The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

"Don't Panic" reads the sticker on the cover of the book. Earth gets destroyed by an alien race and Arthur Dent, a human has lost his home and planet and is now travelling in space with Ford, an alien. Arthur is in a state of panic and doesn't have an idea where they are, what to do when they catch up with Ford's cousin, Zaphod and travel to Magrathea, a planet that is just getting out of a hibernation after the planet real estate industry crashed. On this planet they meet a planet designer, who narrates the story of "The Deep Thought" computer and it's "Answer to the Question of Life" (the one whose answer is 42!).

This is a damn hilarious book but with a very thin story. It makes for a great reading when one is down and doesn't want to spend any grey cells.