I read this originally way back when I was a sophomore in high school, and I reread it now for my library system's staff book club. I remember quite liking it then, but I read it mainly because it was one of those big, important books that I felt like I should read. This time around, I was struck by the inherent pleasantness with which Adams wrote, a kind of good-natured smart-assedness that approaches horrible things with a humor by which you can't help but be charmed. (In reading reviews, I also realized that this is a smart book that makes stupid people think that it's stupid, which is a fun thing to observe.)