Happy Halloween!! And a Review From Kim
Happy Halloween! It is a Monday, so it’s a work day for Jessica, but we celebrated over the weekend watching scary movies! I love this time of year!!!! And we all know how much Kim loves it and seemingly celebrates year round with her collection of scary dolls!…..
In the spirit of the day, we bring you a review from Kim, this one a classic:
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury!
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Series: Green Town #2
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: September 17, 1962
293 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Book Description:
For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. Two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes…and the stuff of nightmares.
Few novels have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury’s unparalleled literary masterpiece Something Wicked This Way Comes. Scary and suspenseful, it is a timeless classic in the American canon.
Kim’s Review:
I just love Bradbury. He’s the true definition of a diverse author. So far we’ve seen sci-fi, political dystopia, and now soft horror.
While I admit that I didn’t get all the metaphors in this book, the plot and characters alone carry this book. They’re real and relatable and by the time you’re done, you want to live in Green Town every year at Halloween. Jim and Will are boys as boys should be. Their curiosity and courageous fear drive them through this story with reckless and responsible abandon. I know that sounds paradoxical, but isn’t that what little boys are?? And Mr. Halloway might be the most relatable character in literature. He works his way through reconciling his age with his position in life. And in the end, he is content. I really loved watching his journey and I love and respect him! I’ll admit that the carnival is where I get a little lost, but even without any complicated metaphors, the carousel is a terrifying prospect!!
Overall, this is a great Halloween read and I absolutely recommend it!!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: October 19, 1953
167 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
Kim’s Review:
Holy cow. This is the most terrifying read since 1984! Bradbury understands humanity like Orwell and Golding do. He’s not afraid to show man in his most gritty and ugly and realistic. Fahrenheit 451 is one that every high school student should be required to read before graduating. I spend the entire book either reading quotes aloud to Ivan or underlining every page. It’s actually easier to read than Lord of the Flies and 1984 and just as poignant. It should be experienced so if you haven’t read it, go do it right now!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: June 1, 1984
192 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
The strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences on Mars, filled with intense images and astonishing visions. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection.
The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.
But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.
Kim’s Review:
This is my first Bradbury book and it was brilliant!! Pretty sure ole Bradbury understands humanity to the same extent that Orwell did. The Martian Chronicles is a look at humanity as a whole and its effect on everything. Humans ruin Earth, so they go to Mars. Humans ruin Mars, so they start to miss Earth. Humans go back to Earth and they abandon Mars. And all of this is told in an anthology of stories, starting with early, unsuccessful expeditions to Mars. Oh and he definitely starts with Martians who in some ways, have the same problems as humans. It’s just a fascinating read from start to finish! And for being on the philosophical side, it’s surprisingly easy to read as well. Even those who don’t really like sci-fi, would like this book. This is one that I would require for high school students to read; there is much they could learn and use to make themselves better people. I loved it!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
