Shelf Control #11

This meme hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies is so cool! From the original post:

“Shelf Control picks will be books that I already own — either physical copies from my overflowing shelves, or one of the many unread titles elbowing each other out of the way on my Kindle.”

What will be included in each post is:

• Title metadata (essentially)
• How I got it
• When I got it
• Why I want to read it

You can find last week’s post here.

Without further ado, I present you this week’s pick!

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Title: The Illustrated Man

Author: Ray Bradbury

Publisher: Flamingo

Year Published: 1951

Synopsis: That The Illustrated Man has remained in print since being published in 1951 is fair testimony to the universal appeal of Ray Bradbury’s work. Only his second collection (the first was Dark Carnival, later reworked into The October Country), it is a marvellous, if mostly dark, quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In an ingenious framework to open and close the book, Bradbury presents himself as a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man — a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos. What’s even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, and each proceeds to unfold its own story, such as “The Veldt,” wherein rowdy children take a game of virtual reality way over the edge. Or “Kaleidoscope,” a heartbreaking portrait of stranded astronauts about to reenter our atmosphere — without the benefit of a spaceship. Or “Zero Hour,” in which invading aliens have discovered a most logical ally — our own children. Even though most were written in the 1940s and 1950s, these 18 classic stories will be just as chillingly effective 50 years from now.

—Stanley Wiater.

(Taken from Goodreads)

How I got it: On a whim at a Waterstones!

When I got it: At some point while I was living in York.

Why I want to read it: I love Ray Bradbury for Fahrenheit 451 so I think I’ll love The Illustrated Man too! It being a collection of short stories, rather than a novel, will probably move it up the TBR pile, as I can read read one in-between chapter to break the routine up a little.

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Any books sitting on your shelves you’re itching to read? Tell me about them in the comments!

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I’ve set up a ko-fi account to support my book expenses, as finances are a bit uncertain due to Covid. If you like what you see, I would appreciate it if you could pay it a visit. No worries if you can’t donate right now! Take care of yourself 💗