2) this is a perfect example of why watching a movie is never a viable substitute for reading a book.

Unless we’re talking about Twilight.

The late Douglas Adams was a hilarious writer, injecting dry wit and a sense of irony that is both ordinary and brilliant into a  great premise.

After the Earth is destroyed by a bureaucratic alien race called the Vogons to make way for a hyperspatial freeway, Arthur Dent, our anti-hero, is saved by his friend Ford Prefect, an incognito visitor from another planet.

Ford, who also happens to be a contributing writer to The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Arthur subsequently fall in with a cast of quirky characters, including a hilariously depressed robot.  I mean, really, why would someone create a robot personality that was depressed?  Little things like this is what makes the book really enjoyable.  I particularly respect how this work pokes fun at its own genre in a pretty obvious way and doesn’t in any way, remotely, not at all, never ever takes itself seriously.

I purchased the Complete Hitchiker’s Guide which includes all four of Adams’s novels, but I only finished the first.  Mostly because I have a whole bunch of other books I want to read first.  I’m definitely going to come back to it, though, so I highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for something light, clever and generally funny.

Next in “The Stack”?  Stephen King’s On Writing.  Yes, I am aware of how trite that is.  Thanks.

I’m about two thirds the way through.  So far, so brilliant.

From On Writing (p. 127):

I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.  If one is writing for one’s own pleasure, that fear may be mild — timidity is the word I’ve used here.  If, however, one is working under deadlines… that fear may be intense.  Dumbo got airborne with the helo of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason.  Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t need the  feather, the magic was in him.

I love my iPhone.  But, it’s time to let it go.

I have come to loathe AT&T.

Those of you who have AT&T are familiar with the reasons why, and those of you who are not with AT&T should be congratulated on being able to hang on to your innocence for this long.

I will not rant on my blog about how completely uncompetitive the rates are, how I was essentially punished for purchasing an iPhone back before 3G and 3Gs, (I realize Apple is more the culprit here than AT&T), how AT&T pretends like it can’t get me a better deal on my plan because Apple won’t let them or how the service is so crappy that my phone doesn’t work in my own house even though I have called them several times to let them know and they have told me for the past five years that they are “working on it.”

I will simply take my business elsewhere to a company that will provide me with a competitive plan and with service in my area.  Like, I don’t know, Verizon.

Dear Internet, meet my new phone.

AT&T?  Can you hear me now?

Anyone else out there using the new Android?  Did you used to have an iPhone?  Care to share your thoughts about the difference?