On various fronts. The overarching subject, the sense of hopelessness, helplessness and despair, the long-winded, meandering way the story is told (which is on par with the idea that it is a stream-of-conscience recount), and the purpose way in which this guy's obliviousness is made plain (and cringe-inducing) for the reader (and the teller).

Found it brilliant, at points boring and quite maddening.

Oh, and I leave it with a feeling akin to what Catcher in the Rye left me.

The carnival comes to town, and it's a strange one. Not just because it's late in the year, or sets up at nigh. Like all carnivals, it promises magic, and magic there is. The kind that grants that most typical wish. Like most things one could want, one should beware of getting it.

In a fit of magical coincidence, this one could very well be the spiritual successor of Summer Wine: Greenville, autumn, and after the immortality of childhood, and the awakening self-awareness of twelve, the rush and hunger to grow of early adolescence.

A highly atmospheric, imaginative, spooky tale of friendship, coming of age, connecting, and loving the time you have now. At times it got too long-winded for my taste, it detracted from the action parts with detours, or confused me with metaphors, but for the most part I loved it, the emotions it pulled, the characters (the boys as much as the villains).

*pleased sigh* So gorgeous.

Dandelion Wine is a beautiful, whimsical love letter to those memories of summer that are so vivid, so powerful, we can feel the baking sun, the weight and smell of the air, the joy and lassitude when we recall them.

It goes from one episode to the next fluidly and with little warning, connecting and weaving them. Add in Bradbury's style and the result is a bit like dreams, a bit like memories, introspective, nostalgic and at points philosophical.

There were episodes to pull every shade of emotion, and I loved so many of them I'd have serious trouble picking a favorite. Grandma's cooking made me so hungry and also miss my grandfather very much. Colonel's Freeleigh's bits and John's departure made me tear a bit. I laughed out loud with the witch debacle. Lavinia's had me switch between cheering on and wanting to thump her, and scared me quite a bit. And the lime-vanilla ice-cream one! So many tangled feels!

It was an excellent read to savor, and one I'll revisit.

This is a very well put together collection. What I mean is, almost a third in, it was good, but not awesome. Too much male perspective, maybe. But then it kept getting better an better, and I finished it very satisfied. Not as good as "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", but better than "Skeleton Crew" in my love vs meh stories ratio.

Autopsy Room Four: Weird mix between humorous and harrowing. Likely most of the laughs were out of sheer adrenaline.

The Man in The Black Suit: Childhood nightmare. That dialogue was... *shudder*

All that you love will be carried away: Dreary. Reminded me of Road-work, and his Bachman's writing.

The Death of Jack Hamilston: I guess this one goes in the same bunch with "The Fifth Quarter", but even more "The Wedding Gig". Not my thing.

In the Deathroom: Lots of testosterone on this one too, but it was awesome.

It occurred to Fletcher that in the end there might only be one way to tell the thugs from the patriots: when they saw their own death rising in your eyes like water, patriots made speeches. The thugs, on the other hand, gave you the number of their Swiss bank account and offered to put you on-line.

And that great line. I'm sure I've read it before, but I can't remember where.

The Little Sisters of Eluria: Bitter-sweet spoiler. Another reminder that I have to get this saga once and for all. And a big time *Ick!*

Everything is Eventual: So disturbing, to read what the young guy says, but to also read between the lines, waiting for the other shoe to drop for him too. "Firestarter" world?

Theory of Pets: I almost busted something laughing. Then it turns on you. Loved it.

Road Virus Heads North: Revisited themes.

Lunch at the Gotham Café: It misleads you very nicely. It was great.

That Feeling, You Can Only Say What it is in French: Jesus! (yeah, terrible irony). This one was the best and most disturbing for me.

1408: King going Lovecraftian on you.

Riding the Bullet: Starts disturbing, gets harrowing, ends... bittersweet?

Luckey Quarter: That was depressing. I also kept wondering if she was an addict.

Found it! Finally!

I'd lost this volume going a third in, and couldn't find it even after putting the house on rear end and back again. As it usually happens, I found it about a month after I gave up, in a perfectly reasonable spot.

Anyway, onto the book itself: It used to be one of my mom's favorites on her early adolescence, which she recently found buried among a a bunch of thing of my grandparents. She cajoled me into reading it, and it was a good thing I gave in.

This collection's short stories aren't such as much as introspective vignettes, character studies more than plot, and while many would find that detracting, their excellency turns this volume into a great book.

The theme, while not overt, I would say is uprooting and estrangement. Plus a dose of coming of age in many cases. Very much autobiographic, as the author was an Italian immigrant.

It's a quick read, bittersweet, even depressing at times, if beautifully written. Very much worth it.