Thanks for spotting the typo, Phil! (all better now).
The Braling/Braling II relationship waxes and wanes, don't you know...
I do wonder at the relative inactivity of this thread. I'd guess our friends are reading; just not telling us about it.

I'm reading "The Illustrated Man" again, concurrent with "The Far Out Story of Vortex I" by Matt Love.
The former, of course, is just wonderful.
The latter is written in what I'll call a "data dump-anecdotal" style, but interesting.
I read some Sturgeon in the '70s and enjoyed his work. Perhaps I'll try those you've mentioned.
I do quite like his roe!
(sorry)

Also reading (on Dandy's recommendation) "The Girl Wo Owned A City", which, though classed as "juvenile fiction", is really quite well-written and thought-provoking...

I sort of stalled a little on Stranger In A Strange Land. I picked up The Color Purple from the back seat of my car where it had been for several months and started reading it and also got an old copy of The Stepford Wives which I also started and which, surprisingly is pretty good. I do read the most random stuff...

Rocky, are you still doing the leave-a-book-at-the-bus-stop thing (can't remember what you called it)?

I am periodically, haven't in about three weeks though. Maybe you've spurred me sir. It's bookcrossing.com. It's called releasing a book into the wild. It's a good feeling of karma at work.

quote:

Originally posted by rocket:
It's called releasing a book into the wild.

It's better than burning them!

I agree Doug!

Finished The Stepford Wives and I thought it was good. It moves very swift and I bit my nails throughout. Ironically it really reminded me of two of Bradbury's stories, Marrionette's Inc., and Downwind From Gettysburg.

quote:

Originally posted by rocket:
It's bookcrossing.com. It's called releasing a book into the wild. It's a good feeling of karma at work.

Sounds good. I haven't come across that one. There is an element within the Friends of the Library who give the donated to teachers free of charge, so we can replace the lost. Only Orleans does, not neighboring parishes.

Had a short chat the other night at The White Hart with Mr. Dickens. Seems he goes there rather than The Seven Poor Travelers because of his current health status. Although Mr. Clarke says it’s difficult to find, I can usually stumble on it by way of Brigadoon and Willoughby with a little help from my imagination, which I like to call The Bradbury Method.

I had just pulled my chair closer to the blazing fire and was lighting a cigar when Mr. Dickens came up, lit a cigar of his own and stood smoking it while leaning one elbow on the mantle.

“I understand you’re one of those Bradbury people,” he observed.

“Why yes, I am, sir. I’m Chapter 31.”

His smile was disarming and his attitude made me feel that he was intensely interested in my thoughts. “Well, Chap,” he said with a nod. “I hear (through my sources) that a clockwork person by the name of Bralling II, who frequents that group, has just read my ‘Little Dorrit’.”

“Why, yes. That’s so.”

“Positive impression?”

“Yes, sir. Very much so.”

“Seems a thoroughly fine fellow then, that Bralling II.”

I agreed adding that I had not read ‘Little Dorrit’ but was in the process of reading ‘Our Mutual Friend’ and that I was enjoying it very much when Mr. Dickens replied asking where I was in the book and I responded that I had just made the acquaintance of ‘The Person of the House’ and that I thought her a sad character wearing a Bradbury kind of mask to help her hide it whereupon Mr. Dickens puffed on his cigar, stared straight ahead and smiled.

He then announced that a friend of his (a fan of ‘Tom Sawyer’ named Clarence, who it was said enjoyed “being quick about it!”) was about to serve up some flaming rum punch and that it would be immensely gratifying if I could partake and join in on the generally good time and I replied that I would like to very much, and so we did.

ABOVE A DONKEY STABLE
SOUTH OF TROTWOOD COTTAGE, DOVER
June 6, 2007

SO! That's where you've been! The White Hart, eh? We've been looking in the dark and secret recesses of the Panic Room for our Mutual Friend, Chapter 31, but to no avail. So glad to have you back! "I know your tricks and your manners" now.
You'll love this book. Dickens, as you've doubtless discovered, takes about 300 pages to introduce the various characters, and about 300 more to intertwine their lives. Don't worry about The Doll's Dressmaker. I worry about The Schoolmaster, myself. Doesn't look well.
Well, great to see you again, Chap!
Please drop in more often.
I'm going to help Sloppy with the mangle for a bit just now...

I'm still vacationing in the Pokono's with Jubal and The Man From Mars plus various other beauties hanging about the pool. You have been sorely missed around the Bradbury combine sir! We spent many a dreary night around our hearth with nary a word listening to the cold rains all wondering how 31 is. Welcome back!

Thanks both for the comments, they are very welcome. Bralling II, you are right about the 300 pages, the book really does pick up about the beginning of Book II but nevertheless, every word is priceless. And Rocket, I can Grok what you are saying.

An additional report of the past day follows:

After renting a donkey, I set out in the morning toward Miss Trotwood’s, my purpose being to have some sport and give her an opportunity to take a turn about her park. There was a lovely kite flying overhead and the salty air coming up from the cliffs quickened my heart. Then, storming from the cottage, that excellent lady appeared sporting domestic weaponry waved over her head, so “I spurred my steed, charging across a fair field” at which point she demonstrated a backhand that would likely make a Wimbledon streaker wince and I was forced to retire. In short, my shoulders smart but I don’t think she hurt the donkey.

ABOVE A DONKEY STABLE
SOUTH OF TROTWOOD COTTAGE, DOVER
June 8, 2007

P.S.
This is a great thread that allows us to comment on what we are reading and it’s always a comfort to know that there are others out there enjoying the same books. I find it interesting that there are a lot of Science Fiction fans that like Sherlock Holmes and a surprising number of Ray Bradbury fans who like Dickens.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chapter 31,

I watched THE ABYSS with the family the other night and thought it was funny that the Ed Harris character is from the Bronx and the Mary E. Mastontonio character is a NYC Italiana. They're oil-riggers working in the Gulf of Mexico. Didn't feel true, it just didn't seem right. You know how Hollywood sticks to stereotypes. Well this goes totally against that tendency. Two people from Hell's kitchen concrete jungle out on an oil rig? Should be Texans, right? Or from California, the Carolinas, New Orleans, The Bayou, The Florida Everglades... but New York City--never.

So I decided to read the book by Orson Scott Card. The Ed Harris character IS a Texan in the book. His wife is still NYC Italiana. But, she's trying to get as far from her messed up childhood roots as possible. So, she's on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Here's a Bradbury tie-in.

I recently read Isaac Asimov's fourth and final autobiography entitled I, ASIMOV. Yeah, he loved talking about his favorite subject. In the book Asimov doesn't hold back in his critism or dislike of many people. In other writings he was always jovial and good-natured, but The Good Doctor was really sick while writing this and he knew it would be his final project.

One person Asimov did say something nice about was our fearless leader Ray Bradbury. Asimov said that all science fiction writers mimic, to some extent, one of their own favorite writers, everyone has one big influence. He says it's just something odd and endemic of the genre. Asimov then said that there was one exception to the rule. He said Ray Bradbury has always written with his own voice.

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I'm reading Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. It's heavy duty but like listening to Neil Young in that as you read about the sheer depths of her misery, you can't help feeling that at least I don't have it near a fraction that bad. I can't put it down amidst the seven or eight other books I'm into at the moment, which I didn't think I did but evidently I do now. Hmm.

FOCUS, grasshopper, focus!!!

I'm reading three at the moment, myself. I don't know why.

Today I picked up DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? and I'll probably dig through this thread to find Robo-Rocket's thoughts on the book, as I recall you reading it a while back.

I found another copy of "HIGH CASTLE" the other day and considered buying it, before remembering the agony of trying to read it the first time. I still haven't come across a copy of DAVY. I think i got the better of THAT deal. Neener, neener, neener.

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