Rating: 3 stars.

I enjoyed this, and it was a quick read. I like the format, with a mixture of narrative, interviews and news stories, as it made for an interesting read and let me start to piece together the story before it was explained through the narrative. It was a little maniacal and complicated in parts, with a jumpy writing style that created a really engaging atmosphere but did mean I had to reread passages to find the actual explanation. I do think that I'd have found it more confusing and difficult to understand if I hadn't seen the movie to thread together the overall plot.

I did go into this knowing it wasn't one of his strongest books, though, and I'm looking forward to reading some more of Stephen King's work. He definitely creates a better atmosphere and a more addictive writing style than most writers.

“The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.”

Rating: 4 stars

It's easy to see why this is such a classic. I listened to the audible version, read by Stephen Fry, and it was an enjoyable few hours listening. Hitchhiker's Guide was exactly what I've been led to believe it was: a silly, enjoyable romp through space. The plot is nonsensical, the characters are ridiculous and the writing is just fun. Stephen Fry brings the right amount of silly joviality to Douglas Adam's brilliant writing, and at times I found myself sat on the bus listening to this and giggling to myself like a madwoman.

I will certainly read the rest of the series, though probably not until I've chunked through the rest of my tbr pile that's threatening to topple, and I think it's more than likely I'll read this again someday in the text itself, to see how different the experience is to read it myself rather than have it read to me.

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

Rating: 4 stars

I was adamantly sure I'd read this book, but decided to 'reread' it as it's on my bucket list challenge and it's not too long. About two-thirds of the way through I decided that I was wrong, and I definitely haven't picked it up, but it's pretty appropriate to have false memories of reading 1984.

I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely an interesting read. It's a dense read, complicated and threaded with its own dialect that you need to learn fast to keep up with the rest of the novel, but the world that Orwell saw is a fascinating one, and I absolutely see why this has a place in every 'must read' list. Orwell's dystopian world-building is incredible, and his view of the world and the possibility of the future pulled absolutely no punches. This book deserves all the praise it gets, and I think I'll be thinking of it for a long time.