Not my favorite of his collections, but still weird and entertaining. ( )

Reconnected with Ray Bradbury with this book of short stories. Most of it listened to on family car trips. His ideas were prescient. He is able to capture the magic childhood and the sadness of realizing its fading away into memories.
( )

the short stories are very hit-or-miss ( )

'First Day' *** A man suddenly recalls that he and his 3 best friends from school agreed to meet at the flagpole in front of the high school at noon in 50 years. Will he be the only one who shows up, as his wife suggests?

'Heart Transplant':***1/2 One half of a cheating couple in a hotel room wistfully thinks it would be nice if they could fall in love with their spouses again.

'Quid Pro Quo': ***1/2 A man who doesn't know why he built a time machine finds a use for it.

'After the Ball': ***1/2 One of several elderly couples who've had a night of ballroom dancing might get more than the man thought they would.

'In Memoriam': **** A mother is worried about her husband, and that father can't let go.

'Tête-à-Tête':**** Two writers listen to an elderly couple who sit on the same bench every night, always arguing.

'The Dragon Danced at Midnight' (original title, 'The Year the Glop Monster Won the Golden Lion at Cannes)':***** Two makers of bad films get their big break.

'The Nineteenth':*** a man is driving along when he spots an old man searching for lost golf balls.

'Beasts':***1/2 a man is fool enough to call a phone number his supposed friend gives to him.

'Autumn Afternoon':*** An old woman and her small niece differ in their opinion about whether or not to save a calendar page. The autumn-hating aunt decides to clean out her attic.

'Where All Is Emptiness There Is Room to Move'*** A young man visits the supposedly deserted town of Santo Domingo in Mexico.

'One-Woman Show':***1/2 A critic gushes to a versatile actress' husband about how lucky he is to be married to her.

'The Laurel and Alpha Centauri Farewell Tour': *** Sweet for Laurel and Hardy fans, not sure how readers unfamiliar with that comic duo would react.

'Leftovers': *** Ralph Fentriss is the kind of person who listens to troubled souls. His wife, Emily, isn't.

'One More For the Road': *** a would-be author thinks he has an idea for the perfect book. How does that work out for him and his publisher?

'Time Intervening': **** an old man, a boy, a young man, and some little children keep meeting.

'The Enemy in the Wheat': ** The man expects to be killed, but he won't move.

'Fore':* Glenn Foray allows a very upset man to continue hitting golf balls long after the course closes. He decides to find out why the man is so upset, jumps to a conclusion and, without truly verifying his suspicion, avenges. Sorry (not really), Mr. Bradbury, I think Foray should be arrested.

'My Son, Max':* a man who can read lips checks out a family conversation that's the sequel to one he checked out a year ago. A verbal bombshell was dropped then, another now. My sympathies are with the son, who doesn't owe his father what his father wants from him.

'The F. Scott/Tolstoy/Ahab Accumulator':***The time machine creator has a new mission. I notice that he didn't even think of helping Jane Austen, whose fatal illness is treatable today.

'Well, What do You Have to Say For Yourself?':* Reading this story after reading 'Fore' made me angry. The former medical librarian in me wants to warn the lady in the story to make sure the cad has no nasty infections before giving him an answer.

'Diane de Forêt': **** A man is in danger of being locked in a Paris graveyard for the night when he comes upon the exquisite tomb of Diane of the Forest.

'The Cricket on the Hearth': They're supposed to be good luck. Amusing and sad. I understand the wife's sentiments at the end.

'Afterward: Metaphors, the Breakfast of Champions':*** Interesting explanations.

Bottom Line: I'll forgive the stories I detested/hated for the sake of the few stories I loved. ( )

Well, I got into Bradbury a little later in life, but I've really enjoyed his work. Typically, really imaginative and riveting. I guess that's why this only received three stars. It wasn't bad writing - I don't think that's possible by Bradbury. But the stories were a bit mundane and I guess I was just hungry for something else. No rocket-ships, no sinister characters, no otherworldly beings, really, for the most part, the stories could have been non-fiction in most of the cases (a couple of exceptions). It just wasn't what I was expecting, or what I really wanted right then. But, the writing as always at least, was topnotch. ( )