You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

One of the group reads for October is Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Please discuss the book in this thread.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book before or during October 2015.
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread.

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions.
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

I hope you have a spooky read!

I read this for another group I'm in (Books Stephen King Recommends) and it was a very enjoyable book and made for a great discussion as I recall. I will be watching this thread with interest and if I can remember anything, I will jump in and contribute.

As discussed in the nomination thread, this book is marked as #2 in the Green Towns series but it is a stand alone book so don't let this put you off reading it if you haven't read #1.

I may try this one.

This one is already waiting for me at the library counter.

I remember highlighting so many passages in this book for their beauty.

Sarah wrote: "As discussed in the nomination thread, this book is marked as #2 in the Green Towns series but it is a stand alone book so don't let this put you off reading it if you haven't read #1."

Good to know, I was just noticing that and wondering if I should read the first book before this one. I'm hoping I can find a copy so I can join in this discussion.

I've got my library's ebook ready and waiting.

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes

this is going to be 3rd book I've read by Bradbury. First one was Dandelion Wine and second Fahrenheit 451. Both was good and quite different in style so I've high hopes for this one. :)

I'm also going to read this one.

Bradbury is one of my favorite authors, but somehow, I've never read this book. I think I remember seeing a TV movie or something about it when I was a kid, because I have vague memories of the story.

Fun fact: the "Green Town Series" is based on Bradbury's childhood hometown, Waukegan, IL. It's a northern suburb of Chicago, nearly on the Wisconsin border. I went to a small, weird little school in Waukegan (Shimer College, which has since relocated to Chicago). My Waukegan and Bradbury's Waukegan are very different. I'm looking forward to reading this this month.

I knew Green Town was based on his home town but I didn't know where his home town was.

I am almost positive I read Something Wicked many, many years ago, but I am going to read it with you guys, as soon as I get my hands on a copy.

re Dandelion Wine

from wiki

While none of the characters in Dandelion Wine reappear in Something Wicked This Way Comes, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade can be viewed as one-year older representations of Dandelion Wine's Douglas Spaulding and John Huff, respectively

Got it. I will download it tonight!

I'll be listening to this one read by Paul Hecht - does that count? This will be a new experience for me since I usually read books.

Joan wrote: "I'll be listening to this one read by Paul Hecht - does that count? This will be a new experience for me since I usually read books."

Sure, Joan. You can listen to an audio book version. It was still written by Ray Bradbury. For this group, audio or reading it in print applies. For audio books, the page count defaults to the print version that comes up in the search for the title. Same for ebooks.

Sarah wrote: "I knew Green Town was based on his home town but I didn't know where his home town was."

We jokingly called it the arm pit of Illinois. It has a diner on every corner, and they all sell Gyros. Many late night discussions in those diners. Also had a video delivery store...until it burned down.

Was the video store hit by lightning? I have read about thirty pages now, and the writing is certainly "atmospheric."

LOL, no! That's be great if it had been.

I quite liked Dandelion Wine and plan to participate in reading Something Wicked This Way Comes.

I've only read the prologue so far. I think I will actually start the book tomorrow or Tuesday.

Cool that you're so closely connected to the town Lynda :)

I'm halfway done with it.

At first I liked the prose but after some time it got annoying.

Anna, I'm a little over half-way through, and I have some idea what you mean about the prose. Mostly, I think it is wonderful. There is so much sensory description. The author not only tells us what we would see if we were there, but also what we would hear and smell. And frequently the sights and sounds are mixed together in a single phrase, like "the door gasped open." There are times when it gets to be little much, but that is usually when the author is building suspense, and I just want to know what is happening.

Participating by happenstance...this is one of my favorite October reads and I just found out yesterday that my wife has never read it before...so we started today

I've read the first 9 chapters in the train this morning. I liked it but I'm super stressed about work and it's a whirlwind in my head of things I still need to do and shouldn't forget (even making lists doesn't help) and that affects my reading too. I feel like I should hurry and rush through the book but that makes it less enjoyable.

Peggy, parts of the book encourage you to rush. I had planned on spreading out my reading more, but then I read over half of the book yesterday, so I guess I will be finishing it today.

I got the paperback from my daughter this morning. I'll start reading right away.

Casceil wrote: "Anna, I'm a little over half-way through, and I have some idea what you mean about the prose. Mostly, I think it is wonderful. There is so much sensory description. The author not only tells us ..."

There are some truly beautiful sentences. I love this one

He ran leaving patterns, ran feeling crazy fine, wild as a hare who has chewed some secret, delicious, sweetly poisonous root that now gallops him berserk.

Sadly all these metaphors and purple prose is taking away my enjoyment from the actual story.

But as you said (and I notice many other reviewers said the same) the story is very atmospheric. Perhaps I'll have better luck with The October Country

I finished the book this morning. Overall, I liked it very much and I am glad to have read it. I particularly liked the way the author handled the developing relationship between Will and his father. The friendship between Will and Jim was another strong point of the book. Since many people have not finished the book, I will wait a bit to attempt to discuss specific things that happen in the book.

I read several chapters and left the boys at home after their trip to the library. Will just discovered he had Jim's book and Jim was thinking that he would crawl up and remove the lightning rod.

It has been a long time since I read Bradbury. Now, I remember why. Not that I do not like his stories, but he always leaves me feeling like I must be missing something - at least he used to.

Cherie I liked this the first time I read it, but loved it the second time. I think I listened first and read second. Either way once you know the story line if you read it again you will find so many more favorite lines or quotes. I recommend reading this one again. Well I will probably read it many more times. And Dandelion wine. I love them both

Travis of NNY wrote: "Cherie I liked this the first time I read it, but loved it the second time. I think I listened first and read second. Either way once you know the story line if you read it again you will find so..."

Now that I own all three of the Green Town books, I am sure I will read and re-read them. If not, I am sure my daughter will. I agree with you about reading it again. He is so clever at hiding things. Did you notice, that he even tooted his own horn by mentioning The Illustrated Man on his circuis flyer?

It was actually this book that led me to have enough ibterest to read the Illustrated Man. That is one book I won't be re-reading

I'm jealous of everyone who gets to start reading this, I'm still waiting on a copy from the library. Bradbury is one of my favorite authors, and reading The Illustrated Man in high school is what turned me on to sci fi, a fact I will be forever grateful for.

Struggling with the audio-book, my library did not have a hard copy. The separate voices and personalities are not conveyed by the reader Paul Hecht

So much of the book is about the interactions between Will and Jim and descriptions of the setting. Unfortunately, this reader just sort of charges though it all with little shift in speaking style.

In 2015, Mr. Halloway and Jim seem classic examples of depression - but I guess that would not have been the case in 1962.

Joan if you like it well enough ai would get a paper copy at some point. I believe I listened to the same narrator. I think I read it within 6 months of listening to it and enjoyed it so much more. I never linked poor narration to it but that certainly may have been the problem. Bradbury does like to have thoae characters in most his books I think that carry a weight of impending goom witg them. I'm trying to think of the talk between father and son before climbing the trellis or whatever back into the house.

Joan, I was able to pick up a copy at a used book store for $2. Since the book is about 50 years old, there are a lot of used copies floating around out there.

I decided to check and see what was available in audio on Overdrive from my library. They had 3 different audio versions. I listened to them all and chose the version narrated by Stefan Rudnicki. He has a deep, melodious voice (like Michael Dorn, who played Lt. Worf). His pace is rather slow and Travis would have his setting on 2,5, I am sure, but I love it!

I am in chapter 18. The boys just met the Illustrated Man and he is flexing his arm?

I found that I wanted to savour this book when I read it. Some parts as you say Casceil make you want to read faster but I thoroughly enjoyed Bradbury's poetic writing. I didn't find it over the top at all nor did I think it broke the flow of the story. As the story went on, I felt it less poetic but that may well have been because I had got used to his style more, or perhaps because the pace of the story picked up, his focus was on suspense and tension building rather than describing the world. And yes, it was very sensory, encompassing all the five senses.

For those who have finished reading, here is the link to the discussion we (Travis, Janice, Almeta and myself) had when we read it in another group https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group... It has spoilers so only read the thread if you've completed that part of the book/finished.

Rudnicki does a lot of sci fi stuff. I don't speed him up any faster than I usually listen. I agree he is easy to follow which is why hr does well with sci fi as some of it can get quite complex with all the technology and such. He does some of Enders Game.

I'm not sure what to think of the writing. Usually I like it when it's poetic and lyrical, but now I don't know. I have to reread all the time and that hampers the flow. Not sure if it's me though (perhaps not so in the mood for this kind of writing and easily distracted at the moment) or whether Bradbury's writing is just a bit too much for me.

Sarah, thank you for posting that link to the prior discussion. I read through all of it and found it interesting. I see other people had some of the same concerns I did at the end of the book. (view spoiler)[ I wanted to know what happened to Ms. Foley and Mr. Crocheti. (hide spoiler)]

Travis of NNY wrote: "Rudnicki does a lot of sci fi stuff. I don't speed him up any faster than I usually listen. I agree he is easy to follow which is why hr does well with sci fi as some of it can get quite complex ..."

I think I have listened to him before, but I cannot remember what book it was.

I listened for a while last night and to chapter 24 this morning. (view spoiler)[that was so creepy when that old thing/man sat up and was talking! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 19. I liked the part about the boys tuning the board walk by moving boards around.

Oh, and Amy said that there was a movie based on this book. Anyone seen it? She said it was made by Disney and was like Watcher in the Woods.

There are sveral movie versions. I think I have the 2004 one which is the Disney version. Don't double check that because I'm not sure. I think I only watched half of it. Actually if you check the link Sarah gave I believe Almeta planned to watch some vetsions I don't know if ahe talked of them or not

Cherie wrote: "Oh, and Amy said that there was a movie based on this book. Anyone seen it? She said it was made by Disney and was like Watcher in the Woods."

I haven't seen it. But I would like to, because Bradbury was the screenwriter and he was happy with the movie.

I know I've seen something on it when I was a kid, so something from the 80's. I just don't remember specifics, other than something to do with a tent! (It might have even been a cartoon a la Sleepy Hallow).