I mostly love this book for the sake of my old B. Dalton co-worker, who owns and has read more books than any person I've ever met. He's got an incredible library, probably 100,000 books. At least, last time I checked.

Anyway, I love Phileas Fogg and Fix and Passpartout and Aouda. They have lots of fun adventures in their 80 days. This would make a great movie, but one that stays true to the book instead of the weird iterations that go off on tangents.

Likes: Phileas is a wonderful character. His un-flapability is legend in our family. Each of his outrageous adventures around the world gives me a smile.

Dislikes: I did end up skimming some of sections that get into the details of distance and the route. Someone should put this route in google maps so I can just look at it. Also it was interesting to see how the author treated mormons, which is typical of the culture and feelings of the time it was written. And, interestingly, some of the ideas persist to this day. Passpartout felt sorry for the mormon men who married more than one mormon woman, because they were all pretty ugly and seemed pretty shrewish besides. That cracked me up! Except when I think how the women in that era really were raped and killed (and had their homes burned down, their men and children hurt or killed, their animals and other livelihood stolen) in Missouri and it's actually pretty sad that even in fantastic literature they can't get a break. Of course it doesn't do to put modern ideas on old classics, but I can't help but feel sorry for Aouda, doomed to be acted upon and never to act, and always the victim of her circumstances, but maybe someone can write a sequel where the fortune that Fogg leaves to her disposal gives her a modicum of independence and will to act.