The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I wanted to reread this before going to see the movie, but now the movie is out of the first-run theaters, so I may just wait for the DVD. I first read this book long, long ago. I don't know how old I was, but I was quite young and ready to move beyond Ramona the Pest. So I timidly ventured upstairs in the library to the grown-up books (where I'd been many times before, of course, but just to find my parents after I finished in the children's section; this time I was a patron of those books). This book was one of the first grown-up books I read. Of course, "grown-up book" could be debated. All I remembered now was that I liked it.

And having now read it as an adult, I still like it. It's hilarious. A friend was reading it, and she said that this was totally my sense of humor. My goodness, she was right: a little twisted, a little bizarre, and a lot of sci-fi. I wonder if it played any role in shaping my sense of humor, but probably not - it's probably just coincidence. Or a perfect match. Or something. But I love this book.

"The mice will see you now." HA!!!

Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt by Lionel Casson

In preparation for my trip the Egypt later this year, I'm trying to learn all about the history of Egypt (since it is the historical sites we are focusing on during our trip). I'm also studying Egyptian Arabic. I'd like to find a book on modern Egyptian culture, but I haven't come across one yet.

This book, though, is the first in my attempts to learn about what I will soon see. It's an interesting overview of ancient Egyptian life, and I enjoyed reading it. It's short - only 146 pages - and briefly goes over the different parts of society: family, women, the different jobs (doctors, scribes, craftsmen, grunts). It also covers religion and history. That much info, covering all of different ages, means it is definitely an overview/introduction book. However, that's pretty much was I'm looking for at this point, so it met my needs.