Contact

"Contact", by Carl Sagan. It's not "light" and "easy", but it ties our current world to future promise. And it has some wonderful storytelling and writing putting this into context. The main character, Ellie, is a superb and rich portrayal. Friends to whom I've recommended the book agree on this. If you've seen the movie, it's an ok Hollywood production. The book is much, much more.

I've read two books recently: * Contact by Carl Sagan I had previously seen the movie. The book (or rather the movie) takes a bit of a departure. The backgrounds on all the different characters as well as the political parts weren't that interesting to me. But overall the book was great. * We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse) by Dennis Taylor I'd suggest listening to it on Audiobook. Excellent read. Makes me want to buy the book and read through it again. I can't wait until the next one comes out in (March?) [0] https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=... (https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486236067&sr=8-1&keywords=contact+book) [1] https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/168068... (https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486235995&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+legion+we+are+bob)

Currently reading Carl Sagan's Contact. Loved the 1997 film with Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway. The book is a real treat.

Everything from Asimov. The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. The Culture books from Iain Banks. The Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while. The Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell. Contact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies. Brave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant. The first ones from Gibson. The Enter series by Orson Scott Card. Bradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic. Revelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.

* Anything by Cortázar. * Trainspotting, * Fight Club * Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact * Lord of the Rings * The Hobbit * And finally: Anything by Michael Ende: The Neverending Story, Momo (one of my faves).

Contact by Carl Sagan. I first read it as an adult and it took my breath away. The movie was a fair adaptation. Also, I like to read Ender's Game once a year or so.

Carl Sagan's "Contact" was surprisingly good, educational, and even a bit inspirational. The movie was only so-so, so don't let the movie put you off.