Review ~ The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

Title: The Illustrated Man
Author: Ray Bradbury
Pages: 281
Published: 2012

Summary:
The Illustrated Man, a seminal work in Ray Bradbury’s career, whose extraordinary power and imagination remain undimmed by time’s passage, is available from Simon & Schuster for the first time. A peerless American storyteller, Ray Bradbury brings wonders alive. In these eighteen startling visions of humankind’s destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin, living cities take their vengeance, technology awakens the most primal natural instincts, and dreams are carried aloft in junkyard rockets. Provocative and powerful, The Illustrated Man is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth—as exhilarating as interplanetary travel, as maddening as a walk in a million-year rain, and as comforting as simple, familiar rituals on the last night of the world.

Thoughts: 

This is an interesting concept and one that of my first Ray Bradbury books that I stumbled across (thank you Criminal Minds) the whole idea behind tattoos that come to life and tell the a story is fantastic. Then add to that story that this book has at least 12 different stories within a story and SOLD. Each of the stories within this book are unique and interesting. There was one about if the "blacks of the south" had all moved to Mars and now a white man came to visit them what would happen. There was one about the final thoughts of a space crew whose ship is broken apart and they are floating through space and what would be going through your mind. The story that takes place on Venus was amazing and how the rain drove them to madness. Needless to say the sheer number of stories that are wrapped within the one massive story is brilliant and each story made me think, made me want to put myself in that story. I loved each one and few were not as favorite as the others. I wanted to meet the tattoo man and then the ending WOW just pure genius I have to say I didn't see that coming and I love the idea behind the book. It has made me want to read everything that Ray Bradbury has put out. Then I realized this is the same author of Fahrenheit 451 and my mind was blown even further. I am now slowly making my way through his whole book list because this was a genius book and I am in amazement of this storytelling genius. 

Facebook Meme ~ Day 7

So recently there was a meme on Facebook where the person picks 7 books no explanation no reason just pick a book and spread the love. Instead I thought I would put the 7 books here over the week and explain why I picked them

Day 7

Summary

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. 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 then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people did not live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

Reason:

Again another book I read in high school and never fully appreciated until I was out of school. I ended up forgetting about this book until I read the Illustrated Man by the same author then I watched an HBO special with Michael B Jordan as the lead and thought wait a minute I remember that book. Now that I am older and of course taking the state of political unrest the country is in I really enjoyed the show and I love that it was different then the book. I also really enjoyed re-reading the book. It is definitely a book I recommend to everyone it is a book that is meant for you to read and it is a book that is made to make you think.

Facebook Meme ~ Day 4

So recently there was a meme on Facebook where the person picks 7 books no explanation no reason just pick a book and spread the love. Instead I thought I would put the 7 books here over the week and explain why I picked them

Day 4

Summary:
A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.
Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

Reason:
This book actually took me by surprise and I am not sure what I expected when I picked it up but I was not expecting a religious book, life book, and a relatable book wrapped into a neat little package about a shepherd boy. I didn't expect to laugh, cry, or highlight as much as I did in this book and I did not expect to enjoy or relate to this boy as much as I did. The parts about the personal journey for some reason really got to me. Especially those he ran into that gave up on their personal journeys and lost their personal treasures or the hope of finding them along the way. I really connected to this book and really have wanted everyone to read it to gather from it what their own personal journey is and where their own journeys can take them. 

Facebook Meme ~ Day 3

So recently there was a meme on Facebook where the person picks 7 books no explanation no reason just pick a book and spread the love. Instead I thought I would put the 7 books here over the week and explain why I picked them

Day 3

Summary: 
Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come. 

Reason:
I was blown away by this book especially for it being a young adult novel. This book literally gripped me from the first page and I turned into one of those people at midnight waiting for a book release at a store for the next one. I enjoyed every page. Learning about this school, learning about Harry, his friends, his life, and oh my gosh just the world that JK Rowling invented a world that you can't help but escape into and want to belong to. A world where everything is different so you just can't help but want to learn and get more information. As the kids grow up you want to be there for them. You hurt with them, you love with them and you laugh with them. Also in this world you learn with them and you have your favorites that you fight for and about with anyone else who is a Potterhead. This book started a community around the world and no matter where I go if someone mentions something related to the book you know that you are going to be friends no matter what the age and this is something that is rare in the book world. 

Facebook Meme ~ Day 2

So recently there was a meme on Facebook where the person picks 7 books no explanation no reason just pick a book and spread the love. Instead I thought I would put the 7 books here over the week and explain why I picked them

Day 2

Summary: 
Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.

Reason:
Frankenstein was one of those books again that I read as a teenager. Sadly this one did not  stick with me it wasn't until I was older and listened to it on audio book that something clicked with me this time. I was really impressed with it and I am not sure why but for some reason the first time I listened to the audio I just loved it. The second time I read the book I connected with Frankenstein's monster on a level I hadn't anticipated. The third time through I decided to watch Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the monster and it resounded even more with me which then caused me to read it again with new and fresh eyes and understanding. Needless to say since that I have read it at least once every other month or so with each time learning a new thing about the book, the creator and the monster. 

Facebook Meme ~ Day 1

So recently there was a meme on Facebook where the person picks 7 books no explanation no reason just pick a book and spread the love. Instead I thought I would put the 7 books here over the week and explain why I picked them

Day 1

Summary:
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life--the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language--and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written

Reason:

I picked 1984 by George Orwell simply because I first read it in high school and absolutely fell in love with it. Something about the story caught me at a young age and actually did something that the books before this never did... it made me think. Every time I read this book I find something else about it that makes me think. Every stage in life or different age I go through this life relates to me in a different way. I really enjoy this book and I love how it relates to different life stages or political atmospheres and environments. 

How about you have you read this one? What were your thoughts?