Dandelion Wine

A beautifully written reflection on mortality.

Bradbury trades a story-long plot for several shorter stories that are connected in some way to Douglas as he explores his life and mortality. Ultimately not the sort of book I would normally pick up, but nonetheless a very striking portrait of the fleeting nature of time.

“The first thing you learn in life is you're a fool. The last thing you learn in life is you're the same fool”

Collection of short stories that revolve around summer in Green Town, IL in 1928. Most of it is through the eyes of two little boys, Doug and Tom, who journal the happenings in the town as a bumper between all the stories. Some of the stories have supernatural elements to them but not all. It's a beautiful book that makes me feel nostalgic for times I never actually experienced.

I LOVE Bradbury's writing so much. He is one of my all time faves and this book is no exception. Something about how he writes is so deeply personal to me. Have you ever read the words of someone who saw the world through eyes so similar to your own?

One summer a young boy comes to the startling joyous realisation that he is alive. That same summer he also comes to the shocking terrible realisation that he will one day die. This book is the concentration of the mighty highs and lows of this one summer in Green Town and many of it's inhabitants. A series of interconnected short stories that make an effort to make a fleeting season eternal.

Everyone talks about how important it is to romanticise your life, if you wanna do it right learn from Ray Bradbury.

Stunning.